Social Media's Impact on PSIM, Mass Notification

With the ever expanding avenues of social media, people have become incredibly dependent on the ability to share and consume content in real-time as events unfold in both their business and daily lives.

The challenge and opportunity created by these social media channels is to carefully harness the immediacy of the medium with the power of enterprise security, creating a safer environment across a broad range of campuses.

Without question, social media is rapidly becoming a critical tool for global security planning, data gathering and reporting, delivering timely situational information from across the globe and from a multitude of sources.

Swift notification of vital information to physical security platforms can greatly reduce the likelihood of any number of catastrophes by activating and securing facilities in advance of events that may occur.

Linking Social Media with PSIM is Key

Given the adoption of today’s unfiltered social media networks — Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. — virtually anyone can freely post any form of content that has the potential to go viral, creating significant challenges for even the most secure facilities.

In the security industry, these social networks are often referred to as “social data conduits.” They offer unique information streams that can be integrated into the real-time framework of today’s modern physical security information management (PSIM) platforms.

PSIM platforms constitute a category of software that includes applications and platforms created by middleware developers, and are designed to integrate multiple disparate security applications and devices to control them through a single, comprehensive user interface. Connecting social media to the PSIM environment would be a natural evolution in providing the PSIM user with more information to help make better choices during potentially traumatic situations.

The higher education and K-12 environments are great examples of how social media can work extremely well by instantly processing crucial information from teachers and students. For instance, in the event that an active shooter is roaming the facility, social media updates can deliver immediate notification to those on campus currently seeking shelter.