THE PERFECT SCHOOL SAFETY ECOSYSTEM

ARE YOU DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO PROVIDE A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT?

The first step is knowing where weapons are so law enforcement can take appropriate action and possibly prevent gun and knife violence across your enterprise.

Cities and school districts are expanding their public safety capabilities by deploying AI-powered public safety apps like ZeroEyes software across their existing camera networks to expand coverage. 

By detecting visible firearms early on and verifying every alert through our 24/7 ZeroEyes Operations Center, ZeroEyes delivers actionable information to responding officers which helps provide greater situational awareness for everyone involved and hopefully prevent violence and save lives!

ZeroEyes technology looks only for visible firearms and knives and doesn’t rely on facial recognition to identify individuals and verify activity, giving agencies another tool to strengthen public safety while respecting the communities they serve.

Reactive safety waits for the video to go viral and then suspends a student. Proactive safety asks a harder question: what were the warning signs, what support was missing, and who was supposed to be watching?

PUBLIC SAFETY ECOSYSTEM. Because there isn’t ONE company that can provide a complete solution to meet your specific needs, you need Brookside to help design and implement a multi-vendor public safety ecosystem to protect all of your locations and hopefully save some lives!

The combination of ZeroEyes, 911inform, Singlewire InformaCast, and Verkada together form a modern, integrated public-safety ecosystem: 

• ZeroEyes provides AI-driven gun & knife detection that identifies visible firearms in real time; 
• 911inform delivers precise location data, building intelligence, and live situational awareness directly to emergency responders; 
• InformaCast enables fast, multi-channel mass notification to coordinate response across campuses and facilities; 
• Verkada unifies video surveillance, access control, environmental sensors, panic buttons, and smart badges into a single cloud-managed security platform — creating a comprehensive, end-to-end safety infrastructure for schools, cities, and public-sector agencies.

PROTECTING TEACHERS. On back to back days in June, a 38 year veteran was attacked in his own classroom and two teachers were stabbed at dismissal. This is not rare but we are still treating it like it is. And the group hit hardest was not high school teachers – it was elementary teachers, the people standing in front of our youngest children.

We spend a great deal of time focusing on technology to protect the students, and we should. But the adults we send into those buildings to teach and protect our kids are getting hurt, and you never hear about it. 

MASS NOTIFICATIONS. A mass notification system is a communication platform that sends urgent messages across multiple channels such as SMS, voice calls, mobile push, desktop pop-ups, email, PA systems, digital signage, and social media. Its purpose is to deliver timely, accurate information during critical events.

• Broadcast alerts across many channels at once (SMS, voice, email, mobile, desktop, PA speakers). 
• Target specific groups or geofenced areas to avoid alert fatigue. 
• Enable two-way communication so recipients can confirm safety or request help. 
• Automate workflows using integrations with weather feeds, security systems, IT monitoring, and sensors. 
• Provide audit trails, redundancy, and high uptime for reliability.

What to look for in a modern mass notification platform:

• Omnichannel reach (SMS, voice, mobile app, desktop, PA, signage).
• Two-way communication for accountability and situational awareness.
• Automation + AI for faster response and reduced human error.
• Geotargeting / geofencing to reach only affected individuals.
• Security, redundancy, and uptime guarantees.
• Integration ecosystem (access control, video, UCaaS, IT systems).

Verkada is a cloud-managed physical security company that integrates video surveillance, access control, environmental sensors, intrusion detection, and emergency response devices into a single, unified platform.

Their core differentiator is a single cloud software platform called Verkada Command that manages all devices, enabling agencies to consolidate safety operations, reduce complexity, and improve situational awareness.

So while Verkada provides cameras and access control in an all-in-one solution, it also integrates air quality sensors, panic buttons, and alarms with third-party sensor integrations via Verkada Command which provides webhooks, API triggers, and alarm panel integrations.

So in a flood situation, if your buildings are using Flume, Moen Flo, WaterCop, Shelly Flood, or VersaTile, you can pipe alerts into Verkada Command for unified monitoring and proactively save some lives!

Visitor Management Systems (VMS). A VMS controls and tracks who enters a building, providing:

• Check-in / check-out for visitors, contractors, volunteers
• ID scanning + instant background checks
• Badge printing (temporary visitor badges)
• Watchlist alerts (sex offender registry, banned individuals)
• Integration with access control, cameras, and mass notification
• Audit logs for compliance and investigations

In public-sector modernization, VMS is now considered mandatory safety infrastructure, not optional.

Probably the best solution out there is Verkada Guest, a Cloud-native VMS integrated with your existing and new cameras and access control and their Real-Time Crime Center.

Visitor Management Systems act as a critical integration point between:

• Access control & Video surveillance
• Mass notification
• Real-time situational awareness
• AI gun & knife detection
• Emergency alerting with panic buttons and smart badges

A modern VMS becomes the front door of the safety stack, ensuring every person entering a building is logged, screened, and governed.

InformaCast Safety Ecosystem for Schools — Executive Overview

Unified Emergency Notifications. InformaCast gives schools a single platform to send critical alerts across every channel at once, including:

• Mobile phones (SMS, push notifications)
• Desk phones (Cisco, Teams, SIP)
• Classroom speakers
• PA systems
• Digital signage
• Desktop pop-ups
• Email
• Web alerts
• Panic buttons and smart badges
  

This eliminates fragmented systems and ensures everyone receives the same message instantly.

NG911-Aligned Emergency Communications. Schools must meet modern emergency standards. InformaCast supports:

• Real-time 911 call monitoring
• Automatic alerting when someone dials 911
• Location-aware notifications
• Integration with RapidSOS and next-generation routing partners
• Dispatchable location delivery

This helps schools comply with Kari’s Law, RAY BAUM’s Act, and emerging NG911 requirements.

Smart Badges & Panic Buttons. InformaCast integrates with wearable or fixed panic devices to trigger:

• Lockdown
• Shelter-in-place
• Evacuation
• Medical emergency
• Staff assist alerts
  

Smart badges allow silent, discreet activation, giving teachers and staff immediate access to help.

4. Lockdown & Access Control Integration. InformaCast ties into physical security systems to automate protective actions:
   

• Door locking
• Access control changes
• Camera activation
• Strobe lights
• Audible alarms
• Pre-recorded instructions
  

This creates a true safety ecosystem, not just notifications.

5. Video Surveillance & Security System Integration. Through API and partner integrations, InformaCast can:

• Trigger camera recording
• Push alerts to security dashboards
• Activate perimeter monitoring
• Sync with VMS platforms (Milestone, Avigilon, Verkada, etc.)

This gives security teams real-time situational awareness.

6. Paging, Bells, and Daily Communications. Schools use InformaCast for everyday operations too:
   

• Class change bells
• Scheduled announcements
• Paging to classrooms or zones
• Weather alerts
• Visitor notifications
• Transportation updates
  

This reduces the number of systems schools must maintain.

Cloud Communications & Microsoft Teams Integration. The InformaCast platform integrates with:

• Microsoft Teams
• Cisco Webex
• SIP phones
• Hybrid cloud communications
  

This allows schools to modernize communications without ripping out existing infrastructure.

Cost Optimization & Vendor Consolidation. Most schools run 5–12 separate systems for safety, paging, bells, notifications, and communications. InformaCast consolidates them into one platform, reducing:

• Licensing costs
• Maintenance
• Complexity
• Vendor sprawl
• Failure points
  

This is where Brookside shines — identifying savings and eliminating redundant systems.

Real-Time Crime Center. A Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) is a centralized public-safety operations hub inside a police or sheriff’s department that provides real-time intelligence, video, data, and analytics to support patrol, investigations, and emergency response. 

A Real-Time Crime Center is defined as a specialized public-safety unit that centralizes in gathering criminal information, intelligence analysis, and real-time monitoring. It consolidates:

• Live video feeds (city cameras, school cameras, private-public partnerships)
• License plate reader (LPR) & facial recognition alerts
• CAD (dispatch) and RMS (records) data
• Mapping and geospatial tools
• Suspicious drone activity
• Shot-detection, sensor alerts, and other approved systems
• Analysts and operators who support patrol and investigations

Its sole purpose is to improve situational awareness, coordination, and decision-making for first responders. RTCC’s can act as a central hub for coordinating major incidents by integrating feeds from multiple technologies and provides command-level visibility for decision-makers. 

RTCC are technology-driven command centers that integrate live video, License Plate Readers (LPR), CAD/RMS data, alerts, mapping tools, and analytics so 911 operators and law enforcement can give officers actionable intelligence before, during, and after an incident.

RTCC’s are one of the fastest-growing components of modern policing with 2025–2026 research confirming its impact on situational awareness, response times, and investigative efficiency.

PUBLIC SAFETY GRANTS. Money is tight everywhere these days and that’s why there are multiple public safety grants available from state and federal agencies that pay for all or most of the cost of new public safety technology.

Companies like ZeroEyes have dedicated staff that specialize in writing grant requests for you that help secure the funding to help pay for the latest technology to help prevent mass shootings and violence wherever it pops up.

Full Technology Review & Modernization Roadmap. Schools often don’t know what they already have or what’s possible. A full review typically uncovers:

• Outdated hardware
• Unused licenses
• Redundant vendors
• NG911 compliance gaps
• Safety blind spots
• Cost-saving opportunities
  

Brookside Cloud Consulting is a long-standing technology advisor with 24+ years of experience supporting businesses, government agencies, schools, universities, and healthcare organizations. Based in Austin, Texas, Brookside combines 40+ years of technology leadership with access to 400+ technology providers.

Brookside’s focus is helping organizations simplify complex technology environments, align solutions with their unique ecosystem, and maximize the return on every technology investment. From design and vendor selection to implementation, training, and ongoing support, Brookside serves as a committed long-term trusted partner dedicated to operational excellence and measurable outcomes.

Brookside’s vendor-neutral approach makes this painless. 

Modernize. Protect. Save. www.BrooksideUS.com & MDance@BrooksideUS.com