IN THIS ISSUE: INTRODUCING 2-3 4-5 · 2 3 For more information call 0844 811 00 70 or go to NEWS For more information call 0844 811 00 70 or go to WELCOME to issue 8 of InTouch, the

July 2008

GET READY! Business Continuity Management (BCM) is fundamental to the well-being of everyorganisation. Being prepared for a crisis can make all the difference between chaos and astructured return to business as usual.

IN THIS ISSUE:NEVER LOSE CONTACT

How can you

ensure your

team never

misses a

critical

message?

STRIKING A CHORD

Text messaging

in the classroom.

6-7EMERGENCY RESPONSEFOR VOLUNTEERS

Boost for

volunteer

medics.

8Showcasing

PageOne’s

latest products

at Spring Expos.

2-3

4-5

Because resilient communicationlies at the heart of BCM, PageOnehave launched a new portfolio ofproducts specifically designed forthe BC community.

The platform for this suite ofproducts is a BCM dedicatedupgrade of the highly popular and

reliable Connect system.Two other new products

underpin PageOne’s commitment toBCM: which automaticallyforwards SMS text messages tomembers of a pre-defined fallbacklist; and , our real timestaff check in and

acknowledgement service.To find out more about ,

and ,please turn to pages 2 and 3.(Turn to page 8 to find out moreabout the launch of at thisyears Business Continuity event).

ADDING A TOUCH OF

INTRODUCING...

8

InTouch Newsletter_june08_V2 27/6/08 12:47 Page 2

2 3

For more information call 0844 811 00 70 or go to www.pageone.co.uk

NEWS


WELCOME to issue 8 ofInTouch, the magazine for all ofour customers, partners andaffiliates.

In this issue we're proud toshow off our new suite of BCMproducts: , and

.BCM has emerged as a core

element of business strategy inthe 21st century. Most businessesrecognise this and we aredelighted to offer our support asthey develop their own BCMSolutions.

We also examine howmessaging technology istransforming the academiclandscape (page 4) and how RedCross administrators are usingPageOne Connect to organisecall outs more efficiently (page 6).

Finally, read about the launchof at this years BusinessContinuity event. (turn to page 8to find out more).

Whatever your interest inmessaging and the messagingindustry, we hope you'll findInTouch useful and informative.

Chris Jones CEO, PageOne

What if the person you send a message tohas their phone switched off? Rather than waitfor them to respond, there’s a faster way to get results.

The service allows users toautomatically notify their mobile workforce in auser defined sequence.

If a message such as an alert or a calloutrequest is not received or acknowledged withina pre-determined time, it can be passed on to aseries of colleagues until it is successfullydelivered or acknowledged.

can be based on actual messagedelivery to the handset or a positiveacknowledgement from a recipient.

Tracking the path of an escalated message isquick and simple. Real time reporting toolsmake it easy to analyse each step of theescalation.

The system is easy-to-use and needs noadditional software. Because it is web based,administrators can log on and monitor anescalating situation from almost anywhere.

PageOne’s brand new messaging platform offers fast, resilient,intuitive messaging for communications you can rely on.

, PageOne’s web-based Business Continuity (BC) messaging system, has evolved from the highly successfulConnect system.

Connect is tried and tested, and is already an integral part of our customers communication systems across bothpublic and private sectors. Now the security, speed and reliability of Connect is available in a dedicated BC webbased messaging service – .

has been specifically designed to allow users to contact large numbers of people quickly and easily,making it ideal for the time critical nature of emergency messaging and business continuity applications

It contains a full range of enhanced messaging services including Flash SMS, which can be used to messagePageOne groups in the event of a major incident alert or in situations where messages cannot be ignored.

A detailed message history provides users with an in depth audit trail of messages sent and received from the account

2-way SMS technology comes as standard and allows recipients to quickly and easily acknowledge receipt of anemergency broadcast.

Together with and , PageOne , offers a complete and resilient communicationssolution for business critical messaging applications.

Our for messaging excellence

How can you ensure your team never misses a critical message? PageOne’sprovides a robust and reliable solution.

Never lose contact

For more information on andPageOne's full range of BusinessContinuity and business messagingproducts please call 0844 811 00 80or visit www.pageoneflare.com

Contact us

Welcome

is real time staff check in and acknowledgement service.Developed to satisfy the demands of disaster recovery, areyousafe providesa customisable tool to help Disaster Recovery administrators and BCMofficers review the safety of staff.

In the event of a crisis, employees can check in by calling a dedicatedtelephone number either using their mobile phone or

landline number. Using vCard technology, the caller's CLI (Caller Line

Identity) is checked, and the caller’s identity verified.Callers are then guided through a series of voice prompts (configurable

by an administrator), which they can use to confirm their identity, locationand if they require any support. If the caller’s details are not alreadyregistered, will capture and store them.

The flexibility of the system allows amends to messages and define up-to-the minute instructions.

I’m fine – what about my team?When facing the unexpected, finding out if your team is safe is critical. Thesystem means team members can register their status and whereabouts with one simplephone call.


54

Striking a chord with student lifestyle

NEWS


Thanks forreminding me!


At the start of each sciencedegree lesson at Kingston College,the lecturer gives the students aspecific lesson code to text to adedicated number. Registrationtakes place automatically andwithout fuss.

“We read the class ID from thetexted code, identify the studentfrom their mobile number and thetime from the text message itself,”says David Robinson, Head OfLearning Information Services.

“Our server then determinesthe student is present for thelesson and marks the registeraccordingly.”

The secure SMS service waslaunched thanks to a joint venturebetween PageOneCommunications and JANET (UK).

In April 2007, JANET selectedPageOne to operate the service,allowing educational and researchorganisations to distributeindividual or group messagesthrough one easy-to-use interface.

“We won funding for a jointJANET text project with KingstonUniversity, as we share the samestudents for some of our courses.There are inevitably issues aboutmanaging students across twoinstitutions, so it's great to use

mobile technology to keeplecturers and students up todate,” says David.

“When we started there were afew technical challenges butwe've mastered them thanks toexcellent technical support fromPageOne and proved that it works.We now have a dedicated SOAP(Simple Object Access Protocol)server which has helped tostreamline the process.

“Students move betweencourses fairly frequently, especiallyat the beginning of each term, soa traditional paper register isn'tvery practical.

“There are still a few issues toovercome – for example if astudent changes their SIM cardand doesn't tell us – but generallyit's succeeded in transferring abureaucratic burden from teachersto machines.”

The development in SMS-basedregistration was undertaken aspart of a JISC-funded projectcalled KASTANET (Kingston Accessto Science Teaching Across Newand Emerging Technologies),which is led by Kingston Collegein collaboration with KingstonUniversity.

Text messaging in theclassroom? Of course!An innovative SMS project at a south west London college is using 21st century technology to keep tabs on students' attendance records.

Reminding students aboutenrolment interviews used to be achore – until Uxbridge Collegestarted using SMS messages.

“We have a massive enrolmentprogramme and we used to triplebook some appointment slotsbecause of the low turn-out rate,”says Mark Nettle, Director OfStudent Services. “But with a textreminder the day before theinterview, the turn-out rate hasshot up dramatically.”

“I think we set a record with anElectrical Installation student whoarrived saying ‘I've had this text -I've come for my interview’ - sevenminutes after we sent it.”

Uxbridge College, which is oneof London’s top performingcolleges, attracts around 3,000 full-time students and 6,000 part-timestudents every year.

“We were talking to severalfirms until the JANET txt offer camealong at just the right time,” says

Mark. “It was competitively pricedand offered just what we werelooking for.”

“Looking ahead, we want toextend the text reminders acrossthe curriculum. Throughout the yearwe have tried other methods tohelp remind our students. However,in comparison to JANET txt theresults were not as good.”

In a completely separateapplication, JANET txt provedinvaluable when the local authority

asked the college to consult youngpeople on potential uses for aneighbouring RAF site which willbe sold off in the next two years.

“We used JANET txt to invite 20of our student reps to take part inthe consultation,” says Mark.“Seventeen turned up the next dayand had masses to say about whatthey wanted on the site. We areextremely pleased with the systemand hope to use it further.”

Sometimes students need prompting when it’s time to enrol.SMS technology speaks their language and gets results.

A ground-breaking partnership between PageOne and JANET (UK),an academic initiative, is using technology to make life simplerfor students and teachers.


Every second counts, whenvolunteers from the British RedCross Society in the South Westand the Channel Islands react toemergencies. Now they canrespond faster than ever, thanks toPageOne messaging technology.

After selecting PageOne as itspreferred provider in early 2007,the Red Cross Emergency Responseteam took full advantage of thecomprehensive suite of optionsavailable within the system.

In particular, the teamestablished that SMS messagingwould complement its existingArea Emergency Plan.

“The first step was a trial periodto test the system and prove itsresilience and capability to staff

and volunteers,” said EmergencyResponse Assistant John Blake.

“We then produced a trainingpackage for our experienced staffand volunteers who managerequests from the emergencyservices and local authorities inCornwall, Devon, Dorset andSomerset.

“The system has been extremelywell received by both staff andvolunteers who see it as anenabler, allowing them to respondimmediately and effectively.

“For example, it was used to good effect to alert andmobilise additionalFirst Aid volunteers to respond tothe very heavy rains during theGlastonbury festival.”

The selection of PageOnefollowed a comprehensive reviewof the organisation’s response tocalls for assistance from theemergency services and localauthorities during major incidents.

“Traditionally a number ofvolunteers would have phonedaround to find out who wasavailable and then make anothercall to deploy volunteers,” saidJohn. “As you can imagine, evenwith no interruptions delay was inevitable.”

During the flooding inGloucestershire in the summer of2007, the system again provedinvaluable in mobilising teams tosupport the evacuation of thoseflooded out and subsequently with

the distribution of food and water.“This use of technology is an

invaluable tool. We see it as aFirst’ in the voluntarysector.”

Plans for emergencyresponse, safety atpublic events andbusinesscontinuity allfeature in theorganisation’suse of thecallout systemand it isexpected that thepotentialapplications will expand.

76

NEWS

Life saving link-upfor rescue workers

Boost forvolunteer medicsThe British Red Cross relies on PageOne SMS messaging to deploy EmergencyResponse volunteers quickly and effectively.

Joined up approach helps networks flourish

Getting an office network upand running over a weekend intime for a Monday morning startis something of a specialty forLine Management Group's 2iServices division.

Such a task is one of the manyservices that the company, thelargest independent provider ofconnectivity and IT supportservices in the UK, offers. And,depending on the job, thecompany needs to get as many as50 different employees orcontractors to the site at the righttimes.

PageOne's Connect systemprovides Line Management withan ideal way of getting all thedetails about a particular job tothe right people, ensuring that thework is carried out efficiently.

Operations resource supervisor

Audrey Smith explained: “Wework with a large number ofdifferent employees andcontractors and have to makesure that the right people go tothe right site at the right times.PageOne helps us do that.

“We can send one text with allthe relevant details such ascontact information, siteinformation, addresses and timesand dates. It means we can besure that everyone involvedknows where they should be at aparticular time.

“With PageOne we can creategroups, merge details from ourdatabase or add details on an adhoc basis, giving us a great dealof flexibility in how we cancontact people. It is so mucheasier, saves a lot of time and isvery cost effective.”

PageOne’s Connect helps coastguard team volunteers respond quicklyto emergency incidents on the coast and at sea.

Shipping emergencies, mountainand cliff rescues, flooding andsearches. These are just some of the incidents that volunteers withthe Maritime and CoastguardAgency have to respond to at amoments notice.

Getting the people with the right training to the right place asquickly as possible is vital. It’s acomplex operation for the RescueCo-ordination Centres that handlethe incident. But it’s one that has been made easier with theintroduction of PageOne’s Connect service.

The system is on trial with six of the 200 coastguard teams thatthe MCA runs across the UK and

has proved to be a big hit withboth the volunteers and theoperational staff.

The MCA is responsible forimplementing the Government’smaritime safety policy. Thatincludes protecting the coastline ofthe UK, looking after all shippingand working to prevent the loss oflives on the coast and at sea.

Its 3,500 coastguard teamvolunteers come from all walks oflife to respond to emergencies. Theyare formed into teams of around20 members who are each trainedto specialise in different areas suchas cliff rescues or searches.

Matthew Rumble, seniortechnical manager for MCA’s

Technical Services Directorate,explained: “With our basic pagingsystem, all team members arebleeped when there is an incidentand have to contact the centre toshow if they are available. Thecentre officers then have to decidewhich volunteers to send outaccording to their training and thetype of incident.

“That can be quite a timeconsuming and complicatedprocess. With PageOne Connect,we can get messages about thetype of incident to the right peopleand it allows them to quickly notifyus of their availability without tyingup our communication channels at a time when they are

extremely busy.”Because Connect links message

pagers with personal mobilephones, it also makes it easier tocontact volunteers. “It has helpedus overcome a real problemcontacting people via their mobileswho are on a range of differentnetworks. The Connect system tiesit all together and makes it somuch easier,” said Matthew.

The trial started in February 2007and the feedback has been verypositive. “Everyone has been veryimpressed. Connect gives us somany more options forcommunicating quickly and efficiently in response to an emergency.”

For more information call 0844 811 00 70 or go to www.pageone.co.ukFor more information call 0844 811 00 70 or go to www.pageone.co.uk


8

Business Continuity Expo this year gave us areal opportunity to shine. A visually impressivestand blazing two large flames from the topprovided the perfect setting in which to launchour dynamic new Business Continuity suite ofproducts, . In addition to attending variousseminars throughout the day, attendees alsoflocked to our stand to hear lively andinformative presentations about our two new

products; , the event notificationsystem that automatically forwards SMSmessages to a predefined member’s fallback listand , the real time staff check-inand acknowledgement service, developed tosatisfy the demands of Disaster Recovery.

This year’s show identified a shift in behaviourtowards Business Continuity. This year peopleattending the show actually had BC as one oftheir job responsibilities, at last businesses arestarting to embrace BC and recognise theimportance of embedding it into their company culture.

Adding a touch of toBusiness Continuity Expo


BACK PAGE

PAGEONE'S STAND AT THIS YEARS BUSINESS CONTINUITY EVENT.


IN THIS ISSUE: INTRODUCING 2-3 4-5 · 2 3 For more information call 0844 811 00 70 or go to NEWS For more information call 0844 811 00 70 or go to WELCOME to issue 8 of InTouch, the

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