By: Sam Auerbach

Adobe Stock Image by Thitichaya

Summer brings internships, jobs, and a well-earned break for university students — but campus life doesn’t stop. Universities remain action-packed, from summer courses and research to major events and facility upgrades. The responsibility to keep campuses safe doesn’t take a break either.

Universities and colleges operate as microcosms of society with many of the same challenges that cities and towns face, including drug distribution, gun violence, assault, and property theft. Tragically, school shootings on both college and K-12 campuses remain a harsh reality in the U.S. Once viewed as less demanding than other areas of law enforcement, campus police safety roles are now rightly recognized as complex and critically important.

To prepare themselves and better equip campuses, many agencies are turning to modern cloud-native technology, which include record management systems, computer-aided dispatch, advanced analytics and mobile applications. These software platforms provide the underlying communications, record keeping and organizational foundation for public safety operations and officer safety. With modern tools, agencies work more efficiently and faster and make better-informed decisions for improved outcomes for students, faculty, and administrative staff.

1. Removing Public Safety Officers from Behind the Desk

Modern technology streamlines administrative tasks and reduces paperwork, enabling public safety officers to complete paperwork on-the-go rather than behind a desk. This means that they can spend more time patrolling the campus, keeping students, faculty and staff safe. This added presence is especially valuable during large events and increases visibility to the public, which aids in deterring crime. Having technology accessible on the go also improves communication so agencies can coordinate and allocate resources more effectively.

2. Real-Time Tools and Intelligence

Modern, cloud-native systems provide the tools and network for agencies to be more responsive to incidents. With benefits such as location tracking, command centers and dispatchers can have visibility on their officers’ location without requiring them to radio in.

In addition, cloud-native mobile applications enable officers to quickly collect information such as identification and other real-time data which is instantly accessible to other officers in the field and dispatchers. This seamless and timely flow of information empowers agency leadership to make faster, better-informed decisions.

3. Resiliency and Scalability

More broadly, since many agencies bring in auxiliary staff for large events, modern systems make it easier to quickly scale operations. Legacy RMS lacks the same scalability and configurability required for major campus events and emergency incidents, especially without downtime. This is a key benefit and function of cloud-native systems for campus police departments.

Outdated, on-premises systems can take weeks—or even months—to scale, making them ill-suited for handling graduation or other large-scale campus events. In many cases, updating and maintaining these systems may incur significant costs, assuming an upgrade is even possible. Beyond scalability, legacy systems often lack cybersecurity infrastructure, posing serious risks to campus police departments. They also may require dedicated IT staff to manage servers and infrastructure, resources that many small and medium-sized campus public safety agencies do not have. In contrast, cloud-native technology vendors own the management and maintenance of cybersecurity controls and system updates for predictable billing and easy scalability.

4. Investigations and Decision-Making

Real-time data is a critical advantage for campus public safety agencies. Modern platforms provide cleaner, aggregated and more accurate data to identify crime hotspots to deploy officers more effectively while also helping to predict where crimes may occur on campus. Data also assists in quicker investigations, identifying patterns across cases by aggregating relevant information. Additionally, cloud-native systems provide data to dispatchers, agency leadership and officers in the field while they respond to incidents in real-time. All of this contributes to faster response times, ultimately leading to improved outcomes and safer, more resilient campus communities.

Campus safety agencies are highly attuned to public perception of safety, especially since student wellbeing is a top priority for parents and institutions alike. Robust data offers a powerful way to measure the effectiveness of policing and safety strategies, allowing agencies to demonstrate results and justify budget or policy shifts. Accurate, accessible and transparent data helps convey impact to parents and prospective students and builds public trust and support for agency budgets by highlighting key outcomes such as faster response times or reductions in assaults.

5. Doing More with Less

Many agencies are facing budget cuts and being asked to do more with less. The average police agency is understaffed by 30%, some as much as 80%. This means a campus public safety agency might be expected to deliver the work of 100 officers with just 70, placing significant strain on resources and personnel. Using cloud-native systems can help with these challenges. By reducing paperwork and improving workflows, agencies can cut administrative work time by 30% and reduce response times by 30 to 50% . As a result, campus public safety agencies can effectively gain the equivalent of 30 additional personnel to their force.

Cloud-native systems also support agency finances by offering predictable billing and comprehensive customer service. By providing reliable service and predictable costs that include customer service, upgrades and maintenance—which previously would require hiring expensive IT professionals—these systems avoid unexpected costs.

To support faster adoption, modern public safety platforms are designed to be intuitive, with user-friendly interfaces inspired by consumer apps. This makes training quick and straightforward for campus safety officers and easy to configure for agency leaders. As a result, agencies can rapidly scale their force up or down around major events like graduation—an especially valuable advantage for campus public safety agencies that rely on auxiliary staff during peak times.

Conclusion

Public safety agencies on college campuses face increasing demands as security challenges escalate and expectations for transparency also rise. At the same time, budgets are shrinking, and resources are limited. Modern software platforms meet these demands by cutting administrative overhead, improving response times and delivering real-time data for critical decisions. For campus safety agencies deeply connected to their communities, public trust isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Modern tools aren’t just tech upgrades, they’re critical investments in safety, transparency and accountability.

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Sam Auerbach is account executive at Mark43, a public safety operations platform. 

Original Story: https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/insights/5-ways-modern-cloud-technology-improves-campus-safety/171192/

As general-purpose software shows limitations in addressing specialized needs, vertical solutions—tools designed for a specific industry or business function—are emerging as powerful drivers of transformation. These platforms offer tailored features that can improve efficiency, streamline compliance and replace outdated systems across a wide range of sectors and operations.

Below, members of Forbes Technology Council discuss industries and functions they believe are most ready for disruption by vertical software, and why. Read on to learn how focused digital tools can streamline the work of highly specialized companies and roles.

1. Construction

The construction industry is ripe for disruption by vertical software. Tailored platforms can streamline project management, automate compliance and improve field-to-office collaboration. By replacing manual workflows with industry-specific solutions, construction firms can reduce delays, cut costs and gain a real competitive edge. – IV Reddy, Sriven Info Inc.

2. Banking

Banking is ripe for disruption, specifically in the account fraud space. Fraud pattern recognition trained on terabytes of customer data and consumer preferences can help enable better customer experiences while more accurately identifying fraud. – Rodney Drake, VALID Systems

3. Healthcare

Vertical software can transform healthcare by improving patient care, optimizing administrative tasks and leveraging data and AI for better decision-making. It can also help ensure regulatory compliance for data security and contribute to more efficient, data-driven and patient-centric healthcare systems. – Prasad Banala, Dollar General Corporation

4. Private Equity

The private equity industry is in need of technology and software that can simplify processes across the deal life cycle. Vertical software for the industry could streamline due diligence and analysis and help investors gain visibility into their portfolio companies’ operational health, technology and efficiency. It could provide a unified approach to portfolio management, performance tracking, risk management and regulatory compliance reporting and monitoring—and it could even support innovation across the portfolio, helping drive top-line growth. – Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Alix Partners

5. Manufacturing

Manufacturing and banking are both ready for AI disruption, powered by software with deep vertical knowledge. General AI frameworks alone don’t work, since these otherwise powerful tools don’t have the domain expertise necessary to, say, power use cases on factory floors or banking environments. But general frameworks can be trained for vertical use with historical knowledge and real-time learning. – Marco Santos, GFT

6. Hotels And Hospitality

Staff of the average midsize hotel utilize about 40 different systems to operate their hotel. While innovation in the space has enabled new “add on” features, hoteliers are overwhelmed and are unable to shrink staffing models or operate more efficiently given the system overload. An AI-native, all-in-one system would enable leaner operations and free up valuable time to focus on guests. – Rami Zeidan, Life House

7. Life Sciences

Vertical AI in the life sciences is streamlining old strategies and accelerating content authoring, especially in terms of branding and marketing, with faster website and campaign creation. This shift reduces the complexity and overhead that previously characterized brand strategy efforts. While regulatory content authoring remains highly governed, nonregulatory content is a proving ground for AI-driven acceleration. – Harini Gopalakrishnan, Snowflake

8. Public Safety

Public safety is one of the most critical industries ripe for disruption by vertical software. As community expectations evolve, so must the technology that supports emergency response. Adopting next-generation, resilient software can transform how agencies operate, enabling seamless communication, real-time data-sharing and smarter decision-making when it matters most to the communities they serve. – Matthew Polega, Mark43

9. Regulatory Technology

The regulatory technology sector in banking and financial services lacks specialized tools. By automating compliance processes using AI and ML, financial institutions can significantly reduce the costs and risks associated with regulatory adherence. This will streamline reporting, enhance real-time monitoring and improve overall compliance efficiency in an increasingly complex global landscape. – Kalyan Gottipati, Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

10. Private Credit

I believe that the private credit industry is in need of vertical software solutions. Currently, it’s reliant on manual workflows to manage deal sourcing, underwriting, compliance and reporting. Tailored software as a service can streamline operations, improve risk monitoring and enhance investor transparency. This enables lenders to scale efficiently, respond faster to borrowers and strengthen limited partner relationships. – Abhinav Asthana, Redwood Trust, Inc.

11. Enterprise IT Functions

The IT function in enterprises is ripe for disruption by specialized software. Most IT products focus on service management; unlike other enterprise functions, such as finance or sales, CIOs lack a unified platform to manage strategy, risk, suppliers, finance, knowledge and performance. An IT management platform would help CIOs plan and deliver value and improve agility, efficiency, compliance and innovation. – Indivar Nayyar, LTIMindtree

12. Dentistry

Many dentists still rely on tech older than the first iPhone. Cloud-based dental software is primed to disrupt the outdated status quo. Specialized software eliminates administrative bottlenecks through AI and workflow automation, which can support dental diagnostic insights, increase case acceptance rates and improve both operational efficiency and overall patient care quality. – Eric Giesecke, Planet DDS

13. HCM Compliance Tracking

Compliance tracking in the human capital management industry is a highly manual process due to HCM platforms serving customers across various industries. OSHA, DoT, HIPAA, EPA and ADA compliance are just a few reasons it would be helpful for HCM platforms to offer automated compliance tracking solutions. Companies would benefit from real-time tracking and cost savings through automation. – Anshul Kumar, Paylocity

14. Veterinary Practices

Veterinary practices can benefit from vertical software that centralizes electronic medical records, appointment scheduling and inventory. Integration with pet wearables would enable real-time health monitoring. Such software can turn passive checkups into proactive care, improve diagnostics and enhance client loyalty through smarter, data-driven insights. Woof! – Mark Mahle, NetActuate, Inc.

15. Auto Repair Shops

Auto repair shops could be transformed by vertical software that links diagnostics, parts ordering and customer communication in real time. Mechanics would spend less time chasing inventory or explaining issues and more time actually fixing cars, while customers get Uber-style updates that build trust. – Jason Kim, Big Whale Labs

16. Job Application Platforms

The job application process could be vastly improved by vertical software. It’s often a process that’s split across several apps (LinkedIn, Gmail, SMS, phone) before all is said and done. Applicants and HR staff alike could perform better if there was a unified system to take care of messaging, calls and emails. – Syed Ahmed, Act-On Software

17. Utilities

Utilities are absolutely ripe for vertical software disruption. They are asset-heavy, regulation-bound and data-rich but insight-poor, which makes them ideal candidates for purpose-built platforms. They have massive legacy infrastructure (SCADA, GIS, work orders) with limited integration and have high reliance on manual inspections, field service teams and paper trails. – Diganta Sengupta, Oracle Corp

18. Residential Maintenance

The residential maintenance sector presents an excellent opportunity for specialized digital solutions. These enterprises frequently rely on antiquated methods and fragmented processes. Service providers would benefit from platforms that streamline scheduling, deliver field-ready mobile tools and enable preventative service alerts. – Mara Dimofte, Rilla

19. Agriculture

Agriculture is ripe for disruption by vertical software, as many farms still rely on manual records and generic tools. Industry-specific platforms can optimize crop planning, track soil and weather data, streamline supply chains and boost yields, bringing greater efficiency, predictability and sustainability to a traditionally low-tech sector. – Bhushan Parikh, Get Digital Velocity, LLC

Original Story: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2025/06/02/vertical-software-19-sectors-and-functions-it-could-benefit-now/

By: Wendy Gilbert

Public safety agencies are facing more challenging conditions for emergency response today. Incidents involve many more variables than in the past: new forms of data such as streaming video, data sensors, images and audio. Natural disasters and cyberattacks also add more complexity. In addition, agencies must integrate with more systems while staffing shortages and training gaps at dispatch centers create operational strain.

To address these challenges, agencies are moving to modern cloud-native Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) systems. These platforms bring together real-time data and advanced insights to accelerate emergency response, improve situational awareness, and streamline workflows to make communities safer, all while improving security through automatic updates. They replace legacy CAD systems, which often run outdated, on-premise software prone to failure in natural disasters and vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Data Advantage

To deliver rapid, effective responses, contemporary CAD systems aggregate real-time information across a range of data types. First responders approaching the scene get access to live data, such as video from CCTV feeds, citizen livestreams, active 911 calls, data sensors, images, audio, and other information. First responders often want direct access to all relevant data, not just summaries. This could even include where to park a fire truck closest to a fire hydrant. This context helps command staff and first responders make better decisions and improve safety.

New forms of data have also changed what residents want from emergency response. The public wants to engage with 911 like they do with any other current communication, via text chat, images, live video, and apps. For example, a parent may wish to send images or livestream video during a crisis. Next-generation CAD systems can ingest this data and integrate it so that all relevant parties—command staff, dispatchers, and first responders—have immediate access. Citizens also often have tools such as Ring cameras and want to share footage with law enforcement proactively. Legacy systems, however, typically are inflexible and can’t support different media types.

Resilience and Uptime

Another major benefit of cloud-native CAD is resilience and uptime. Traditional systems run on on-premise hardware, which is at risk during natural disasters such as hurricanes or power outages. With cloud-native systems, CAD can stay continuously available. During a recent hurricane, the Fort Myers Police Department suffered a power outage due to flooding, but could still maintain continuous dispatch operations because it had a cloud-native system. Dispatchers were able to continue to do their jobs remotely. It’s not just performance or innovation but resilience, which is now critical for public safety systems in life-or-death situations. These systems also typically include backup protections, enabling quick restorations to get back online after any disruptions.

For many agencies, staffing their dispatch and call centers is difficult. Cloud-based CAD mitigates this by increasing the pool of potential hires and making these jobs more accessible. In natural disasters, staff can access and operate systems remotely, allowing them to continue operations even in dire circumstances.

Security

Security is a top concern for public safety agencies, from CJIS compliance to FedRAMP High authorization. CAD systems can address these regulatory concerns while offering advances over legacy systems, which often run outdated security software or operating systems with vulnerabilities. They also must be manually updated by the agency’s IT staff or outside vendors. Cloud systems, by contrast, remove the agency’s burden of managing security by automatically delivering patching and security updates. Modern CAD systems thereby provide a tremendous return on investment by reducing the IT costs of maintaining their own tech security and managing their infrastructure.

In addition, public safety agencies manage a wealth of sensitive information, such as name, address, social security number, and other records, which makes data protection critical to prevent serious breaches. While on-premise systems can be targeted and vulnerable, cloud- native systems offer advantages such as constantly updated and patched updates, threat detection and monitoring, built-in redundancy and disaster recovery, identity access management, and advanced physical security at data centers.

Public Trust

Transparency and accountability are critical for building public trust. Modern dispatch systems improve both by enhancing 911 and 311 systems by enabling residents to call in for guidance or assistance, even for non-emergency issues. They also help triage to route true emergency response calls to the right person as quickly as possible. These CAD systems can also integrate with records management systems to provide case updates, notifications to pick up property, or investigation status for citizens, providing collaborative and engaging interaction with the community. In addition, CAD systems have robust data and analytics so that agencies can share data with policy leaders and the community about response times, agency workflow, use-of-force, or bias.

In the future, CAD systems will only get better at improving community safety. Artificial intelligence will underlie many of these advances. For example, systems can triage calls better, recommend responses, and help provide guidance. If medical assistance is needed, systems can provide basic content to the citizen in need until a responder arrives.

Many agencies have response plans, but CAD systems will be able to use AI to analyze a call in real-time, know its location, and then suggest the types and numbers of units properly equipped to get there the fastest. Finally, AI can assist with simultaneous translation to improve interactions with residents and agency responses. Real-time transcription can understand a dispatcher’s conversation and detect keywords in the heat of the moment that may be missed, helping to inform agency response. Overall, AI can move operations toward leveraging a range of data and provide it to agencies at the exact moment they need it so they can make faster and better decisions.

Conclusion

Today’s public safety agencies face a demanding environment, often while struggling with obsolete, inflexible legacy CAD systems. Cloud-native CAD platforms offer many technology advances but also resilience, scalability, and real-time data that agencies need today. Cloud- native systems are no longer just a nice-to-have; they’re a must to ensure best practices by first responders while maintaining operations even in extreme conditions.

Original Story: https://innotechtoday.com/the-future-of-emergency-response-starts-now-with-new-tech/

By: Erin Sewall

With the recent news of the FAA updating its drone for first response approval process, it’s anticipated that more police departments across the country will be starting up drone programs this year. Adopting a program, while important, is no easy task. California’s Elk Grove Police Department offer insight into the best practices for getting started.

Public safety and vendor collaboration is critical
One of the biggest challenges police departments face when developing a drone program is selecting the right vendor. The right vendor is dependent on the specific needs of that department and how well they can adapt to challenges. Elk Grove Police Department (EGPD) teamed up with Mark43 in 2020 to deploy  its records management system (RMS) and computer-aided dispatch (CAD). Because Mark43 is cloud-native, it allowed EGPD to easily scale and integrate new technologies.  Four years later, EGPD built on that foundation by integrating Mark43 CAD with  Flock Aerodome Drone as a First Responder (DFR) system, enhancing their drone operations.

Mark43’s ability to adapt to EGPD growing needs and their strong relationship with the force set them up as the best vendor, which Lt. Nate Lange at EGPD identified as key measures of success. “In this sector, public safety must be paramount over profits,” said Lt. Lange. “When vendors prioritize profit over the mission, you see it.”  A vendor that takes into consideration every need and every problem that a department is facing instead of just the sale is a key indicator that they have the best interest of the department’s success in mind. This includes ensuring the software is easy to learn and use by anyone in the department.

As a DFR program that’s under a year old, the police force at Elk Grove is learning how valuable drones are to the force. From gaining critical situational awareness for a call, to locating a suspect while protecting officers, it’s become abundantly clear how important the drone’s role is in the department’s day-to-day operations.

“We decided it was too dangerous not to have a drone program,” Lt. Lange told Commercial UAV News. “We took the risk, started the program, and are committed to constantly re-evaluating and improving it. At first, we weren’t focused on what the drone platform can do — we were focused on what we needed it to do and what we wanted it to do. That made all the difference.”

As the primary role of EGPD is to serve and protect the community, there was not originally a strong foundation of technical knowledge on drones or the programs that run them within the department. Rather than attempting to become technological experts in the process of starting their drone program, they sought programs that were intuitive. Laying this foundational groundwork before launching a drone program provides a clear path of what types of hardware, software, and training a department will require to successfully operate DFR in their communities, and helps departments stay within budget.  

Drones elevate efficiency and safety with faster response times
Since integrating Mark43 CAD with its Flock Aerodome Drone as First Responder (DFR) program, EGPD has seen a major decrease in call response times. Every second counts when it comes to responding to a 911 call, having the response times cut down to just a minute and half or less can change the trajectory of the incident, possibly saving lives or preventing disaster.

“Over the last 50 years, we’ve been documenting response time based on a CAD data and a 911 call,” Lt. Lange continued. “Now, with drones and listening to the 911 call in progress, we’re getting to scenes before the CAD call is even created. We’re calling that a negative response time. We used to average about seven minutes for officers to get to a call. With a drone, we’re averaging response times at a minute and a half.”

In addition to rapid response times, the drone provides critical details about the call before officers arrive on-scene. As the first eyes on the scene, the drone can tell officers the exact location of a suspect or accident, if that person is armed, what they look like, and follow them if they are on the run. This context is invaluable to officers and is something that they never had before. EGPD’s ability to align real-time drone data with CAD activity was made easier by Mark43 and Flock Safety’s open architecture and focus on interoperability — helping improve coordination between systems and giving officers clearer context faster.

This information allows officers to make better informed decisions on how they are going to respond to a call. The drone could reveal that the situation is not dire and only requires one officer to respond, letting the rest of the force remain available for other needs, or it may reveal that officers need back up and they can send the appropriate number of resources. In certain cases, the kind of information that the drone provides is critical and would be otherwise nearly impossible to capture.  

“We had an ATV pursuit where the drone located the suspect hiding inside a construction pipe,” Lt Lange explained. “Instead of officers methodically clearing dozens of pipes with flashlights—putting themselves at risk—we had precision information: ‘pipe seven, north end.’ There’s just such a significant difference between someone trying to describe a scene to you versus showing you the live video. With drones, situational awareness is immediate and complete.”

For nighttime operations, the drone has proven itself to be especially helpful to the force. For EGPD, the nightshift force is smaller than the daytime force, having the drone on hand has become an important asset.  These capabilities are providing the team with a tactical advantage that is impossible to quantify.

“Flying at night was a non-negotiable for us,” Lt Lange said. “We were trying to augment and offset those times when officers have the least number of additional resources. For our community, we don’t have a lot of additional units working evenings or weekends. Having a platform that truly augments patrol services and provides air operations and situational awareness at night was critical.”

Education and transparency are key to positive public perception
Despite all the good drones are doing for EDPG and other police departments, gaining trust and educating the communities remains a hurdle to adopting and integration. When community members aren’t aware of public safety drone operations, it can be alarming or confusing to see a drone flying around their town. It’s easy for misconceptions and fear to arise as a result. EGPD recognized this issue before they launched their program and made it a priority to educate their community before taking to the skies.

“We don’t wait for the questions — we proactively go out and say exactly what we’re doing, what we’re not doing, and what safeguards we have in place,” Lt. Lange said. “On our website, we have a forward-facing portal where you can see 100% of our drone flights. City council can shut down our technology use at any time if it’s used unethically — and they see everything we do.”

With drones for public safety, arguably one of the most important ideas to drive home is that drones are not replacing officers, K9s, or existing air operations like helicopters. It’s layering personnel. Drones are meant to solve the same problem by using different tools. They’re meant to serve as an augmentation to the current technology and be a force multiplier, not a replacement.  

EGPD recognized the value of transparency to its public and has taken a few different courses of action to give the public all the information they need. This department holds and event called “Barbecue in the Beat” where the force brings all the drones to a park where community members can see drones and ask questions. Attendees can touch all the tech and ask officers clarifying questions, highlighting a sense of transparency that can be the difference between a positive or negative assumption about what exactly departments are doing with emerging technologies.

Beyond gathering the community in person, EGPD offers even greater transparency into their drone program by having a virtual library of each flight they make that the public can access on their department website. Every single drone flight is video recorded and saved for a year, and any community member can ask about a flight and see the related case number and flight path.

This kind of access to information by the public is paramount to successful acceptance of drone use by police departments. It provides the community with a sense of security knowing that the drones are strictly used for public safety efforts, and that they can get concrete proof. Success with such endeavors is more about a comprehensive mindset than any single tactic. 

“Transparency isn’t just one method,” Lt. Lange concluded. “It’s a combination of outreach, access, public oversight, and being intentional about showing the community what we’re doing.”

Original Story: https://www.commercialuavnews.com/how-elk-grove-police-department-built-their-dfr-program-from-the-ground-up