by Shane Henson — June 5, 2013—In the wake of the Boston bombing manhunt and the Sandy Hook massacre, governments, schools and other organizations are turning to mass notification systems (MNS) to help protect public safety. This will help spur the North American MNS market to expand by 30 percent from 2013 to 2017, according to a new report from IMS Research, now part of IHS, a supplier of market research.
As the Mass Notification Systems—North America and Europe – 2013 report notes, all types of organizations need to be able to ensure the safety of their members, whether it is a school protecting its students or a business protecting employees, and mass notification systems have been found to help warn people in an effective and time-efficient manner, thus driving the adoption of such systems.
These systems range from large-scale outdoor speakers used for transmitting audible messages over sizable areas, to software that can deliver notifications to thousands of users via methods including text messaging, e-mail, television, push notifications or phone lines, such as reverse 911. Per the report, spending on MNS systems in North America is expected to rise to $2.1 billion in 2017, up from $1.6 billion in 2013.
“From Amber Alerts on television, to school warnings over the telephone on sexual predators, MNS mechanisms have become a fact of life for most Americans,” said Paul Everett, a senior manager for IHS. “The need for such systems has come to the forefront because of recent high-profile crimes and terrorist acts that have affected thousands of citizens. Because of this, organizations, including commercial enterprises, educational establishments, governmental bodies and military operations all are expected to adopt various types of MNS in the coming years.”
