TechDecisions launched with a strong focus on digital signage. We think these products are mission critical for a business or organization to inform its employees and guests. This is an emphasis we will continue to have. Digital signage resonates with me because in 2009, I interviewed several people at Virginia Tech about the school’s emergency notification system (ENS). The story was for the National Fire Protection Association’s magazine, NFPA Journal.

In the process of doing the story, I learned that as part of an ENS upgrade done after the 2007 shootings the school had installed 500 digital signs. The signage had a planned use of announcing emergencies and instructions.

The school found that the signs were useful for other announcements, sports scores, community events alerts, etc. In the end, the signs become more than a source of information, but were perceived as a source of comfort for the students. They felt would receive important and pertinent information quickly from an authoritative source. 

The ENS was put to the test when another murder took place on campus a year later, and the school was pleased with the results. It helped students understand that there wasn’t another shooter on campus and it helped dispel rumors.

This usage of digital signage is applicable to any organization that has a building where people gather.

Corporations can use digital signage as part of their ENS to help employees receive information on events that can cause uncertainty, such as when a fire alarm goes off or if they see an ambulance outside their window. They can rest assured that their company will alert them if there is anything they need to worry about.

For more information on developing an ENS plan see:

NFPA 1600: Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs

About the author

Lisa Nadile - Managing Editor

Lisa Nadile is Managing Editor for TechDecisions. She has been a technology journalist for over twenty years and has never lost her love of technology and the way it changes (and improves) our lives. She has written for many magazines and websites on the development of computers and the Internet, and is enjoying her new mission in the audiovisual sector.