Are your radio dispatch systems starting to age and fail? We know you’re accustomed to your old, trustworthy system. However, there are many dispatch options available to scale up your current operational processes.
It is never too early to start your research for new radio dispatch equipment. Make sure to explore all options to ensure you receive the best dispatch console system for your needs.
Our team at InterTalk, an established radio dispatch console and technology provider, would like to provide you with items to consider when deciding on a new dispatch system:
1. Interoperability
When considering a dispatch console, ensure you purchase an interoperable system to easily integrate existing and upcoming technology. These systems can easily connect, adapt, and integrate with products from other manufacturers, making it easy for you to leverage the latest innovative solutions in one system.
Take, for instance, InterTalk’s product, Enlite™. Beyond simply facilitating communication, Enlite pushes the envelope by integrating various data sources. This includes everything from mapping and weather information to video feeds, SMS messaging, and more. In our increasingly interconnected world, this ability to tap into diverse data sources is invaluable. It offers dispatchers a more comprehensive and accurate picture of an incident, enabling more efficient coordination between them and the responders in the field.
Moreover, these integrations don’t just provide data; they ensure the constant availability of vital, real-time information. This real-time data flow empowers dispatchers to make better-informed decisions at a faster pace, significantly improving overall response times and effectiveness. In emergency situations, where every second is crucial, even a marginal boost in efficiency can lead to saving more lives and reducing damage.
If your agency has equipment from multiple manufacturers, don’t worry. There are options available that connect with other leading manufacturer’s products. With such interoperable features, you are not locked into a particular brand. Instead, you have the freedom of choice to integrate with systems that offer your agency the best features and value.
2. Flexible Dispatch Capability
Flexible dispatch solutions give dispatchers the power to dispatch remotely whenever and wherever the need arises. Today, this could become an instant necessity due to lockdowns or evacuations. Could your operations continue under these circumstances?
Dispatchers must have the right information available at their fingertips across a wide range of operational scenarios. Flexible cloud-ready dispatch solutions allow interfaces to be adapted on the fly and shared with other dispatchers to focus on specific incidents.
This ensures dispatchers stay empowered in the field but are not overwhelmed by the extensive information provided to them. With such flexible technology capability, dispatchers can get whatever they want, whenever they want.
InterTalk’s Enlite provides a solution tailored to modern dispatch needs. This cloud-ready tool offers unparalleled connectivity, enabling communication through WiFi or LTE on devices like laptops, desktops, tablets, and smartphones. With Enlite, dispatchers can connect from anywhere at any moment. It’s not restricted to a specific communication medium, integrating both analog or digital LMR systems and various telephone systems onto one cohesive screen. Such flexibility ensures constant communication between dispatchers and first responders.
3. Operational Continuity.
In such unparalleled worldly conditions as the past two years, having operational continuity for critical communication is more important than ever. From switching back and forth to online, in-person, or hybrid work, we’ve learned to be prepared for any situation.
Operational continuity specifically refers to a system’s ability to continue functioning despite environmental changes, losses, or critical events. Beyond your systems, operational continuity can also mean an organization’s ability to consistently fulfill its mission.
One way public safety agencies can achieve operational continuity and fulfill their critical mission is by adopting cloud-based dispatch. Does your agency have a plan and systems in place to achieve operational continuity?
A robust dispatch system like Enlite is designed to significantly minimize operational disturbances. With its new-gen cloud-based structure, it optimizes the potency of geo-diverse communications locations and cloud servers. Enlite’s dedication to high-availability infrastructure ensures that the system remains up and running no matter the external challenges.
But what does ‘availability’ really mean? It denotes a system’s capacity to consistently deliver its intended functionalities without fail over a predetermined span. Attaining a public safety standard of availability mandates vigilant monitoring, adept management tools, and periodic upkeep and software enhancements. Enlite encapsulates this ideal, offering users adaptability in maintaining availability. Its compatibility with prominent cloud hosting services — like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud — means Enlite receives regular cloud-based updates, eliminating strenuous efforts from end users. For those seeking an air-gapped, localized solution, the provision exists for skilled system administrators or technicians to manually upload software revisions either directly on-site or via a safeguarded VPN route, granted permissions are in place.
This strategic approach, fortified by geo-redundancy, guarantees the unbroken operation of your dispatch platform, even when confronted with unpredictable hindrances or catastrophic events. This unwavering reliability and resilience revolutionize emergency response protocols, affirming the uninterrupted flow of vital communication lines.
If a natural disaster like a hurricane threatens a city, traditional communication lines might be compromised due to infrastructural damage. But, with InterTalk’s Enlite system, dispatchers can seamlessly shift their operations to a cloud platform, ensuring that communication between emergency responders remains active and uninterrupted. This adaptability is crucial in crisis scenarios.
4. Technology Bridging
Upon considering the investment of new technology or software with a dispatch console company, it is wise to research the technology they use and their promises to new clients. Do they use open standards? Does their architecture allow them to adopt new technology quickly?
With so many data sources available to integrate today and in the future, you need a system that is robust and keeps up with technological changes. You also need a reliable platform to be confident in your ability to operate whenever and wherever possible.
When every second counts, dispatch console systems’ features and reliability can be the difference between life and death.
But in the ever-evolving digital landscape, it’s vital to remember that a dispatch console system isn’t just about call-taking or patch-making; it’s about intelligent data assimilation. The software should be adept at gathering imperfect, fragmented information from myriad sources and presenting it coherently, enabling the dispatcher to decide the best possible course of action. Every interaction, be it in a Public Safety Answering Point, Emergency Call Center, or any critical dispatch application, hinges on understanding information and delivering the pertinent information in a timely matter.
The dawn of 5G and MCPTT (Mission-Critical Push-to-Talk) technologies marks a pivotal juncture in emergency response capabilities. These technologies have expanded the horizons of available information to dispatchers and first responders alike, effectively transforming the very essence of communication in emergencies. For any forward-thinking public safety organization, assimilating these technologies is no longer a choice but a necessity.
Enlite synergizes Land Mobile Radio (LMR), digital radio protocols, and call-taking functionalities, amalgamating them into an intuitive system. Such holistic integration ensures that dispatchers are armed with all the necessary tools to tackle any conceivable situation. Our goal remains the same: to provide the RIGHT information, at the RIGHT time, and in the RIGHT format.
If you’re ready to expand your radio dispatch capabilities, InterTalk would be happy to assess your dispatch console needs and provide recommendations for an exact-fit system.
InterTalk has been serving clients and creating partnerships with new manufacturers since 1997. Our clients know they can trust our ability to serve them without the hassle and be confident in our systems as they are second to none.
