Soft Switches
Other mass-notification systems that fall under this general heading may be based on VoIP or traditional telephone technology. Any system of this type is better than nothing, but many actually are quite good. A number of systems are enterprise-focused and function only when the user is in the building or has email access. A few are unsuitable for a residential offering or any type of mass-market solution. ("I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!") Many systems lack real-time knowledge of how much network capacity they have at a given moment or call load, resulting in jammed calls and notifications or otherwise thwarting timely delivery for important message notifications. Some have little leeway for user-defined delivery options or other kinds of customization, which is important because every organization is different.
Ideally, a notification system enables an organization to respond appropriately to attention-grabbing emergency events (tornado warnings, hurricane/tsunami warnings, terrorism events, Amber alerts, campus alerts, hazardous chemical spills, medical pandemics, etc.) by rendering reliable and timely communications to all stakeholders—anytime, anyplace, anywhere.