PSAPs might not have the skills in-house to execute a NG9-1-1 implementation. The NG9-1-1 transition is technically complex and PSAPs require a trusted solution integrator to identify the tasks and resources needed. Netagen’s Commander 911 solution is the perfect one-stop-shop-as-a-managed service business model to fully prepare your PSAP for NG-9-1-1 compliance.
Holly Barkwell, ENP, President & CEO of Barkwell Holland Group Inc, and NENA Canadian Region Director said it best “the very first thing a PSAP should do is recognize that this is not just another off-the-corner desk project” when it comes to starting the NG911 transition.
The shift can be complex with high risks due to numerous points of intersection with various systems and services within the Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and emergency communications (i.e. CAD, RMS, radio, network resilience, robustness, cybersecurity, and much more). Refer to our interview “Netagen Talks to NENA Canadian Region Director Holly Barkwell” to learn more about the many intricacies involved in the transition process.
The main reason that the transition to NG9-1-1 is challenging is the complexity and cost involved in upgrading the existing emergency communication infrastructure and systems to support the new capabilities and requirements of NG911 in Canada. Netagen’s Commander 911 solution tackles this challenge head-on.
The solution is a turnkey NG9-1-1 managed service that is NENAi3 compliant, scalable, and cost-effective.
What is the Netagen Commander 911 Solution?
Commander 911 is an on-premise, fully managed service, built specifically for Canadian PSAPs.
It provides all of the technologies required to run a NENA i3 compliant 911 PSAP, but it also provides clients with access to all of the skillsets required to manage, administer, and maintain a next generation 911 (NG911) system, through Netagen’s managed service offering.
Contact us to learn more about all the value adds in our managed service offer (all of which are included as part of an affordable monthly subscription).
Because this is a fully managed service, this solution is not just a technology platform to be administered and maintained with break-fix support thrown in. All features and services are included.
Consider it your one-stop shop for everything NG911 service-related!
What Services are Included?
- Proactive Patching
- Major Upgrades
- System Administration
As Commander 911 is a managed service, any system administration required to ensure the health of the solution will be performed by Netagen. This frees up considerable time for the PSAP’s technical team to focus on other strategic objectives.
- MAC activities
The Commander 911 managed service includes Moves, Adds and Changes (MAC) on the system. Clients are able to open a ticket with Netagen and request that a number of MAC activities be performed for them. This includes the creation of new user profiles, fine-tuning of call flows and a number of other activities.
- Hardware Lifecycle Management
As Netagen owns and maintains the solution hardware, we are responsible for hardware lifecycle management. This means that as the provided servers and gateways start to degrade over time, it is Netagen’s responsibility to replace them. Clients never need to budget for large hardware replacements or server refresh cycles to maintain the next generation 911 (NG911) solution over extended periods of time. That responsibility solely belongs to Netagen.
- Fixed Price Model
Commander 911 is based on an operational expense (OPEX) model. This means that clients can budget accurately for the next 5 years knowing that the pricing is fixed for this period. All possible services that could be required are already counted in the monthly price. A large upfront CAPEX budget is not required, instead, the solution cost is broken down into a monthly operational cost. Netagen’s hope is that this makes it easier for PSAPs who need to carefully budget for their NG9-1-1 upgrades.
With a Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) conversion deadline of March 4, 2025, (that’s 35 months to complete basically 44 months’ worth of work), there’s simply no time to lose. PSAPs need to engage a trusted solution provider, and they need to do this yesterday.
Why Select Netagen as your NG9-1-1 Solution Provider?
When selecting a solution provider for NG911 implementation, PSAPs need to consider the following:
- A proponent’s experience in NG-9-1-1 implementation: Netagen has been supporting 911 public-safety answering point (PSAP) customers for over 10 years, has more successful carrier trial tests in Canada than any other entity, and is the only solution integrator to successfully complete ESInet onboarding tests.
- The level of support and services: The comprehensive managed solution offers superior post support to your technical teams. Ongoing support and solution administration will save IT staff significant time and effort as many admin tasks can be allocated to the Netagen service team.
- The features and functionality of their solutions: The Netagen Commander 911 user experience is modern and smooth to operate but also includes highly powerful tools that will provide PSAP members with the most logical and fast agent console in the market.
- The pricing and scalability: A large CAPEX budget is not required. Netagen’s OPEX model allows PSAPs to budget accurately for the next 5 years knowing that the pricing will be fixed for this period, and all possible services that could be required are already counted in the monthly price.
- The feedback and ratings from other customers: Netagen clients can substantiate NG9-1-1 implementation success as well as speak to Netagen’s demonstrated technology and expertise for future successful Next Generation 911 (NG911) deployments.
The Commander 911 solution is always running, up-to-date, and scalable as new NG911 technologies and standards are developed in Canada, leaving you free to focus on what’s essential - the day-to-day productivity and running of your PSAPs.
As always, we’re here to help. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with a network specialist to go over your NG9-1-1 migration plan.