location based services
SAN FRANCISCO - Aug. 25, 2006 - A growing number of enterprises are replacing their traditional hard phones with softphones, heightening the need for companies to implement specific applications to track the location of their nomadic employees for E911 protection, said Anthony Maier, president and CEO, RedSky Technologies, Inc., this week at VoiceCon 2006. Softphones cost less and are easier to upgrade than hard phones, making them an extremely appealing option to organizations with mobile workforces. But, according to Maier, the proliferation of softphones has made it challenging for enterprises to provide their nomadic users with national E911 protection. "Nomadic softphone users could be on the East Coast one day and on the West Coast the next, but no matter where they are, when they dial 911, their precise locations must be relayed to the correct 911 dispatch center," Maier commented following the conference. "With all the talk today about the potential of this 'new' location-based services industry, people forget that E911 was actually the first location-based service. E911 and all other location-based services require the capture and management of detailed location information, and our new Softphone Location Determination Application builds on RedSky's seven years of experience in this space to specifically address the location information needs of softphone users. RedSky's Softphone Location Determination Application (SLDA) seamlessly interfaces with any softphone to provide E911 protection and location-based services for nomadic softphone users anywhere in the United States. SLDA allows enterprises to provide complete 911 protection to their employees, whether they are within or outside the corporate network. With SLDA, when softphone users dial 911, their calls are transferred automatically to the 911 dispatch centers that have geographic responsibility for them. Validating new locations takes seconds, providing immediate 911 protection to employees at their new locations. "We believe we are the first in the industry to introduce an application that makes it simple and fast for softphone users to identify their location, connect to 911 services and take advantage of emerging location-based services," said Maier. SLDA also leverages the web-based mapping services of Microsoft, Google and Yahoo!, enabling softphone users to view maps of their locations and take advantage of location-based advertising services. For example, business professionals using softphones equipped with SLDA could easily find the nearest copy center or overnight shipping drop box. In the event of an emergency, the location information captured by SLDA would be quickly relayed to the appropriate 911 center and a service provider could deliver a building map to the user's softphone with emergency exits clearly marked. SLDA works with any Microsoft Windows-based softphone and is easily installed as a download. General availability is scheduled for Q4 2006, and SLDA will be priced as a monthly mobility service charge per softphone for unlimited location updating and national E911 coverage. For more information on SDLA, please contact
nmaier@redskytech.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or visit www.redskyE911.com. About RedSky RedSky Technologies, Inc. helps enterprises and service providers capture, manage and deliver the detailed location information necessary to provide effective 911 emergency response. More than 250 customers, including 50 Fortune 500R companies, use RedSky's E911 Manager to automate their E911 processes. Headquartered in Chicago, RedSky has partnerships with other leaders in the telecommunications and 911 industries to help shape 911 policy, leverage emerging technology and comply with evolving regulatory requirements. For more information on RedSky, visit www.redskyE911.com.
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