Mass notification systems that can contact many people simultaneously through multiple modes of communication are becoming more robust and more common. Modern mass notification systems will be able to contact people via landline, cellphone, VoIP, text message, email, Instant Message, and other modalities. Many are based on VoIP. The online notification component is important, so that no matter where an administrator is, they can send emergency alerts from anywhere they have access to the internet. Even more accessible solutions allow adminstrators to initiate mass notification using an 800 number phone service.

Mass notification systems can be used for emergency notification as well as everyday alerting. Systems that keep detailed records of messages sent and received are very useful for analyzing a situation.

Many mass notification systems also are incorporated into some kind of business continuity software such as an incident management system. This combination of a mass notification system that can be used as an emergency notification service can be very beneficial for all types of emergency communication.

See also (Vendor Information)

• Mass Notification System from SendWordNow.com
• Mass Communication from Database Systems Corp. integrates voice broadcasting and text messaging.