Advanced Property eXposure

A Case for the Cloud

Warren Gallagher, Chief Technology Officer

What was the business problem?

Our product provides first responders – police, fire and paramedics – with critical building information via their smartphones. Giving first responders information on building layouts, exits, electrical shutoffs, and building contact information, just when they need it, helps them plan their approach and can save precious minutes in time-sensitive situations. We participated in a project competition sponsored by Defence Research Development Canada, and we were given the opportunity to pilot our product with the Prince Albert Police Service – a fantastic opportunity to get feedback from first responders and test our technology in a close-to-real-world environment. As part of this trial, the Prince Albert Police are using our technology for a two-year period.

59% of SMEs said use of the cloud reduced IT costs1

What were the potential solutions?

We investigated commercial cloud options, but the cost differential for the two-year demo was difficult for a young company like ours to afford.

What solution was chosen?

In DAIR was the perfect solution for us. It was painless for us to set up and easy to get our application up and running for testing and validation. And as we are working through the long-term pilot, DAIR gives us the resources and flexibility to continue evolving our product as we get feedback from the Prince Albert Police. Hosting with DAIR also allowed for painless adoption of the technology by the Prince Albert Police Service.

What was the result?

We are incorporating the feedback generated by exercises run with the Prince Albert Police – one simulating an active shooter and one simulating a hostage situation. We are also working with our partners at the Canadian Information Technology Interoperability Group, made up of Chiefs of Police, Fire and EMS services across the country, to develop standards for interoperability. SaskTel partnered with us, providing devices and LTE service as they prepare for broader public safety broadband initiatives. We think there is a huge opportunity to support first responders using innovative technologies like ours, and we look forward to continued growth and adoption of our services.

1University of Manchester Business School/Rackforce Survey 2012. 1500 companies surveyed in the UK and US