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IXP Corporation Pioneers New Campus Safety Solution at Johns Hopkins University
[September 17, 2014]

IXP Corporation Pioneers New Campus Safety Solution at Johns Hopkins University


PRINCETON, N.J. --(Business Wire)--

IXP Corporation, a public safety and emergency response provider that has partnered with Johns Hopkins University (JHU) for the past 10 years, has announced an innovation that raises campus security to the next level.

JHU presented an issue for IXP to solve: how to personally track the location of campus security officers for more effective planning, deployment and management of resources. Responding to this critical business challenge, IXP developed SAIF®GPS, a novel application of smartphone technology which independently pinpoints the location of campus security officers on a central dispatch center map and via web devices.

This solution geo-locates and records movement of each officer, including incident management and dispatching capabilities plus an emergency SOS (News - Alert) button for alerting the communications center of a critical event. Communications center operators can view all registered smartphones using the application. The result is enhanced safety of the campus community and security officers alike by efficient management of assets for the most strategic response.

"This is first-of-its-kind technology on the campus scene," says Anthony Ritter, managing director of IXP Corporation. "Many companies are offering smartphones with 911 buttons and GPS for students-but we have created a different solution focused on the location positioning and deployment of key responders who are at the core of campus safety."

JHU (Baltimore, Maryland), which has been a client of IXP's since 2004, was founded in 1876 and now has more than 7,000 students and 6,000 faculty and staff members. The JHU Campus Safety and Security Department, headed by Executive Director Edmund (Ed) Skrodzki, employs more than 200 swon officers, private security officers, and supporting staff.



JHU was seeking a new GPS system to improve officer safety, critical incident management, and supervisory controls. The university wanted a system that would pinpoint officer location with real-time distribution mapping to provide reliable historical data and aid in controlling patrol patterns.

IXP assessed the functional and performance requirements in the JHU project, then comprehensively tested and evaluated possible solutions to identify the best fit for the client. The firm went on to design and tailor a solution that would meet the client's operational, technical, and financial objectives.


"IXP acts as a fulcrum between the client, the deployment team, and the development team," explains Lawrence D. Consalvos, president and chief operating officer of IXP Corporation. "We examine all possible solutions, from technology development to implementation, and identify the ones that enable our clients to exceed their goals, while also adhering to budgetary concerns."

Partnering with NowForce, a global firm with headquarters in Israel, IXP developed its proprietary SAIF® GPS system. After testing the application for several weeks, JHU chose to implement the new software throughout its Campus Safety and Security Department. IXP then provided the web-based monitoring stations, helped configure the devices, and trained administrators and users.

Once the system was up and running, IXP continued to work with JHU to ensure the product's optimal implementation. For example, it was determined that color coding would provide a useful and quick visual reference to show how long security officers had been in one place, along with different icons to indicate stationary or roaming posts.

Ed Skrodzki says, "IXP is highly responsive to meeting the needs of the client and is truly at the forefront of researching and implementing new technology. SAIF® GPS is an ideal solution-accurate, reliable and an excellent resource management tool for critical incident management and investigation. There are benefits now and will be in the future."

Consalvos concludes, "Our team includes several executives who spent many years in senior law enforcement positions, as well as experts on the technology side. We are constantly engaged with clients, working as partners to determine which solutions or enhancements will directly increase the effectiveness of their respective departments."

About IXP Corporation: For more than 20 years, IXP Corporation (www.ixpcorp.com) has been recognized as the company that public safety and security organizations rely on to tackle their toughest challenges. With headquarters in Princeton, N.J., IXP serves colleges, universities, municipalities, hospitals, corporations, and utilities nationwide. IXP provides a total solution methodology that incorporates governance, operations, technology, and facilities. The firm develops and implements reliable and cost-effective solutions for scalable technology and communications systems, municipal protection, campus safety, and healthcare security.


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