Sybase 365 inks first government partnership in NY

Sybase 365, the mobile messaging subsidiary of Sybase (NYSE: SY), announced its first US government partnership for emergency alerts, inking a deal with the New York State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) to deploy SMS messaging services through NY-ALERT, the state’s all-hazards alert and notification system.

As much of the population now carries mobile phones, it is becoming an increasingly viable way to alert users about potential emergencies, typically as part of a wider safety plan. Using a Web-based portal, organizations can provide SMS emergency alerting information and private notifications to a defined audience. Sybase’s solution is targeted at state agencies, county and local governments, emergency service agencies and many universities through a partnership with Rave Wireless.

The NY service, which Kevin Ross, assistant director of technology for SEMO, said is the largest in the US, is offered free to residents, through a subscription that allows them to register multiple devices for alerts. The emergency alerts can range from major road closures to severe weather alerts to protective actions recommended by any of the participating agencies or government.

Ross said that SEMO and Sybase do about 1,700 activations totalling hundreds of thousands of text messages per day around issues of public safety. The organization is open to adapting the system as methods of communication evolve for its constituents. For example, SEMO recently signed up XBox Live, PS3 and Wii plug-ins to reach the online gaming community with alerts. It is also looking towards MMS picture messages for announcements such as Amber Alerts where a picture of the missing child would benefit the recipients.

“We didn’t drive [online gaming],” Ross said. “Just like text messaging, the public drove it. They asked, ‘Could you contact us this way? We have kids on the road to a soccer game who don’t know inclement weather is happening, but most have a cell phone right next to them.’ That is what drew us to the text messaging side of the house, besides the phone call. It’s also less strain on the cellular infrastructure. Instead of trying to call all those cell phones, text messaging works.”

The fully opt-in, advertising-free program includes 800 organizations and there are currently 4.7 million NY residents signed up to the service. Of these, about 2.3 million have text message-enabled phones, 95% of which indicated they prefer SMS alerts for public safety information, Ross said. The alerts are one of 11 outlets that SEMO uses in an emergency, depending on what method – including email and phone calls, chat engines, etc. –the user elects to receive. Ross said users can also elect to only receive certain messages from 160 categories of alerts or choose only certain times of days or counties within NY.

Sybase 365, which also provides mobile commerce and marketing services, claims to process more than 1 billion SMS messages per day, reaching 800 operators and 3.4 billion subscribers around the world. This is the company’s first US government partnership for emergency alerts. While NY has been ahead of the curve on emergency alerts, Sybase said the growth and success of the NY program has attracted other states now looking to build something similar in their community.

“We are finding out that the technology is there today – it’s a matter of, first, educating the notifiers if they want the technology and see a use for it,” Ross said. “The second is just giving it to them, so they can access it. When we turn it around and finish MMS, it won’t go just to state police, it will go to all the organizations. Here is that form of communication, so you can adapt to it. It’s our job being in person in the middle to ensure that when not all devices are MMS, someone will get a text. It’s our job as a middleman to make it as easy as possible.”