nSide™

View Our Brochure
Request a Free Demo

nSide™

Category: Alabama

Blog Banners (11)
April 22, 2025

Making the Most of Your Alabama A&T Funds

As school safety continues to be a top priority for Alabama districts, the Alabama Advancement and Technology (A&T) Fund provides an important opportunity to invest in solutions that enhance campus security, communication, and emergency response. With careful planning, these funds can go a long way in strengthening the safety infrastructure of your schools.

At nSide, we offer several eligible solutions that not only meet the criteria for A&T funding but also provide long-term value for your school community. Here’s how you can make the most of your A&T investment:

nSide|Live: Real-Time Campus Visibility

nSide|Live enables secure, real-time video streaming from your campus security cameras. This live feed is fully integrated with the nSide platform, providing a centralized view for school officials and first responders during critical situations. By enhancing situational awareness, this solution allows for faster and more informed decision-making in emergencies.

Eligible Use: Real-time video monitoring and emergency response tools.

nSide|Edge: Hardware Built for Safety

Your software solutions are only as strong as the infrastructure behind them. nSide|Edge provides the critical hardware needed to support your safety technology. Whether you are upgrading an existing system or building from the ground up, this solution ensures your security tech is stable, reliable, and scalable.

Eligible Use: Physical infrastructure for school safety technology.

nSide|Boost: Stronger Network, Smarter Safety

Reliable connectivity is critical for effective emergency communication. nSide|Boost strengthens your campus’s cellular signal, ensuring that communication tools like radios, phones, and mass notification systems remain operational when it matters most. By improving cellular coverage across your facilities, staff and emergency responders can stay connected and coordinate faster during high-stress situations.

Eligible Use: Cellular infrastructure upgrades to support emergency communication and safety systems.

nSide|Lockdown: Streamlined Emergency Alerts

When seconds count, nSide|Lockdown empowers your team to respond quickly. This solution allows for a full campus lockdown to be initiated with the push of a button. It integrates seamlessly with other nSide tools to notify staff, local law enforcement, and other key stakeholders in real time.

Eligible Use: Emergency notification and response systems.

nSide|Fleet: Safer Student Transportation

Safety doesn’t stop at the school building. nSide|Fleet offers GPS tracking and live updates for school buses, ensuring students are safe from the moment they leave home to the moment they return. Fleet data is fully integrated into the nSide Platform, making it easier for transportation staff and administrators to monitor and respond to any concerns.

Eligible Use: Transportation safety and vehicle tracking.

nSide|Training: Prepared Staff, Safer Schools

Technology is only effective when users are confident and capable. nSide|Training provides in-depth, hands-on training for school staff, administrators, and safety personnel. Led by professionals with experience in education, law enforcement, and emergency response, this training equips your team with the skills and knowledge to use safety tools effectively.

Eligible Use: Professional development and emergency preparedness training.

Start Planning Today

The Alabama A&T Fund offers a strategic opportunity to enhance your school safety infrastructure. At nSide, our goal is to help you create a safer learning environment for every student, teacher, and staff member. We’re here to assist with funding guidance, product selection, and implementation support—every step of the way.

Have Questions?

April 22, 2025
0
Blog Banners
April 17, 2025

Why Investing in Technology Matters: Turning A&T Funds Into Long-Term Safety Solutions

As school districts continue navigating a landscape shaped by growing safety concerns, evolving technology, and funding fluctuations, one thing is certain: how you invest your resources today can define your district’s security for years to come. That’s why now, more than ever, it’s crucial to think beyond quick fixes — and start building sustainable, scalable safety solutions.

Short-Term Fixes vs. Long-Term Strategy

When the  Alabama Advancement and Technology (A&T) funds become available, it can be tempting to make quick, visible upgrades — like installing a few extra cameras or replacing outdated devices. While helpful in the short term, these one-off solutions often don’t integrate into a larger, cohesive safety strategy.

Instead, schools should be asking:

  • How does this investment connect to our overall emergency response and safety plan?
  • Will it work with the tools we already use?
  • Can it adapt to future needs and growth?

A unified safety platform — like nSide — provides exactly that. It brings together emergency planning, facility management, and more into one centralized location. The result? A proactive approach that grows with your school.

A&T Funds: A Strategic Opportunity

Strategic A&T investments should do more than address current gaps — they should prepare districts for the future. That means choosing technologies that:

  • Support district-wide safety goals
  • Integrate with first responders
  • Offer real-time situational awareness
  • Reduce long-term operational costs
  • Improve communication and coordination

Safety is a Partnership, Not a Purchase

School safety isn’t solved with a one-time purchase. It’s an ongoing process that requires training, adaptability, and support. That’s why the best investments are ones that come with long-term partnership — not just products.

With the right technology partner, your district can stay ahead of potential threats while creating a culture of safety that extends from classrooms to communities.

Let’s Build a Safer Future — Together

Don’t wait for a crisis to reveal the gaps in your school’s safety strategy. Partner with nSide to proactively identify risks, streamline emergency planning, and strengthen your entire safety ecosystem.

Whether you’re looking to enhance communication, support student mental health, or fortify your campus infrastructure, nSide is here to help every step of the way.

See What’s Possible!

April 17, 2025
0
Blog Banners (9)
April 9, 2025

How to Use Your Alabama A&T Funds to Strengthen School Safety

The Alabama Advancement and Technology (A&T) Fund offers public schools across the state a valuable opportunity to invest in much-needed upgrades. While districts often use these dollars for infrastructure, instructional tools, or facility improvements, one of the most impactful ways to allocate A&T funds is toward enhancing school safety.

If you’re starting to think about how to best use this year’s funding, let us walk you through practical, eligible investments that support the safety and wellbeing of your entire school community.

Why Prioritize Safety?

School safety isn’t just about responding to emergencies—it’s about preventing them, staying prepared, and ensuring that everyone on campus knows how to act when every second counts. The A&T Fund includes “school security measures” as a key area of focus, meaning your district can strengthen your safety systems without pulling from your day-to-day operating budget.

Eligible Safety Solutions You Can Fund

Here are a few ways Alabama schools can use their A&T funds to upgrade safety systems:

1. Emergency Management Tools

nSide – The School Safety Platform™ gives your school a central place to manage emergency operations plans, building maps, reunification processes, and more. These digital tools streamline crisis response and ensure your safety team is always aligned—before, during, and after an incident.

2. Video Surveillance Systems

Installing or upgrading security cameras is a one-time investment that can make a long-term impact. Whether you’re expanding coverage, improving camera quality, or integrating your system with local law enforcement, A&T funds can help cover those costs.

3. Mass Communication & Alert Tools

Reliable communication is critical in a crisis. A&T funds can help districts implement or enhance tools like silent panic alert systems and district-wide notification platforms that keep staff, students, and first responders in sync during an emergency.

4. Access Control & Door Locking Systems

Controlling who enters your campus—and when—is foundational to school safety. Upgrades such as integrated door locking solutions can help prevent unauthorized access while improving day-to-day campus security.

5. Fleet & Transportation Safety Tools

If your district operates buses or campus vehicles, A&T funds can be used to support fleet tracking tools, GPS monitoring, and communication systems to ensure safety beyond the school building.

How to Start Planning

The A&T Fund is designed for one-time expenses, so it’s a great fit for capital investments in technology and infrastructure. As you begin planning:

  • Review your district’s most pressing safety needs
  • Evaluate what’s already in place and where gaps exist
  • Consult with your school safety partners (like nSide!) to explore eligible upgrades
  • Create a roadmap that prioritizes long-term impact and ease of use

We’re Here to Help

Navigating funding opportunities can be complicated, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our team at nSide is here to walk with you every step of the way—from identifying the best-fit solutions to helping you prepare your funding plan.

Whether you’re just starting to explore your options or you’re ready to implement new tools, we’re here to support you.

Need help getting started?

April 9, 2025
0
nSide_All_Products_May_21
September 16, 2021

Reduce Fragmentation and Increase School Security

WHAT IS FRAGMENTATION IN SCHOOL SAFETY PLANS?
In order to keep schools truly safe, not only is it critical that a school have a good plan in place for emergencies, but also that each member of the school community knows what their role is in the event of an emergency and they are able to easily access and manage the technology needed to prevent or end an emergency. Schools often have different pieces of the puzzle to approach school safety, but rarely do the pieces talk to each other. This is a fragmented safety plan. Each piece of a fragmented safety plan requires different skill sets, and often different people are in charge of different components. Maybe your school’s safety plan is written in a document, maps are posted around the school, and cameras are managed through a server that only one person has access to.

WHY IS FRAGMENTATION BAD?
You might have cameras, door locks, and communication systems, but are they all accessed separately? Does one communicate with another? When the unthinkable happens, every second counts. Using fragmented safety solutions can cost you critical moments that can mean the difference between life and death. According to an Inc. Article, “The problem now is the proliferation of these enterprise apps. These tools hold all the data that grows a business, but the more apps used, the harder it is to read that data, let alone make it actionable.”

WHAT STEPS CAN YOU TAKE TO UNIFY YOUR SCHOOL’S SAFETY ASSETS?

  • Communication is key! Making sure all stakeholders are in the same room when putting together the emergency operation plan. Ensuring that everyone understand their role and knows what to do in the event of any type of situation.
  • Standardize your district’s EOP. Do all schools follow the same guidelines? Can more than one person answer a question related to your EOP or school safety assets? Is there a standard for mapping your facility and emergency equipment? Can you see your cameras in conjunction with your school’s floor plan? These are great questions to get started in unifying your school’s safety assets.

HOW CAN NSIDE HELP REDUCE FRAGMENTATION?
The nSide platform is designed integrate your school’s infrastructure, assets and resources in one place that can be accessed quickly and easily. We use this connected technology to bring together everyone in your school community including administrators, SROs, transportation managers, teachers, students, law enforcement and EMS and make sure they understand what to do in the event of an emergency. Everything we offer is centered around connecting these groups to make reactions quick and directions clear. We work to help you create an environment that not only saves lives, but also creates an environment that feels safe so learning can flourish.

The nSide Platform and Suite of technologies helps keep all school safety initiatives in one place.

When all technology is in one place, good things happen.

  • Help arrives faster
  • Everyone knows what to do in the event of an emergency
  • Less time is spent scrambling in an emergency
  • Lives are saved

Email us at help@nside.io and we can help you find the right solutions for your school and organize all of your schools safety needs in one place!

September 16, 2021
0
Cyber Security Tips
September 3, 2021

Cyber Security Tips for A New School Year

Seeing as nSide is all about safety, we can’t forget to talk about cyber security.

Over the last year, we have seen an increase in the number of cyber security attacks across a number of industries – and schools are not excluded.

Phishing emails, identity theft, and ransomware attacks are on the rise with schools as students, teachers, and faculty are returning for the start of a new year. While it seems unlikely, many schools have already been victims of ransomware attacks locking faculty, staff, and students out of payroll, lesson plans, and other operational software.

While most schools have plans in place for inclement weather, medical emergencies, and active shooter or lockdown situations, many lack a cyber attack response plan in the your Emergency Operations Plan in the event that they become the victims of an online attack.

Adding a cyber security attack plan to your EOP within in the nSide platform, making sure everyone understands the appropriate measures to take, and getting a situation back under control can reduce the time a school is not operational in the event of a hack.

There are also a number of prevention measures that schools can put in place to reduce the chances of an attack that can halt daily learning and operation.

Here are some ways to prevent or reduce the chances of a cyber attack:

  • Block Access to Suspicious Websites
  • Regularly Change Passwords
  • Teach Students and Teachers Email Security Basics
  • Back up all systems offline
  • Never Skip Security Updates
  • Utilize a Cyber Security Team

Another thing nSide encourages schools to consider mitigating is the potential for identity theft of students and young children. At the beginning of a new school year they are setting up new devices and creating new accounts creating a window of opportunity for theft. They are particularly vulnerable for identity theft hacks given that they typically don’t have credit history and aren’t monitoring activity of their Social Security Number.

It is important to teach children ways to protect themselves and their identity while online. A few ways parents and teachers can do that are:

  • Encourage creative answers to security questions and reduce the chances for a hacker to find the information to answer those questions. Simply put, lie when answering those questions instead of using real information and keep the answer somewhere safe that you can locate when needed.
  • Warn students of the dangers of public wifi networks and the lack of security those networks have. Any information shared over a public network is fair game to someone looking to steal data.
  • Share with students what information is appropriate and inappropriate to share in conversations online. Keeping conversations non-personal is always best.
  • Explain the dangers of online quizzes and free games on the internet and social media platforms. Most of them are deigned to harvest data and loop friends and family in to harvest their data as well. While they seem fun and lighthearted, they can have larger consequences.
  • Encourage parents to include their children’s SSN on any identity monitoring program they are using so they are notified of any suspicious activity.

In a world where we are all connected and carrying around devices that are connected, it is equally as important to encourage physical and digital safety and to have a plan in the event that the worst happens. If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to nSide and we can help you get a cyber security plan into your EOP!

September 3, 2021
0
EOP Flip Image
July 14, 2021

How Alabama Schools Can Prepare for their EOP Monitoring

Alabama Schools Must Have Updated Emergency Operations Plans

Emergency planning is essential to the safety of students and staff in Alabama schools. Each year, starting July 1st, Alabama schools are required to re-enter their emergency operations plans into the nSide platform. School districts in Alabama are required to make sure their Emergency Operations Plan is updated and fully compliant with the state mandate.

New Emergency Operations Plans are Required July 1st

On July 1st each year, the existing EOPs for the previous school year become void and need to be re-entered into the nSide platform. This means that each school will be responsible for making sure the information in the EOP is up to date and everyone in the school community knows exactly how to execute these plans in the event of an emergency. Taking the time to make sure your EOPs are ready to go can save valuable moments that can very literally mean the difference between life and death when the unthinkable happens.

What should all Alabama School Emergency Operations Plans Contain?

Each Alabama Emergency Operations Plan contains a myriad of directives that need to be completed to not only satisfy a government requirement, but also make your school safer. As per Alabama rules, each EOP needs to contain the following items:

  • Introduction & Statement of Commitment
    • Statement of Commitment
  • EOP Core Planning Team   
    • School EOP Core Planning Team
    • School Comprehensive Emergency Telephone Listing
  • NIMS & ICS  
    • Staff Skills Survey & Inventory
    • Incident Command System Roles
  • List of Materials 
    • List of Materials and Equipment
    • Basic Resources Needed
  • Hazard-Specific Annexes 
    • Identification of Hazards (School Grounds)
    • Identification of Hazards (Classroom)
    • Identification of Hazards (Along Evacuation Routes)
    • Identification of Hazards (Neighborhood and Communities)
    • Analysis of Identified Hazards
  • Functional Annexes   
    • General Emergency Procedures
  • Drill & Training Reports

nSide Makes Alabama EOPs Easy

All public schools in Alabama are registered nSide users. If you are an nSide user,  you can easily check to see if your school’s EOP is compliant or not, or check in with our live chat and our team can run a report that analyzes your EOP in comparison with Alabama requirements. Our platform is set up to check your compliance automatically and let you know areas that need improvement. We can also help you digitally collect all information from everyone involved in the safety process, making the process of updating your EOPs quick and easy. If you’re unsure of how to better format your EOPs, or if you’re one of the schools that is due for compliance monitoring in the 2021-2022 school year, we can help you get everything prepared.

Watch this video to see how to properly update your Alabama School EOP

We can help make your school’s EOP easier and more effective! Call us today to find out how!

1.800.604.1822

July 14, 2021
0