Verizon Frontline Officials Say They're Listening to What First Responders Say They Need
First responders are making increasing use of IoT sensors, drones and other capabilities public safety agencies didn’t use in the past, Azhar Khan, Verizon Frontline solutions specialist national lead, said on a Verizon Frontline webcast Thursday. Most U.S. police departments…
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have fewer than 25 employees, he said, and their "No. 1 goal is to reduce crime and protect the people” and they don’t have staff to keep up with advanced technology, Khan said. Verizon listens to the “pain points” and other feedback from first responders “regarding the technology, the capabilities that they’re looking for and the support that they’re looking for from service providers,” Khan said. Verizon needs to offer a product to first responders that’s “in line” with what they want “and what works for them,” said Anthony Isla, Verizon Frontline executive program manager-public safety and a former police officer. “We don’t want to build a widget just because,” he said. “This is an evolving landscape, because the vectors are growing immensely,” said Justin St Arnauld, Verizon Wireless associate director-solutions architect. The places where cyber criminals can attack a network are also growing, he said. Attackers “can be anyone, anywhere around the world” and attacks are becoming “more complex, more sophisticated,” he said. Combine that with limited resources and public safety agencies can face “the perfect storm,” he said.