Paranoia Drives Investment in Mass Notification Systems

A report from IHS released today suggests that investment in mass notification systems (MNS) will "soar" in the aftermath of the tragic Boston bombing manhunt and the Sandy Hook massacre.

Mass Notification Systems can range from emergency help points -- such as those often seen on train platforms -- to giant, outdoor loudspeaker systems. They are designed to transmit warnings to thousands of people over a large area, and also to notify a specific group of people -- parents of the children from a particular school, for example -- of an imminent or ongoing threat.

Source: IHS, May 2013

IHS' Paul Everett explains:

From Amber Alerts on television, to school warnings over the telephone on sexual predators, MNS mechanisms have become a fact of life for most Americans. The need for such systems has come to the forefront because of recent high-profile crimes and terrorist acts that have affected thousands of citizens. Because of this, organizations including commercial enterprises, educational establishments, governmental bodies and military operations all are expected to adopt various types of MNS in the coming years.

Spending in the MNS market is expected to increase from $1.6 billion in North America this year to $2.1 billion by 2017. The increase is driven by previous evidence that authorities and organizations have responded directly to threats through investment in MNS -- after the killing of 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009 the Department of Defense recommended the implementation of MNS at all DoD sites, according to the IHS statement.

Commercial markets are the biggest market for MNS and also the fastest growing, presumably as organizations attempt to show their staff that they are maintaining their welfare in what at least appears to be an increasingly threatening North America.

The scenes in Massachusetts as the manhunt for the Boston bombing suspects was played out on live television news around the world are being linked by IHS in the release of their latest report suggesting that the fear of terror is the big driver in the MNS market.

In a climate of fear, the public is looking for reassurance from their government and from their schools and workplaces. A poll last month carried out by The New York Times and CBS News found that there was overwhelming support for video surveillance in public places following the Boston bombing.

The question they asked was:

Some people think installing video surveillance cameras in public places is a good idea because they may help to reduce the threat of terrorism. Other people think this is a bad idea because surveillance cameras may infringe on people's privacy rights. What do you think?

Seventy-eight percent of people said it was a good idea, 16 percent a bad idea, while the remaining 6 percent were unsure. This confidence in surveillance was placed alongside 90 percent of those polled agreeing that Americans would always have to live with the threat of terrorism.

It's a nervy time to live in the States, or indeed anywhere in the world, as the "terror" incident in Woolwich, London within the last day has shown, but clearly that fear is driving investment in security technologies.