When public safety is on the line, it makes no sense to invest in a Drone as First Responder (DFR) system with a closed ecosystem. Why? Rahul Sidhu breaks it down in this article. Public Safety wins when the industry works together. Better integrations lead to better outcomes. Flock Safety integrates with everyone - even our competitors - at no cost.
Some of you know that before building Aerodome, I spent seven years integrating various police systems to allow agencies to utilize their data in valuable ways. It’s no secret that I have a strong bias toward open ecosystems when it comes to public safety technology. That’s why, with Flock Aerodome, we’ve never charged for an integration. We integrate with everyone, including our competitors. For a DFR platform to be truly valuable, it must operate as an open ecosystem—integrating with existing software AND hardware (including drones from multiple companies). Many companies in this space claim to offer open ecosystems, yet they lock their customers into closed systems and refuse to integrate for competitive reasons. They will even try to convince you that their closed ecosystem is somehow better than having multiple companies collaborate to achieve the best possible outcomes for customers. That is top tier salesmanship right there. My new article explains how to avoid getting trapped by asking these five questions: 1. Will you charge me to integrate with (insert technology of interest here)? When can this integration be accomplished? 2. Will you allow us to fly your drones with other software instead? 3. Will you allow us to fly other drones with your software instead? 4. Can I use the other hardware you provide, such as body cameras, with other RTCC or DFR software? Or can I only use the software in your ecosystem? 5. What integrations do you have that are currently live today? You’re about to place a long-term bet on your DFR program’s future. The answers to these questions will reveal whether you’re betting on a single, closed company or an open, integrated ecosystem designed for collaboration. https://lnkd.in/gm22v2ND
Senior Business Manager at LBM Solutions
1wYou’ve made a great point about the importance of open ecosystems in public safety technology! The idea that collaboration and integration lead to better outcomes is key, especially when lives are on the line, we thrive on building open, scalable solutions, and we understand the power of integration in creating impactful systems.