This week, Cisco is sponsoring the Campus Safety National Forum in Washington, DC. This two-day conference is the premier National Forum for helping security and law enforcement executives, healthcare and education administrators and other education stakeholders from across the country learn how to better safeguard the lives and property on their campuses.

At Cisco, we feel that events such as the Campus Safety National Forum provide a great platform for leaders to share best practices and learn from one another. We believe that technology can help improve campus safety and are committed to working with our partners and customers to demonstrate its value for higher education institutions.

For example, Cisco recently worked with Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) to implement video and digital signage solutions to increase campus safety communications. While OLLU was revamping their IT capabilities during a renovation, campus police saw their opportunity to improve campus safety through video notification and security alerts. Cisco helped them upgrade their video capabilities from analog video to IP video to improve surveillance. They also helped OLLU implement digital signage for on-campus communications throughout the main building, the cafeteria and residence halls, which can display security notifications all across the campus.

Most recently, OLLU has incorporated both video capabilities and digital signage into interactive kiosks located around campus. These kiosks provide a variety of important information, including campus maps and the option to connect with an OLLU representative for further assistance, which helps students, faculty and visitors stay connected and safe across campus. The solutions deployed at OLLU are just a few examples of the types of security initiatives Cisco can help provide campuses.

Whether or not you'll be attending the Campus Safety National Forum or not, healthcare and education administrations and leaders across the county should look into how technology solutions can help them prepare for emergency situations and prevent crises on their campuses. Check out these resources for more information on how Cisco can help protect your students, faculty and facilities at both K-12 schools and high-education campuses.