Infographic: Next Generation 911 Technology Adoption Lifecycle

In 1962, Everett M. Rogers, an assistant professor of rural sociology at Ohio State University, published a theory he described as the "diffusion of innovations" in a book of the same name. Rogers, who later in his career became a distinguished professor emeritus in the communications and journalism department at the University of New Mexico, developed the theory to describe how innovation adoption plays out in any given social group. Rogers broke the theory down to five distinct categories: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards.

A Checklist for Securing Public Safety Answering Point Facilities, Personnel and Data

In Summary:

• Government facilities are being targeted by hackers, cyber criminals and active shooters, a trend that is increasing in frequency.

• Most security breaches are borne of comparatively benign circumstances, such a routine password changes or the use of personal devices in the workplace.

• Physical breaches of a public safety answering point (PSAP) can be equally as devastating.

Several alerts have been issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that government facilities are being targeted by hackers and cybercriminals, a trend that DHS expects will increase. This includes PSAPs, also known as 911 centers. Sometimes personnel click on a link found on a website or in an email and unwittingly unleash a computer virus or malicious code known as malware. Often the breaches come in the form of denial-of-service or ransomware attacks.