Published on the 22/10/2015 | Written by Newsdesk

There’s no bigger test for the cloud than supporting emergency services and a move to IBM SoftLayer has delivered a reliability boost for Auckland’s CLOUD M. The app developer has migrated its emergency alert tools and system to IBM’s cloud for greater reliability and performance.

Founded in 2011, CLOUD M develops and manages the Alerter emergency communications system. Through a mobile app, a web interface and backend database and distribution system, Alerter enables government agencies, communities and families to broadcast real-time emergency updates. Audio and visual alerts can be sent to emails, text addresses, smartphones or social networks.

After encountering reliability and performance issues with its cloud network provider, CLOUD M turned to IBM for assistance through its Global Entrepreneur Program. Through that partnership, CLOUD M adopted SoftLayer and has seen a 50% increase in performance for Alerter.

Auckland’s Civil Defense & Emergency Management (CDEM) deployed Alerter in 2012. Up till then, the department had used an outdated process that called for sending emergency information in press releases and emails to local civil defense groups and the media for disseminating. Those groups would alert citizens through sirens or TV and radio bulletins.

With Alerter’s increased performance on IBM Cloud, CDEM can now broadcast alerts and safety information to subscribers’ smartphones with unprecedented speed and efficiency.

“When you’re in the emergency alert business, seconds matter,” said CLOUD M CEO Richard Gill. “What we have now with the IBM Cloud infrastructure is a stable, always-on system that lets our software do its job for people in trouble.”