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Terrorist organizations value lone wolves for their ability to carry out the goals of the organization with lower costs, little or no need to plan, and a lower probability of detection, Amit Kumar of Georgetown University said during a recent event at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. Lone wolf attacks also appeal to organizations because they can motivate terrorist sympathizers to act.

In 2014-15, the Ebola virus was a source of devastation for millions in West Africa. The disease-which quickly causes severe hemorrhaging, organ failure, and death-was primarily found in isolated parts of central Africa until the outbreak. The three nations at the center of the epidemic were Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, all of which share borders. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization confirmed more than 11,000 deaths from 28,000 cases of Ebola through the end of August 2015. The Ebola epidemic was a major test for crisis responders in the public health field. First responders and crisis response agencies can learn from the way organizations across the globe worked together to ultimately contain the virus. Examining both global and local efforts reveals some key lessons about readiness in any situation. Some of these lessons may be important immediately, as the Zika virus spreads and becomes a global threat.

The two bombs that went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, killing three and injuring more than 260 people, changed the way major outdoor events are held in the U.S. As the 2014 running of the Boston Marathon inches closer, organizers stress new security protocols that will make the race a safer experience for all.

Law enforcement agencies across the U.S. are still experiencing the effects of a recovering economy. Lowered state funding continues to slash local budgets, compelling many departments to lay off officers. Agencies are faced with the choice to have their remaining officers focus on law enforcement or administrative duties, the former being the priority. As a result, they may look to engage people who are not sworn officers to complete critical administrative tasks. The concept of civilianization is not a new one, but the shift toward civilianization that occurred near the end of the 20th century was substantial. In 1965, the ratio of sworn officers to civilians employed by law enforcement agencies was 8.3:1, and in 1995 the ratio was 2.6:1. In general, civilians have been employed to a greater extent in large metropolitan police departments than small departments. They are employed more in the west than the east, and also are employed in greater proportions in city and county departments than in state agencies. Increasing civilian employment in law enforcement may help organizations address the diminished number of sworn officers. Civilianization of police departments offers many advantages and disadvantages for organizations that should be reviewed before making this transition.

For those living in remote or heavily wooded areas, wildfires threaten homes where it is difficult to fight and contain the inferno. The high temperatures and dry weather characteristic of the summer season are conditions ideal for fires to start and spread. Many emergency response organizations are embracing end-to-end disaster preparedness to ensure they are ready for wildfires well in advance of an outbreak.

From depleted resources to toppling buildings, natural disasters can wreak havoc on communities. Some areas are more prone to particular weather-such as tornadoes, hurricanes or blizzards-while other regions see little need to plan for such catastrophes. When extreme weather impacts cities with large, unprepared populations, the opportunity for devastation increases. After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, the city spent years addressing the damage brought about by the disaster. Almost 10 years later, New Orleans is still recovering. To prevent other cities from suffering the same fate, several organizations have banded together to emphasize the importance of citywide resilience.

Driven by shrinking public coffers, state and local governments face a growing number of challenges. Law enforcement organizations are particularly at risk due to legacy technologies that compound costs through implementation expenses, maintenance fees, software upgrades and hardware purchases. More and more, this hidden price is motivating law enforcement departments to try cloud computing-Software as a Service (SaaS), in particular-to bring down costs and increase flexibility. To gain those benefits, however, departments must be able to overcome new issues involving information security, data management, and protecting confidentiality.

As public funds continue to shrivel, state and local governments are increasingly turning to the Internet to trim technology costs and better manage information services. Cloud computing not only makes it possible to access information from anywhere at any time, but also to shed internal IT infrastructure in favor of renting software applications from remote providers. There are essentially three types of cloud computing services: Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). All three provide computer servers, data storage and communications capabilities at a central location, allowing clients to access software applications remotely. However, each is designed for a specific business need. Which type of service an organization needs comes down to two basic questions: How much internal technical expertise will be supported by the department? Is the department prepared to invest in ongoing maintenance of software? Often, government agencies benefit by freeing up these resources to address greater needs.

Technology makes tasks exponentially easier and opens up opportunities to people around the world. However, innovation brings with it new areas of weakness. Data breaches or computer viruses can threaten any networked device, from a personal smartphone to enterprise server farms. This presents a major risk to organizations, as adoption of new technology can leave them susceptible to hackers.

Earlier this year, a Washington emergency services agency wrapped up its annual social media disaster preparedness game, the "30 Days, 30 Ways Preparedness Challenge." Created by the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA), the game invites participants to complete one simple task each day aimed at training people to be more prepared for an emergency. CRESA partners with local organizations to develop activities that foster conversations about preparedness between families, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Some businesses encourage employees to join the challenge to create a shared experience for their teams.

First responders can struggle to gain experience with large-scale emergencies, such as terrorism and natural disasters, due to their rare and unpredictable occurrence. Live simulations are an effective means of preparing rescue workers to navigate these events, but agencies are often deterred from conducting disaster simulations by financial constraints and concerns for the safety of both civilians and officers. To overcome these challenges, organizations are investing in large multi-purpose facilities as a way to ensure more public safety workers can train for the complex and massive events they may encounter in the field. - See more at: http://www.envisagenow.com/large-scale-training-facilities-prepare-responders-for-real-world-disasters/#sthash.TQhfsK4H.dpuf

Over the past few years, cybersecurity has grown into a major concern for federal government and law enforcement. Two-thirds of federal CIOs and CISOs place cybersecurity as one of their top priorities, and FEMA listed it among its five core capabilities in the organization's latest preparedness report. Although high-profile data breaches involve larger organizations, there is growing concern that smaller agencies will be targeted with greater frequency in the future.

Envisage Technologies, a technology firm based in Bloomington, Indiana, announced today that the State of Tennessee has awarded them a pro-forma contract that adds the Acadis® Readiness Suite to the statewide software and services catalog. The Acadis Readiness Suite is Envisage's web-based training and compliance solution, purpose-built for public safety and government training organizations.

In emergency services, cooperation is not negotiable. In order to be successful, members of a team must work together, including collaborators outside of an organization and across federal, state, and local levels. Unwillingness to collaborate can have serious consequences. Joint effort results in more streamlined resolutions and strengthens the foundation for future collaboration. By refusing to work together, emergency agencies waste crucial time and information. Technology can play a significant role in building that foundation, by providing agents with accurate locations of incidents, optimized performance, and real-time updates of criminal appearance descriptions.