The Hidden Costs Eliminated by the CENTEGIX Safety Platform

IT leaders across industries share the burden of responsibility for discovering, vetting, implementing, and maintaining the technology that organizations rely on for safety. Organizations invest in emergency notification systems to reduce emergency response times. Total campus coverage, clear notifications, and strobes are key components of effective systems. 

By purchasing an emergency notification system with these features from the right vendor,  IT leaders eliminate hidden costs that often accompany safety infrastructure investments. Whether pursuing a hospital, government, or school alert system, IT professionals want to avoid hidden costs and work with vendors who will be a partner throughout the system’s lifetime. 

With some emergency management system vendors, the sticker price may not be the all-in price. Their safety technology may appear to be the lowest cost until you factor in the following additional considerations: 

• Installation is not fully scoped
• Infrastructure upgrades are not disclosed
• The system’s costs have a built-in year-over-year increase
• Components of the system shown are optional and not included in the original costs

By becoming fully informed about these hidden costs, you can prevent unforeseen expenses and purchase the emergency notification system best suited to your organization’s needs. 

Hidden Cost #1: The True Cost of Strobes

Many emergency management alert system providers inform customers that their organization can add strobes* (*beacons for healthcare organizations) to their system as needed at a later time. However, when the quoted price omits strobe costs, those costs can become a substantial unplanned burden in the future. The following costs are often left out:

• the strobes themselves
• wiring for each strobe
• network drops
• switches

Wired strobes require an investment of $300-500 per network drop. Wiring a 130-room campus could cost $40,000 to $65,000. When providers include strobes in their sticker price but exclude the wiring, organizations incur substantial cost increases at the installation stage. Similarly, many emergency notification system providers do not include the infrastructure needed to support strobes and new wiring, such as cable trays, outlet boxes, and service panels.

The CENTEGIX® pricing model includes everything your organization needs to implement the comprehensive Safety Platform®. The Safety Platform is the center of an organization’s multilayered safety plan, purpose-built to help organizations identify emergencies, notify everyone affected, and reduce emergency response times. CENTEGIX pricing includes all the elements and infrastructure required to implement the Safety Platform: 

• Wire-free strobes: no network drops or additional wiring required
• The up-front cost includes every strobe
• No surprise add-ons are required after the initial investment

With this pricing model, you will never need to budget for additional costs separately. Instead, the full cost of your hospital, government, or school alert system is transparent and predictable. 

CENTEGIX’s managed implementation process ensures a smooth start to your emergency notification system. CENTEGIX’s certified team works with IT professionals to install and configure the Safety Platform onsite, in alignment with your organization’s safety protocols. CENTEGIX project managers provide comprehensive onboarding and training, and continue to partner with IT professionals throughout the life of the CENTEGIX Safety Platform. This comprehensive process eliminates the need for outside contractors, thereby saving time and reducing costs. 

Hidden Cost #2: Installation That Isn’t Really Turnkey

Many bids from emergency notification system providers omit installation costs entirely. Others may quote the cost of strobes separately from wiring costs. And, labor costs for some projects may be higher than anticipated. If IT staff are required to accompany provider staff throughout the installation process, this adds labor hours and takes staff away from other projects. This disruptive process often results in:

• Change orders
• Delayed implementation
• Strained budgets
• A need for additional approvals 

CENTEGIX offers transparent, turnkey pricing. Every Safety Platform quote includes the cost of installation, preventing surprise costs and associated delays. Because CENTEGIX’s certified team installs the Safety Platform, the process does not depend on an organization’s contractors to wire every room. This efficient process compresses the time from purchase to implementation, and empowers organizations to meet compliance deadlines. 

Healthcare organizations that have implemented the Safety Platform appreciate the efficiency of CENTEGIX’s implementation process. One health system shared that they looked at many solutions before selecting CENTEGIX, and the upfront, transparent pricing played a big part in their choice. Customers also appreciate the flexibility to adjust the hardware based on their needs.

Hidden Cost #3: Infrastructure Projects That Take Years

When an emergency notification system is not truly turnkey, organizations may unknowingly undertake time-intensive installation processes. Organizations may be unable to complete the required network drops for some systems, or these drops may take years. In addition, wiring projects can significantly delay implementation. 

CENTEGIX can install its emergency notification system and get it up and running faster than other providers. CENTEGIX teams know how to install the Safety Platform quickly and effectively, and how to provide the training staff needs to adopt and implement the system. 

These delays become problematic when legislation mandates compliance. Long delays in implementing required safety systems put organizations at risk. School districts must often meet particularly tight legal compliance deadlines. With CENTEGIX’s efficient managed implementation process, districts have the time they need to meet these deadlines.

Districts that have implemented the Safety Platform school alert system have achieved timely compliance thanks to the system’s efficiency. According to Howard Hepburn, Broward County (FL) Public Schools Superintendent, “Our District is adding a layer of safety with the CENTEGIX CrisisAlert wearable badge for Alyssa’s Law, gaining the on-site notifications—strobes, computer screen takeovers, intercom announcements—that initiate our emergency protocols and direct everyone on campus to follow their safety training.” CENTEGIX technology eliminates delays and helps organizations comply with legislative requirements. 

CENTEGIX’s design:

• Eliminates wiring timelines
• Avoids switch expansion
• Reduces coordination with facilities teams

Hidden Cost #4: The Illusion of Lower Annual Pricing

Budget predictability is critical to organizational success. The comprehensive pricing model of the Safety Platform creates cost transparency, enabling organizational leaders to budget for safety. According to Olathe Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Yaeger, the CENTEGIX pricing model “helps us predict and be able to plan multiple years out, knowing what the cost is going to look like.” CENTEGIX solutions empower your organization in pursuing both safety and financial sustainability. 

Many vendors provide an attractive upfront estimate, only to introduce additional hardware, software, and installation fees after an organization is already committed to the partnership. These unexpected costs not only increase the organization’s workload and overall expenses, but also make budgeting far more difficult. To plan effectively, organizations need clear visibility into their safety costs before entering the budgeting process so they can properly allocate funding and keep stakeholders fully informed.

When quoting initial costs, other emergency notification system providers often: 

• Exclude strobes
• Exclude wiring
• Exclude installation
• Add costs later
• Increase pricing every year by a certain percentage

By contrast, CENTEGIX provides:

• Comprehensive upfront pricing
• Five-year price lock
• Predictable budgeting

CENTEGIX’s five-year price lock makes the cost of the emergency notification system predictable. According to Yaeger, CENTEGIX showed a “willingness to be predictable […] in terms of what those costs are upfront […] and then holding to that.” When the year-over-year cost of your emergency notification system is known, it prevents fluctuations that affect the budget over time. 

Hidden Cost #5: Coverage Gaps and Operational Risk

Operational risk may not initially be a direct financial cost, but it can become costly when: 

• Coverage gaps aren’t detected
• Outdoor areas aren’t supported
• IT must manually validate devices
• Maintenance requires onsite IT personnel to conduct ongoing testing of badges and beacons

Safety incidents can result in tragedies and additional costs associated with recovery and repair. Coverage gaps create risks. The CENTEGIX Safety Platform provides total campus coverage, both indoors and outdoors. Every component of the Safety Platform system is continuously monitored, so organizations are notified if a device malfunctions or needs to be replaced. This prevents IT teams from being required to manually check devices, thereby limiting labor costs associated with an emergency notification system. IT teams can be confident that their Safety Platform will work as designed across campus. 

Many emergency notification systems rely on WiFi or cellular connectivity, which can be unreliable and unpredictable. In many outdoor areas, WiFi and cellular reception are spotty, which introduces risk into an emergency notification system. Because the Safety Platform operates on its own dedicated network, its notifications are reliable and reach everyone. 

CENTEGIX’s backup cellular system utilizes three data carriers: T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T. Should the Wi-Fi go down, the Safety Platform chooses the strongest available data signal to provide cellular backup. Additionally, Safety Platform strobes and beacons include LoRa and continuously communicate system health. CENTEGIX’s ongoing monitoring of hardware and software eliminates:

• Surprise failures
• Manual testing cycles
• Liability exposure

In August 2024, the CENTEGIX Safety Platform worked as designed, providing immediate assistance to a school staff member. Justin Quick, Burkburnett Independent School District’s Technology Facilitator, was working alone in an older gym without a working air conditioner. The building’s temperature rose dangerously, and Quick eventually became dizzy and collapsed. The extreme heat put him into a state of shock that prevented normal use of his hands and fingers. Quick was rendered incapable of using his phone while located in a building entered by few people with very limited cellular service. But Quick was able to push the button on his CENTEGIX CrisisAlert badge, which immediately notified designated responders.

Thanks to the Safety Platform, the district superintendent quickly located Quick inside the gym, and EMTs, the police chief, and others soon arrived to assist. Quick was transported to the hospital, where he made a full recovery. Quick believes that without CrisisAlert, no one would have known that he was in a medical crisis or where to find him.

Coverage is critical for school alert systems. According to Jeff Frankowiak, Rochester (MI) Community Schools Director of Technology, “We landed on CENTEGIX because the platform not only has the functionality but the reliability to fill some of our [safety] gaps. Cellular devices aren’t the most reliable. Our phone system is networked, so it depends on Wi-Fi. Not all staff members have radios. We knew we had to have a communication platform, and CENTEGIX checked all the boxes.” CENTEGIX’s reliable coverage eliminates confusion in emergencies by facilitating rapid, clear communication. 

The Most Expensive Safety System Is The One That Doesn’t Work Everywhere

Organizations must implement comprehensive, purpose-built, and simple-to-use emergency notification systems. When comparing panic alert systems, organizations should seek to maximize their return on investment. IT professionals and administrators should ask:

• Are strobes included in the price?
• Is wiring included?
• Is installation included?
• Is coverage verified continuously?
• Is pricing locked for five years?

Without knowing the answers to these questions, organizations may unknowingly purchase a solution with a low advertised price that ultimately has the highest total cost. 

Simplifying your emergency notification system saves labor, time, and money. To learn more about how the comprehensive CENTEGIX Safety Platform can be your organization’s cost-effective investment in safety, schedule a demo today.