Staying Safe with IoT with Aware360

Posted by
Sandra Mueller

Staying Safe with IoT with Aware360

On this week’s episode of Real World IoT, host Ken Briodagh welcomes CTO of Aware360, Robert Forget, for the first episode in the new season of fresh podcasts. Dedicated to improving lives, Aware360 is a technology company focused on leveraging the Internet of Things to provide “people safety,” rather than “thing information.” With over 15 thousand people and assets monitored daily, Aware360 gives employers the ability to track and maintain the health and safety of their employees.

Where it All Began

Aware360 began as a simple service designed to aid and protect government workers. Before its integration, first-responders would report to a monitoring center when in distress, however, all employees were also obligated to report routine stops and whereabouts during field operations. This posed a challenge as there was no way for the monitoring center to differentiate between regular check-ins and alerts of distress. In search of a solution, Aware360 was hired to create an exceptions-based digitized outcome solution to distinguish between events, allowing the monitoring center to only respond to the necessary alerts. Starting out with phone apps, wearable applications, and biometric and vehicle sensors, Aware360’s SafteyAware solution now spans across fourteen government branches, helping everyone from oil rig operators to social workers during house calls.

Branching Out

Outside of emergency response technology, Aware360 has developed two other main product families, each one of them being parallel and additive to a safety ecosystem. The iDriveAware solution works to improve driver safety. By analyzing driver behavior and taking weather, traffic reports, and other outside factors into account, it can provide real-time notifications that will help reduce driving in, as Forget puts it, “zombie mode.” This, paired with a Mini-Mental-inspired visual, app-based test to detect cognitive impairment, has greatly reduced employee driving risks.

Supporting the Community

After integrating the SafteyAware solution into enterprise operations, Aware360 began hearing of clients who encouraged employees to use their applications after work hours. Seeing the positive benefits outside of the workplace, Forget recalls Aware360 was inspired to use their technology for the betterment of the community at large. Aimed at helping at-risk individuals, Aware360 developed a new non-profit initiative called Safer Communities.

Speaker Profile

Robert Forget currently serves as the CTO for Aware360. In this role, Mr. Forget is key in technology research and integration reviews including both devices and software. Robert also manages technology partners and strategic sales efforts for custom solutions leveraging the Aware360 platform. Previously Mr. Forget worked for Vecima Networks Inc., in positions of increasing responsibility starting in business development and moving through the organization as Director of Sales, AVP of Product Management and finally as VP of Telematics. Robert ran his own consulting firm from 2000-2004, specializing in electronics design and systems implementation. Robert has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Saskatchewan, an MBA and is a Certified Professional Manager. Mr. Forget currently serves as Vice Chair of the Smart Cities Advisory Council at CompTIA and is on the board of directors for the Canadian Institute of Management and has been active on the boards of many organizations from such diverse areas as technology associations, housing developments, politics, and not for profits.

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