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Rikkyo University Implements Fujitsu's Safety Confirmation Service for Students

- Mobile-based SaaS solution employed for limited time frame -

Fujitsu Limited,Rikkyo University

Tokyo, April 02, 2010

Fujitsu today announced that Rikkyo University implemented a mobile service to confirm the safety of its approximate 20,000 students and staff in the event of an emergency, on April 1, 2010 in Japan.

The new service is based on Fujitsu's SaaS solution which handles emergency contact and safety confirmation services. In the event of a natural disaster, the service dispatches an emergency e-mail from the university to the mobile phones of its students, and in turn, students can respond by sending a confirmation reply indicating their state at the time.

Background

One of Rikkyo University's convictions is that it is their duty to set up a contact system whereby students and staff could be reached during the day, particularly in the incidence following a major earthquake when the confirmation of safety is essential. Rikkyo University looked to see if it could adopt measures used in corporations to find a solution to a process that presented challenges to many large universities.

The search for a solution became more urgent last year with the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, which led to the temporary closure of some universities in Japan. Rikkyo University searched for a way to quickly and directly transmit such important information to its students and staff, as opposed to merely posting it on the front page of its website.

In order to meet its needs, Rikkyo University deployed Fujitsu's SaaS solution offering emergency contact and safety confirmation services, which works over mobile phones. The service, originally implemented internally at Fujitsu, has been commercially available to businesses since 2004. To maintain the operational continuity of businesses and organizations during natural disasters and other emergencies, the system employs mobile phone texting, which has the minimal impact to the inevitable network congestion(1) that occurs during such an incidence, to enable the university to confirm the safety of its staff.

The new service will allow Rikkyo University to directly send safety confirmation e-mails to its students through their mobile phones. Students can then reply by sending one-letter code responses to indicate whether they are fine or injured. The system automatically tabulates this information and displays the results in real time. By deploying this SaaS solution, the university can start service operations both quickly and inexpensively.

Rikkyo University will continue to implement measures ensuring the safety and security of its students and staff members, and create both a framework and environment that supports life and learning on campus. With approximately 20,000 students, faculty, and administrators, Rikkyo University is the first university in Japan to deploy Fujitsu's safety confirmation service.

By building on the deployment of its emergency contact and safety confirmation solution, Fujitsu will continue to deliver services encompassing a range of requirements that address the safety and security needs of its customers.

Overview of the Emergency Contact and Safety Confirmation Service

1. Functions

  • Automatically sends e-mail texts linked with weather information
  • Enables single-letter code text replies as well as a radio button function for mobile web responses
  • Automatically tabulates responses

Approximately 170 companies have signed up for this service from 2004, when the service was made commercially available, through to April 2010.

2. Thorough security measures
The service is operated from Fujitsu's Tatebayashi Datacenter, which has disaster-ready facilities, robust security features, and meets numerous standards for quality and safety. It also has rigorous protection for personal information and data-management practices that ensure uninterrupted operation even during natural disasters. Tatebayashi Datacenter earned the highest rating of AAAis for information security by I.S. Rating Co., Ltd.

3. Operable during H1N1 outbreaks
During an H1N1 outbreak, there is a need to track the health and recovery status of individuals on a day-by-day basis. The system offers a scheduling function that automatically sends periodic confirmation requests, making it possible to continuously track the spread of an illness (through student health self-reporting).

A confirmation request sent via e-mail as it appears on a mobile screen.

  • [1] Congestion

    A situation in which network resources (e.g., lines, switches, etc.) become overwhelmed by a concentrated increase in traffic, and effective communications over the network become impossible. During a natural disaster, it may be difficult to call the other party as the switch at the telephone company's central office is limiting traffic so that it can operate within its capacity.

About Rikkyo University

For information, please see: http://english.rikkyo.ac.jp/.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 175,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. For more information, please see: www.fujitsu.com.

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All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.

This press release has been revised as of December 17, 2018.

Date: 02 April, 2010
City: Tokyo
Company: Fujitsu Limited, Rikkyo University, , , ,