Good evening. Mike Matrango with M6 Global Defense. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a very safe and happy, New Year's. As we move into the year twenty twenty four with eight shootings in schools already recorded in the month of January, There's a couple things that I'd like to address with you guys. The first thing is that, we've been asked the question with growing concern over cybersecurity and educational institutions, what are the key measures schools are taking to protect sensitive data and digital infrastructure in twenty twenty four. And how are these measures evolving? One of the things that I would like to address with you guys that I think is important is that, you know, as we're evolving into the year twenty twenty four twenty five and subsequent years, technology is ever growing, at a fast rate. And one of the things that we're starting to see which is kind of a a a secret within the k twelve space is the emergence of ransomware in cyber security attacks throughout the nation, not just with schools, but with private entities. And so one of the things that I would give or one of the pieces of advice that I would give to schools is when you're adopting software, you need to be asking the specific questions regarding their network intrusion capabilities to thwart any particular types of ransomware or network intrusion attacks. And so, you know, it seems like every conference we go to, there's been or there seems to be a new software out, the the latest, the greatest, and what I would say is that there needs to be the injection of a consultant or a third party to help you make those decisions on whether this software is one, even needed, two, you know, how applicable it is to your environment because what we know is that in the k twelve space, there's tons of products out there that quite frankly, in theory, they work, but in practicality, they don't. And so and then the last thing would be is how safe is that network? Because in the year twenty twenty four, in January, just this month, what we've seeing is that one of the largest visitor management systems that has a very well established footprint in the k twelve space with compromised and over four million users information was leaked. And that is one of the largest more reputable software companies that we see. And so the thing is is I would have moved into the year twenty twenty four with this particular type of software very cautiously and understanding that there needs to be a very thorough vetted process by a professional of what you should adopt and what you should not adopt. So moving on to the second question that we've received already this year, is how is the integration of advanced technologies such as AI and biometrics reshaping, school security strategies in twenty twenty four? What I'll tell you is that in two thousand eighteen, in two thousand nineteen, when I was the executive director of security for Texas City ISD. Our school district was the first in the state of Texas to adopt and utilize effectively image likeness software for those of you who don't like the term facial recognition software that we're starting to use image likeness, to better satisfy people's feelings, I guess, I should say, for lack of a better term. I will tell you from my experience, in the year twenty twenty four, We have seen a substantial growth from when we deployed facial recognition or image likeness software in eighteen. In this field. I do believe that AI and biometrics are the future. Of not only school, security, but school, but security in general. It should never, however. And I think this is the most important piece. We can never utilize AI and biometrics to completely take away the human element or value the human element. The human element in conjunction with AI and biometrics is really the key. And so What I'll say is those of you who may be scared to adopt a biometrics, or AI based platform to work in a proactive manner in supplementing your people policies. Don't be afraid of that. Don't be afraid to examine the case law throughout the United States, understand constitutional law, that says that in some of these instances are really in all of these instances, this software can be used if it's done effectively. You can't just hastily deploy software that's collecting biometrics because that leaves you open for liability. But what I would tell you is that the very strategic approach of adopting the software, identifying the right software, which comes to mind, you really should consult with a third party. To help you make that decision. But the adoption of that software in conjunction with the policies will prevent you from any liability. But the most important thing is is that, you know, I would tell school districts you should not be afraid to deploy this particular of technology. We have to be on the front end of of these events and these threats that may be coming to your facilities. You can't be scared because the constitution states that there's no right to privacy in a public setting. And so that's what you are. You're a public school There is no right to privacy. And if you have an individual who's exhibited signs or symptoms or pre attack behavior or outwardly verbally exercised that are or exhibited that they want to harm you or harm someone within your facility or within your organization. This particular type of software can absolutely be proactive. One of the events that we had, we had an individual who we knew was a a violent person, who had been indicted. This was a, adult student. That individual did not come to school for several weeks. And so we entered his image in the software. And before he even made it to the front door. The the software detected his, his presence and notified the SROs on campus, and they met him at the threshold, took him in custody without incident. So the software is effective. It absolutely is effective. It's the future. Those of you who are failing to embrace it are way putting yourself behind So I would encourage you. If you need someone to speak to, please reach out to us. The third one would be, in light of evolving in light of evolving threats and emergency situations, how are schools enhancing their emergency preparedness and response plans for the year twenty twenty four. And what roles does the technology play in these improvements? Man, that's a that's a that's a big one. And it's something that I've been pounding home for a very long time. I recall back in two thousand nineteen at the Texas School Safety Center I spoke, and I talked about the effectiveness of a of a well play laid out plan. And amongst the the attendees were superintendents and SROs and private sector individuals. And, you know, my background is with the United States Secret Service. So you know, we're very well versed in advanced planning and operations. And at the time, I felt like I might have scared some folks because the depth of the planning, that we had done on our campuses at Texas City ISD, was really unlike any other at the time. Now what we've seen since two thousand eighteen and two thousand nineteen is this very progressive movement to be more thorough in that advanced planning, using technology and digital maps and identifying things that are crucial in every emergency operations plan like, you know, designation of tactical twelve o'clock, your, you know, cardinal corners, tactical corners how your perimeter is gonna be set up. Where's your casualty collection points? Have you identified where the roof access is to your facility so that you could pass along that information to the responding agencies, you know, things like designation of emergency landing zones for medical personnel, police staging areas, fire staging areas, where you're gonna set up your media location. So that you don't have to do that hastily. Those are the things that that should be in every plan. And, you know, several years ago, not even a decade ago, we were doing all this stuff with pen and pad. And the emergence of technology in twenty twenty four and with the the quick insight and thought from some of our leaders you know, the Texas School Safety Center and and even, you know, the Texas legislature of getting out ahead of this and requiring some of these things within these softwares that we are adopting think this is is a step in the right direction. But what I will tell you and I will caution you is it's not enough to just check boxes. It's not enough to just say you have a plan. The individuals that are responsible for the deployment of that plan don't need to just have a book. They need to have it memorized within their head. No one in any incident has ever had an time to go run to a book and flip through pages before they make decisions. You have to be responsible and know the plan back and forth have a contingency, be flexible to that plan, be adaptable to that plan, and you must overcome what's in front of you, making conscious, very intentional decisions and knowing what your resources are and who is responsible at the time. So I hope this answered the questions. That were put forth, before us today, with a look into where we're moving in twenty twenty four in our subsequent years. And, like I said, feel free to give us a call at any time. We'd love to be a part of your planning and operations and helping you build out a safer space for for your community or your school or or your private institution, feel free to contact us at info at m six global defense dot cough.
