RapidDeploy launches partner program with four law-enforcement-centric vendors

CHICAGO—Cloud-based computer-aided-dispatch [CAD] vendor RapidDeploy today launched its Lightning Partner Program, naming four law-enforcement-centric partners with cloud-based technologies that also leverage Microsoft’s Azure Government cloud services.

“We really wanted to identify partners that are complementary to the RapidDeploy ecosystem, that deliver best-of-breed, cloud-based solutions that we can use the Microsoft Azure Gov cloud to integrate with these partners at an API [application programming interface] level and that enable cloud-based solutions,” RapidDeploy CEO Steve Raucher said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications.

“What we’re really trying to do here is eliminate these data silos and this lack of integrated workflows between these disparate systems and create open-interface standards. We’re doing this with the partners we believe are the most capable in delivering that best possible user experience.”

RapidDeploy is launching the Lightning program with four partners:

Raucher said that these law-enforcement-centric partners are being identified initially in conjunction with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) show being conducted this week in Chicago. RapidDeploy is seeking additional Lightning partners—for instance, companies focused on the fire, EMS and 911 sectors—that

“What we’re trying to do here is create an ecosystem of aspirational vendors who want to deliver top-notch solutions,” Raucher said. “And this is not limited. There could be solutions out there that I’ve never met, and when I see them, I’ll go, ‘Oh my gosh, you fit the profile. Would you like to be a part of this effort to change the industry and provide a total ecosystem for law enforcement and public safety.’

“What we’re trying to do is say, ‘If you want to be a partner with RapidDeploy as a Lightning partner, you must be cloud-first, have no data silos, be able to integrate through open API and [have solutions that] are standards-based.’”

Lightning partners have solutions that have been tested to integrate with RapidDeploy’s cloud-based CAD system, Raucher said. Although RapidDeploy will introduce business opportunities to Lightning partners—“we want our partners to be successful”—there is no formal reseller agreement associated with the Lightning program, he said.

But RapidDeploy will not limit itself to providing integrations only with Lightning partners, according to Raucher said.

“RapidDeploy will integrate with any commercial solution for zero cost, if a customer requires it,” Raucher said. “That is our baseline, that is how we’ve always behaved, and that is the way we go forward. That is table stake for us.”

“You cannot, as a vendor, charge public safety—or law enforcement, in particular, in this case—for commercial, off-the-shelf integrations, when everybody knows it’s a system that’s made up of dozens of integrations by its very nature. Because, if you do charge, you’re not being honest with your initial pricing—trust me, it will all come out in the wash. We certainly are very clear that we’re an open system and will integrate with any partner, whether they’re a Lightning partner or they’re introduced to us as a customer requirement. Either way, there’s zero cost for that integration.”

Samsung is not one of RapidDeploy’s Lightning partners, but the telecom device giant is an investor in RapidDeploy and a supporter of the new partner program.

“Samsung mobile devices and solutions, such as Samsung DeX in Vehicle, are built to enable our partners with unique customization capabilities while also ensuring defense-grade security when connecting with secure cloud systems,” Reg Jones, who heads Samsung Electronics Americas’ public-sector business unit, said in a prepared statement.

“Initiatives like RapidDeploy’s Lightning Partner program speak to a common goal to deliver first responders secure mobile end points that enhance real-time information sharing, increase mobility, and deliver flexibly to meet the growing needs of their digital tools.”

Microsoft also expressed support for RapidDeploy’s partner program.

“RapidDeploy and its Lightning Partners are driving solutions that ensure safer first responders and communities,” Richard Zak, Microsoft’s director of justice and public-safety solutions, said in a prepared statement. “By all of these companies deploying on Azure Government, they seamlessly build in security and compliance standards that resiliently support the entire public safety ecosystem.”