While Slack is one of the leading messaging platforms for team communication, it isn’t the right solution for government use. See how Slack and Evertel compare:
As such, using Slack may violate compliance mandates for work-related communication of government employees.
Evertel follows all compliance guidelines while giving those in government the instant and simple tools they’re used to.
We did not like using email since finding information was impossible… it takes forever. With Evertel, the speed of communications is great. I check Evertel messages immediately and customizing my tones & alerts are important due to the volume of messages I get everyday. Today, our employees are more informed than ever.
We are using Evertel to create a chatroom for all regional employees to work and deploy floods. When the flood is over, this room is used to create our after-action report and overtime/deployment tracking in case federal funds are submitted for reimbursement. Within hours, we have a complete report with minimal employee effort.
When our nation experienced the global pandemic in late March, 2020. We implemented all EOC branches in private rooms on our city’s Evertel platform. In less than an hour, we were fully deployed and had the ability to update all key leaders in the city as well as elected officials on our city’s response regarding Covid-19.
While it’s tempting to allow your employees to use instant-messaging apps like Slack for work, it comes with high risk. Federal and state-level public records laws like FOIA require higher degrees of transparency and accountability than ever before. Violations of these policies have led to criminal and civil lawsuits against many agencies in the past.
Here are a few examples:
Get started by downloading the Public Safety Communication App Checklist. This straightforward, intuitive guide explains the 9 instant-messaging app functions that keep agencies compliant.
Slack offers basic data retention features (for FOIA compliance), but this comes with an additional cost for each user, every month. With Evertel, you get a fully compliant, ready-to-use solution at just $5/user per month. No hidden fees, no upcharges.
You can rest easy knowing your communications are FOIA, CJIS, FIPS, and HIPAA compliant, with advanced messaging retention and audit features.
In Evertel, all messages are encrypted and secure. More importantly, all message content is accessible, reviewable, and retrievable by the agency. No data is deleted and all actions are timestamped and recorded for full transparency and accountability.
Slack | Evertel | |
|---|---|---|
COMPLIANCE | FOIA compliance (Business+ level only), HIPAA compliance (Enterprise level, configuration required) | Meets FOIA, CJIS/FIPS, HIPAA compliance mandates |
AUDITABLE | Basic auditing and exporting features available (Business+ level only, depends on data retention settings) | Yes. Agency can audit ALL content at any time. |
TRANSPARENCY | Can be configured for routine/scheduled deletion of content and non-compliant data retention policies | Provides full transparency and accountability |
LEGAL EXPOSURE | Varies based on chosen plan level and app/organization settings. Phone subpoena possible | No legal exposure. Phone subpoena unlikely |
No employee can delete or destroy data within Evertel. All data is logged, stored, and maintained for auditability.
Should a public information request be received or an investigation require it, executive members of your agency can run comprehensive audits on any and all data quickly and easily and export them in a variety of formats.
Messages can be retracted, should it be necessary, yet the data is still maintained, along with timestamps of when it was posted and when it was retracted.
All data is stored in our Secure Cloud Platform so the disappearance or withholding of a mobile device or computer will not hinder the ability to audit and recover any and all data.
All data changes are recorded along with what data changed and who changed it for full history reporting.
Evertel’s team includes three retired Chiefs of Police with a combined 88 years in law enforcement. That’s why Evertel is so effective. It’s specifically designed to enhance the real-time, critical nature of your work by those that have done your work before.
Fight crime more efficiently and effectively with instant intelligence sharing and organized chatrooms
Address crisis events faster than ever with a stronger, truly interoperable communications network
Coordinate your efforts and get all of the information you need—before you’re on the scene
Stay informed with immediate updates from your public safety agencies and first responders
Get up and running in minutes. No hardware. No requirements on IT.
Test with a small team, then add your entire agency
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