AtHoc has announced that the Port of Houston Authority (the Port Authority) selected AtHoc to improve secure communication and collaboration during crises and critical business situations to port employees and across port tenant organizations.
The Port of Houston is consistently ranked as one of the busiest in the United States in imports, exports and total tonnage. Responsible for $178 billion of economic impact, the Port is made up of the public terminals managed by PHA and the 150+ industrial companies along the Houston Ship Channel. As a result of this immense scope of activity, any ship channel closure or incident can have significant impact on the regional economy.
In an emergency, the Port Authority faces the daunting challenge of rapidly alerting employees, dock workers, truck drivers and Port Authority tenants in a timely manner. Additionally, the Port Authority must coordinate with federal, state and other local agencies to facilitate mitigation efforts during emergencies such as chemical spill cleanups or marine fires – a significant concern given that the Houston area’s petrochemical complex is one of the largest in the world.
The goal of the AtHoc implementation is to improve safety and enhance the Port Authority’s day-to-day operations throughout its terminals. With AtHoc the Port Authority will be able to securely exchange alerts, share multi-media content and geographical-based information within the PHA employee base or with other organizations in its ecosystem.
The Port Authority’s vision is to use AtHoc Connect to create a ‘Connected Community’ around the Port that is able to efficiently and securely collaborate in times of crisis. AtHoc Connect enables the Port Authority’s team to communicate and collaborate with other organizations and emergency responders such as the United States Coast Guard (USCG) or the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) during a crisis situation. The Port Authority has a large organization that needs to communicate with internal employees, dozens of other companies, federal agencies and local emergency responders. AtHoc looks forward to building a model of innovation for others based on this vision.
“This is a big step forward for safety and security. During an incident, the ability to transmit and receive up-to-the-minute intelligence across organizations is crucial,†said Rear Admiral Robert E. Day Jr. (Ret.), former CIO of the U.S. Coast Guard & Commander of Coast Guard Cyber Command and a member of AtHoc’s Strategic Advisory Board.
“Emergency responders value any innovation that increases the shared ability to communicate with civilian agencies and coordinate response efforts.â€Â
