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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

It is hard to believe that the Virginia Tech shooting was over 15 years ago, that 32 innocent people lost their lives, 17 others were injured, and countless others have had their lives changed forever. It seems tragedies like Virginia Tech have been happening for way too long and way too often. Unfortunately, we can never bring anyone back from these horrific tragedies, however, we can and must do the right things to make sure their lives make a difference for others and lives are not lost in vain. After Virginia Tech, an outside panel released a report of recommendations and this telling statement: “variousRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

It’s no secret that hacking was on the rise even before the Russia and Ukraine war, but the war has heightened the threat and now we are seeing official warnings from the President of the United States as well as the FBI and CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) and other government agencies. Unanimously, the warnings suggest organizations and communities harden their networks, which is vital, but numerous other attacks and more recent hacks at Microsoft and Okta serve as reminders that hardening your network is not enough. Why do you need additional solutions?  Because these attacks and others like them are targeting your people,Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

Imagine you have a 30-minute commute to work every day, you take the same route using the same roads and get stopped by the same red lights every day. One morning you are almost halfway to work, and I call you up and say, “Hey my friend, quick, get off the road at the next exit”.  You think to yourself, that will add 20-30 more minutes to my commute, and I do not want to be in my car for another 20-30 minutes.  So, you ask me, “Why should I get off at the next exit?!”  And I say, “Because I know you take thisRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, First Preventer

The First Preventers Model For Communities, Schools, and Organizations Individuals of Concern / At-Risk Individuals Exist in the Community (Soaring numbers of individuals of concern and at-risk individuals due to the pandemic, political division, the economy, job stability, race, hate, extremists, terrorism, and numerous other challenges.) Incidents and Tragedies are taking place in the Community Shootings, school violence, workplace violence, community violence, gang violence, drug violence, robberies, sexual abuse, child abuse, suicides, and numerous other incidents and tragedies. Pre-Incident Indicators Exist in the Community (Red flags, warning signs, concerning behaviors, behavior history, leakage, etc.) Interventions, Disruptions, and Prevention must take place in the Community When the right people don’tRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

The last 40 days or so have been fantastic!! Why? I have had the opportunity to connect with people all around the world (so many time zones!) to share visionary and proactive prevention possibilities based on my 20+ years of extensive research and successes in the real world by early adopters of the First Preventers framework and Awareity’s award-winning tools. Why is this important?  Because in the real world leaders of schools, organizations, and communities are overwhelmed with increasing fears and chaos due to increasing incidents involving violence, shootings, crimes, suicides, abuse, bullying, covid, and numerous other issues, and they are looking for something better.Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

With both the bad guys and the good guys warning of increased ransomware attacks, it’s more important than ever that your organization and community are ready. Do you know how to prevent these attacks? No one remembers everything they learned on that one day of annual training, which is why it’s critically important that you have solutions for the other 364 days after the annual training day. The solution: Patching Your People. Request more information and a FREE Password Guide with tips & tricks here!Read More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

A Lesson Learned is knowledge gained from incidents, near misses, tragedies, lawsuits, etc.   Knowledge gained from Lessons Learned are just “recipes” until they become Lessons Implemented that empower and equip people with the right strategies and tools to take real actions that lead to better results. Lessons learned from increasing acts of violence (community, workplace, school, nurse, etc.) are shared in numerous news articles across numerous websites on a daily basis and lessons learned could be occurring in your organization too. With so many Lessons Learned, here are two important questions: Are you and your executive leaders paying attention to the Lessons Learned andRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

A Lesson Learned is knowledge gained from incidents, near misses, tragedies, lawsuits, etc.   Knowledge gained from Lessons Learned are just “recipes” until they become Lessons Implemented that empower and equip people with the right strategies and tools to take real actions that lead to better results. Lessons Learned from cyberattacks are shared in numerous news articles across numerous websites, software updates, press releases, etc. on a daily basis and could even be coming directly from your IT department too. With so many Lessons Learned, here are two important questions: Are you and your executive leaders paying attention to the Lessons Learned and collecting themRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, First Preventer

Lessons learned from 20+ years of incidents and tragedies have exposed the dangerous and common gaps, silos, disconnects, and flawed recycled thinking. Eliminating common gaps, silos, disconnects, and flawed recycled thinking requires business leaders and community leaders to understand the lessons learned and then take real actions to implement the lessons learned. For example, lessons learned exposed how most (if not all) organizations and communities experiencing shootings, bombings, acts of violence, and other incidents and tragedies HAD: MULTIPLE Pre-incident indicators MULTIPLE Incident reporting options MULTIPLE Sources of indicators and information MULTIPLE Record management systems MULTIPLE Community resources MULTIPLE Law enforcement resources MULTIPLE Laws prohibiting violenceRead More →