Alertus
Desktop Alerts
Alertus desktop alerts are part of the Rave Alert Critical Notification System. Whenever
Rave Alert issues an emergency alert, all workstations and laptops running the Alertus
client will display a full-screen pop-up alert. These pop-up alerts are in addition
to those you receive on your mobile devices and email and are not meant to replace
them.
Alertus desktop alerts will appear on
- all active desktops with Alertus software installed, including workstations,
- most classroom computers, and
- some faculty/staff machines.
University Police and the Administration strongly recommend that you take advantage
of these desktop alerts to ensure that you receive emergency notifications when your
cell phone isn't working or is turned off.
Alertus, as an extension of the Rave Alert Critical Notification System, is designed
to alert MTSU staff, faculty and students during an emergency that poses an imminent,
ongoing, campus-wide threat or danger to the safety of the MTSU community.
You will not receive any other messages or spam after registering your computer for
the Alertus system. Alertus is used only for the transmission of emergency messages
and only authorized university personnel are permitted to send messages using the
Alertus system.
Alertus will NOT be used for general crime alerts or other situations on campus that
do not pose an imminent threat or danger. It will also not be used for non-emergency
communications such as campus event announcements, class reminders, news or advertisements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will I see when an alert pops up?
The alert will provide information about the emergency situation and, when appropriate,
instructions on what you should do, such as avoiding a certain area of campus.
What will the alert look like?
The alert will look similar to this:
Will I lose any data when the message activates?
No. Once you've acknowledged you have read the message, it will disappear.
How long will the message remain on my computer?
If you don't click on the "acknowledge" button, the alert will remain on your computer
for a short duration. After that, it will go away automatically.
I don't see the Alertus icon. How do I get Alertus installed on my computer?
The Alertus client is automatically pushed to all computers running the Kaseya software
management client. For information on how to get the Kaseya client on your computer,
go to: Kaseya
How do I know if Alertus is installed on my computer?
The icon will be located in your system tray and look like this:
When you right-click on the icon, you can see the Status, as well as control whether
or not Alertus works when your Lock screen is enabled.
Will I receive messages that are not critical notifications on my computer if I have
Alertus installed?
You will not receive any other messages or spam after Alertus is installed on your
computer. Alertus is used only for the transmission of emergency messages and only
authorized university personnel are permitted to send messages using the Rave System,
which is where Alertus Desktop receives its notifications.
Alertus will NOT be used for general crime alerts or other situations on campus that
do not pose an imminent threat or danger. It will also not be used for non-emergency
communications such as campus event announcements, class reminders, news or advertisements.
I am concerned about my privacy, does the installed software send any information
to the server?
Yes, but only in an emergency alert, and the information transmitted is simply an
acknowledgment of receipt of the emergency message. When displaying an alert, the
software includes a prominently placed "Acknowledge" button. Once pressed, this button
indicates to the server that a recipient was notified. After an alert is activated,
this information is automatically collected, tabulated, and presented for feedback
to emergency management personnel.
Will installing Alertus Desktop grant access to any of my information?
No personal information is gathered or transmitted from computers running Alertus
Desktop.
What platforms can Alertus be installed on?
The Alertus Desktop sofware client was designed to run on a computer running on Windows
or Mac.
If you have any technical questions about Alertus, please contact the Help Desk or
contact:
Alana Johnson
Cloud and Communications System Administrator
Information Technology Division
Phone: (615) 898-2677
Alana.Johnson@mtsu.edu
