THE 911 INVISIBLE CALLERS UNION (911-ICU) WELCOMES NaSPA
A Stronger Future
Between Technology and
First Responders
“For Next Generation 911, Experience Is the Most Important Technology We Bring Forward.”
The Evolution of NaSPA
NaSPA's New Mission: Network and Systems Protection Association
The 911 Invisible Callers Union (911-ICU), an initiative of FailSafe Communications, brings NaSPA's four decades of technical knowledge and professional experience into a broader mission serving 911, public safety, and the people who depend upon them. That legacy now includes a searchable Digital Heritage Library of more than 4,000 technical articles and resources, putting decades of accumulated knowledge within reach of emergency responders who are dealing with increasingly complex systems.
NaSPA began in 1986 as the National Systems Programmers Association. At the time, systems programmers were at the center of the large computing environments that powered business and government. NaSPA gave these highly specialized professionals a place to learn from one another, develop their careers, publish technical knowledge, and keep pace with rapidly changing systems.
By the 1990s, the technology world had expanded well beyond the traditional mainframe. Networks, distributed systems, telecommunications, disaster recovery, security, and new information technology disciplines were becoming inseparable. In 1997, NaSPA evolved with them, becoming the Network and Systems Professionals Association.
Today, another evolution is underway. The same disciplines NaSPA professionals have practiced for decades, including operating standards, security, resiliency, interoperability, change control, disaster recovery, and technical accountability, are increasingly important to critical infrastructure and public safety.
This is why the next evolution is a natural one: Network and Systems Protection Association. It preserves the NaSPA name and forty years of history while expressing a larger purpose. We are not leaving professional development behind. We are putting professional experience to work protecting the networks, systems, careers, and public safety infrastructure people depend upon.
NaSPA lives on as everything it ever was and more. Explore the new and the old below as NaSPA begins its next 40 years as 911 ICU! Learn More