SIP Trunking Disaster Recovery

VoIP technology – whether it is via SIP trunks or cloud services – is pretty much set to meet the standard of the future for voice communication and many more services. It is cost effective and provide more value for businesses than traditional landlines. In the face of the impending PSTN switch off in many countries (the US, the UK, France, Germany are among the many countries that will phase out PSTN networks over the next decade), businesses are more or less left with no choice but to adopt VoIP as soon as possible.

Switching to VoIP

Even as VoIP vendors offer 30 day demos, contract free services and other incentives, switching to VoIP can be pretty complex depending on the size and nature of your business. Apart from the obvious factor of cost – both one-time and ongoing – the feature portfolio, your business requirements, hardware compatibility and customer support are some of the other aspects that need to be considered. In fact, many businesses have to upgrade their data networks, routers, phones and Internet connections in order to take full advantage of the many features offered by VoIP.

Disaster Recovery Plans

However one aspect that is generally overlooked or left out is disaster recovery or business continuity. Many organizations are used to their landlines functioning even in the face of natural disasters and emergencies. Hence they tend to remain ignorant of the many dangers of not having a backup for voice communication in the event that something unexpected happens.

It doesn’t always have to be a natural disaster or some other catastrophe. Something as trivial as software issues, loss of Internet connectivity or a loss of power can bring down your SIP trunk or VoIP service. With hosted VoIP service at least, many companies are aware that they can continue to use it on mobile devices and alternate locations. When it comes to SIP trunking however, knowledge about disaster recovery strategies as well as the number of vendors who offer backup plans is limited.

SIP Trunking Disaster Recovery

When it comes to business continuity, organizations have to consider two types of situations that may occur –

• Disaster strikes the business
• Disaster strikes the VoIP vendor

In the case of larger natural threats such as earthquakes or hurricanes, sometimes your organization may be in danger of the disaster affecting both the business and the VoIP vendor. In order to provide for every possible situation, organizations have to be prepared in advance. Preparation and planning is the key to continue working even in the face of a crisis.

When Disaster Strikes the Business

Unexpected events that can befall a business can range from minor problems to major catastrophes. Network congestion, software issues or hardware failure are often discounted as a mere hiccup in everyday processes. Bigger threats such as loss of internet and natural disasters are taken more seriously. But all these events have one thing in common – they can bring down your voice systems, severely crippling your business.

So what do you do when something happens to your SIP trunk? Since GoTrunk services are delivered over the Internet just like hosted VoIP, the organization can be up and working in alternate locations practically immediately. In fact many organizations maintain two Internet connections from different ISPs so that each can act as a backup for the other. Depending on individual configuration, employees can also receive and make calls from their mobile devices which provides added resiliency during a disaster.

When Disaster Strikes the VoIP Vendor

While earlier situations are well within the control of the business, disaster recovery plans are required on the part of the vendor as well. What happens if the vendor is experiencing an issue that prevents your company from making calls? SIP trunking services are often delivered via data centers but many providers do not bother having redundant infrastructure. In order to minimize disruptions as much as possible, GoTrunk has data centers in three locations – the US, the UK and Japan. These act as backup in case of an emergency as well as reduce latency for clients as calls are routed to the nearest point.

Disaster recovery and business continuity are rarely thought about until a crisis hits the business. However the key to emerging unscathed is planning and being prepared – whether it is people, IT systems or the voice infrastructure.