When installing a new system, it is hard to escape the paradigm of creating yet another user database and new passwords for each one of these users.

How does this happen? The engineer who configures the system usually starts by adding a few accounts manually to perform the first test calls and then more and more, until all users are created. This approach has clear drawbacks, since it is:

• Error-prone: it is easy to make mistakes
• Time-consuming
• Not secure: users are not removed, even when they leave the organization.

The best way to manage accounts creation is to let somebody or something else do it for us. The ideas described below also apply to customer contact creation in the UC server.

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Depending on how critical the UC service is for the organization, it might be necessary to put service continuity scenarios in place, including:

• Failover: a secondary server is used in case the primary server fails.
• Load Sharing: both systems work at the same time, but if one goes down, the other can manage the whole load.

Let’s start analyzing the simplest scenario: one UC Server and X users / devices connected to it. Failover is perfectly fine in this first scenario.

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In the previous article we discussed why network reliability is crucial for UC solutions. This time I will explain why PoE switches are important to grant power continuity of the phone service to match those of traditional PSTN systems.

When switching from a legacy phone system to a modern UC server, many things are taken for granted by the buyer. For example, that the system will also work in case of emergency situations, like a power outage.

Home analog phones connected directly to a local exchange usually work in the case of power outages, as the local exchange uses a UPS system. Legacy PBXs worked in a similar way, either embedding a battery or relying on a separate UPS system.

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In this blog article we will analyze which network devices must be chosen carefully, and which technologies we need to be familiar with to successfully deploy our UC solution.

Firewall / Routers

As seen in Reviewing Security Concerns of UC solutions, we should consider firewalls and routers only as support for enforcing security. The UC server and the connected devices must be secure, even in the absence of dedicated devices such as firewall / SBCs with packet inspection capabilities. This is achievable only by applying the best practises and security policies inside the UC solution.

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SIP Trunking

SIP Trunking is the most popular way to add PSTN connectivity to a modern UC solution.

A few words of advice:

• Fax support: if the UC solution will need to transfer faxes, you need to make sure the operator has official T.38 capability.
• Routes quality: these should be extensively tested over national, mobile, and international destinations for the following:
  • Audio quality
  • Connection speed
  • CID shown on the remote side
• Set custom outgoing CID: a great feature for mobility and call forwarding

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