| Of late we have seen a growing interest in building | | | | time to time you might hear ShoreTel say “ |
| “disaster recovery” solutions for both the | | | | please wait while I connect you to the correct |
| data and the voice applications so critical for | | | | server” but even that can be managed. |
| business operation. First, we need to make sure | | | | ShoreTel HQ has three services that are not |
| we understand the difference between | | | | distributed: Route Points; Account Codes and |
| redundancy, resiliency and other configuration | | | | Workgroups. If you lose th HQ server, you will |
| options to assure business continuity. Many | | | | lose these services, but generally that is a small |
| more installations now include the use of a | | | | price to pay for this level of resiliency! |
| remote “collocation” facility as an key | | | | ShoreTel Version 10 promises to distribute these |
| component of the installation plan. What is the | | | | services, so there is no reason not to configure |
| best way to configure a ShoreTel HQ server, for | | | | this way and achieve full surviability given the |
| example to provide for continued operation under | | | | building is still standing. |
| a wide variety of options. | | | | You don’t have to think very long about a |
| The subject of redundancy is almost amusing at | | | | Katrina or Haiti, especially if you live in California! |
| times. How much redundancy is reasonable and | | | | It is only prudent to not only plan for some level |
| appropriate? You can have all the redundancy | | | | of “redundancy”, but also to plan for how |
| your budget can fund, but at the end of the day | | | | the business would operation if we could not get |
| are you able to continue the business operation in | | | | into our building! If we put the HQ server at the |
| the event of a catastrophic event. Clearly, | | | | “collocation” facility and we provide for |
| two power supplies are better than one. If they | | | | Trunk Lines and “dial tone”, we can |
| are both plugged into the same commercial | | | | balance this possibility. The issue is, that if the |
| power outlet however, it really will not matter | | | | building housing the people becomes unavailable, |
| how many power supplies you have if you lose | | | | users can still log in and route their phones to cell |
| commercial power! Again, we need to focus on | | | | phones or make use of RDP to access their Call |
| what are we trying to protect? | | | | Managers. |
| Redundant servers? Some HQ servers have | | | | The “collocation” option often requires a |
| been configured with “double take” | | | | trade off between band width and trunk lines. |
| enabling a hot standbye server to take over in | | | | You can put all your trunk lines at the colo, in |
| the event of a primary server failure. | | | | which case every call made from the sites, will |
| Candidly, we do not see the benefit of hot | | | | traverse a WAN. So moving the trunk lines to |
| standby server swaps in the ShoreTel | | | | the colo increases resiliency but also drives up |
| architecture and it is a nightmare to administer, | | | | your WAN cost. At the end of the day it is |
| backup and restore. The cost of the solution out | | | | most likely some combination of bandwidth and |
| weights the benefits and there are other | | | | trunk lines spread between the facilities. In either |
| configurations that are more cost effective and | | | | case, you will work with your carrier to enable |
| work just as well. | | | | lines to be repointed in the event of an outage. |
| For example, there is no law that says you can | | | | This is a bit more challenging if you are in New |
| not install a ShoreTel Distributed Voice Mail server | | | | York and your collocation facility is in Phoenix, but |
| at the same level as the ShoreTel HQ server. | | | | it can be done. |
| Actually this works just fine! Install the servers | | | | We are experimenting with the use of SIP trunk |
| at the same physical location, or put the HQ | | | | facilities at the Collocation site. Generally, this can |
| server in the remote “collocation” facility. | | | | be more cost effective especially if you can get |
| If they are installed at the same “logical” | | | | an agreement for a burstable SIP pipe. You may |
| level (i.e. appear on the same level in the | | | | not want to pay for T1’s at the collocation if |
| Shoreware Director, either server can handle the | | | | you are only planning to use them for a disaster |
| load. Generally, you would put all of the users | | | | situation! SIP also enables you to be generally |
| and switches for that site under the DVM and use | | | | independent of your physical location. |
| the HQ as your “fail up” and proxy | | | | It is a sign of the times that we spend so much |
| solution. Nothing wrong with this configuration, | | | | time planning for “what if” scenarios, but |
| it is cost effective and easy to administer. From | | | | being prepared is not only prudent but appropriate. |