Providers of managed I.T. services in Springfield, MO offer a variety of solutions. One of which is disaster recovery (DR). Let us face it – different kinds of mishaps happen at unexpected times. It could be simple power outages or full-scale natural disasters. It is important for businesses to have a solid DR plan that can restore data and systems from reliable backups in the face of an emergency.
Nevertheless, it is not enough to have just a plan. It should also be comprehensive enough to cover all your processes and systems including your Voice over IP (VoIP) systems. These VoIP systems make up the heart of your company’s communications. Without them, customers will not be able to contact your business and vice versa.
Given the critical role VoIP systems play, how will you ensure they are included in your DR plan? Here are some suggestions to consider:
Use mobile devices as fallback
Incoming VoIP calls can be automatically forwarded to other devices, so if your VoIP systems go down at your main office, your employees can still receive calls on their smartphones in real-time. Assign a broadband line as backup
VoIP calls should have their dedicated broadband line separate from the one used at your office. However, one of these networks could fail at any given time, so you should program the other to switch in case of a downtime. Go for different internet service providers (ISPs) because it is less likely for two distinct providers to encounter a problem simultaneously.
Go for cloud hosting
You can run VoIP systems on-premises or in the cloud. If you are still stuck on the former, it is time to transition to the cloud and work with a trusted provider of managed I.T. services in Springfield, MO. They will have the necessary skills and infrastructure to implement an effective DR plan. You will also have access to their expertise to help you plan a DR roadmap for your company.
Implement a monitoring solution
Do not be blindsided by the sudden downtime of VoIP systems especially if your company relies on calls to connect with customers. It is best to have a monitoring solution regularly checking the status of your VoIP systems. It will alert you ASAP if something is off, enabling you to address the problem before it gets worse.
Select the right service provider
When choosing a provider of VoIP systems, make sure that the service level agreement (SLA) clearly states the availability of the service and the resolution time for issues. These are binding once the contract is signed, so you should be satisfied with whatever is stipulated in the SLA.
Are you looking for a reputable provider of managed I.T. services in Springfield, MO? We, at JMARK, would love to help. With almost 30 years of experience under our belt, we are confident we can provide innovative I.T. solutions with corresponding DR plans for your company. Call us at 417.863.1700 or chat with us on our website.
