People tend to focus on the Internet aspect of server downtime but, in this age of ubiquitous VoIP, the effect on telecommunications can be just as significant — maybe even more so considering users are more likely to hit refresh on their browser than place another call. Also, consider the sheer volume of calls the average office or contact center handles on any given day and the fact that time lost in that kind of environment often equals money lost.

Fortunately, there are ways to ensure redundancy in your telecommunications setup, such as SIPPY Standby. Put simply, SIPPY Standby offers live, real-time standby by allowing clients to synchronize databases, enabling on-the-spot failover in the event of an outage on the master system. This solution is available to all HOSTED Sippy clients — such as, for example, those using SIPPY Softswitch-as-a-Service — providing them with what the company claims is unparalleled uptime potential.

However, it’s worth noting that SIPPY Standby, just like with any standby system, doesn’t protect from database errors or inconsistencies that can occur during failover which, as SIPPY states on its website, “can be problematic in some traffic environments.” Such errors can be mitigated by way of a manual failover solution, though, allowing for a smoother transition of traffic. The company actually has senior development consultants available to assist in assessing which system standby solution is best for your individual setup.

All that’s really needed to get up and running with SIPPY Standby is matching master and standby database hardware — particularly ensuring that both have the same amount of memory and the same type and number of processors — and that all systems are located on the same IP Subnet. As an alternative to the latter, the provider can bridge the two networks.

And that’s it. You can now rest assured that you won’t lose any valuable calls in the event of an outage.