Cross-Platform E911 Applications more Important Than Ever

By: Nick Maier

For most of us in the IP communications and technology space, the major story of 2009 will be the undoing of Nortel (News - Alert).

Once a stock market darling and the largest telecom equipment provider in North America, the Toronto-based company filed for bankruptcy in January and will emerge with Avaya (News - Alert) taking over the company’s considerable enterprise division.

All of that makes great headlines. Yet, as a practical matter, the major question that many businesses associated with the news was: We’re Nortel customers and partners, so what happens to us now?

When it comes to E911 solutions for Nortel customers running IP and traditional PBX (News - Alert) platforms, the future needn’t be a concern. Cross-platform solutions exist in the market that work equally well with Nortel equipment as they do with other providers.

For example, RedSky (News - Alert) Technologies offers the only softwarebased E911 solution that’s certified on all three major voice platforms: Avaya, Nortel and Cisco.

In this day and age, it’s important for providers to deliver future-proof solutions that protect customers from having to constantly upgrade or replace software and equipment in response to industry and technology changes. Companies can accomplish this by being active participants on the various industry and standards committees that shape E911 policy and define current and future technical specifications. Compatibility with the major platform providers should be a priority. Many customers have cross-platform networks and E911 solutions simply must work seamlessly in these environments.

Other E911 solutions that ensure cross-platform compatibility include hosted solutions that handle all location updates and route 911 calls remotely via cloud computing. IT

Nick Maier is senior vice president of RedSky Technologies (www.redskyE911.com).

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