Ribbon SBCs ensure Zoom Phone can Deliver Local Survivability

New ZPLS software enables continued Zoom Phone use in the event of cloud connectivity interruptions

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Ribbon SBCs ensure Zoom Phone can deliver local survivability
Unified CommunicationsInsights

Published: January 10, 2023

George Malim

The move to cloud-based phone systems has had tremendous benefits for organisations because it removes the cost and complexity involved in managing PBXs and proprietary business phones. On the downside, though, it exposes businesses if they lose cloud connectivity. For some this won’t be a big deal because they can either wait for the connection to be restored or turn to their mobiles but for mission-critical organisations such as schools, hospitals and governments, calling can’t be disrupted. In addition, mobile isn’t an elegant answer for most enterprises with few workers keeping contact details of colleagues in their personal mobile devices.

To address this challenge, Zoom Phone, which now has sold more than four million seats, has developed Zoom Phone Local Survivability (ZPLS) software. The system is a simplified version of Zoom Phone call control that runs either on-site or in a local data centre and can be used if the Zoom Phone cloud becomes unavailable. The system runs on a virtual machine, so it can be easily deployed on various computer platforms, allowing flexibility and simplicity.

ZPLS is only there to address impacts to Zoom Phone cloud access, and during normal operations, it is inactive, but if there is an issue, Zoom Phone clients and ZPLS-enabled devices enter survivability mode and register to the local module. This enables users to access the Zoom directory for internal calls, and the ZPLS software works with a Ribbon session border controller (SBC) to route external calls to the PSTN. This happens either via a local SIP trunk or a local analogue line. Similarly, incoming calls are routed via the Ribbon SBC to the ZPLS.

“The ZPLS software can stay in survivability mode for up to 30 days, during which directory-based calling, transfer, ad-hoc conferencing, and other key phone service capabilities are maintained,” explains Greg Zweig, the Director of Solutions Marketing at Ribbon. “When normal services are restored, the clients and devices automatically re-register back to the Zoom Phone cloud.”

ZPLS relies on the capabilities of Ribbon SBC platforms, and the companies collaborated to test the ZPLS software with multiple Ribbon hardware and software SBC models. The software works with Ribbon’s SBC, SWe, SBC 5400, SBC SWe Edge, SBC 2000 and SBC 1000 with no additional licences required to deploy ZPLS on Ribbon SBCs. This choice is enabled because ZPLS runs in a virtual machine environment. In addition, because Zoom Phone already uses Ribbon SBCs in the core of its networking, joint testing was facilitated and could focus on ensuring the combined solution is well understood and documented in a configuration guide.

“ZPLS offers robust capabilities in survivability mode, including directory-based calling and group features like conference call and call park,” adds Zweig. “This makes ZPLS a practical solution for extended use in the event that disaster strikes. Its thoughtful design should enable many more organisations to move all their communications to the cloud.”

To find out more about Ribbon SBCs, click here.

 

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