Multi-Tech Helps Remote Office IP Telephony Survive Network Failures

September 19, 2005 -- For a company implementing IP telephony, a network failure can cut off branch offices and cause major headaches. Solutions like installing IP PBXs in each office would solve the problem, but their expense can defeat the cost-cutting purposes of implementing IP telephony. What is needed is a cost-effective way to provide headquarters IP PBX capabilities to remote offices via a Wide Area Network (WAN) with built-in survivability if the WAN fails. Multi-Tech Systems, Inc., a leading data communications and telecommunications company based in suburban Minneapolis, is announcing a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Voice over IP (VoIP) server that does just that.

The patent-pending MultiVOIPâ„¢ SS SIP survivability server provides the basic features of a centralized IP telephony system to remote locations during IP network (i.e. WAN) failures, and also provides gateway functionality by bridging the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to the IP network by connecting one or more analog trunks. The MultiVOIP SS will also connect to analog phone and fax machines.

"As enterprises invest in IP enabled PBXs, they face the dilemma of what to do for cost-effective survivability and local access at remote offices," states Chip Harleman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Multi-Tech Systems, Inc. "When a remote office loses communications with its main IP telephony server, it needs basic IP telephony functionality. With this Multi-Tech solution, once it is determined that communications with the main server is not available, remote office IP phones can register with the MultiVOIP server, be it local or remote via a different IP network, and have some level of operability. Our new patent- pending MultiVOIP SS survivability server has the features needed to provide basic IP telephony to smaller offices during a WAN failure, and to bridge the PSTN to the IP network by connecting up to eight analog trunks. It is a cost-effective way for enterprises to empower small offices with IP telephony, and still allow them to conduct business without a functioning connection to a centralized IP telephony server."

The new patent-pending MultiVOIP SS SIP-survivable voice and Fax over IP (VoIP) survivability servers are shipping immediately and are available in two-, four- and eight-port models. The MVP210-SS two-port model sells for an MSRP of US$999, the four-port MVP410-SS for US$1599 and the eight-port MVP810-SS for US$2599.

SOURCE Multitech