AtHoc IWSAlerts Unified Notification Server (Cisco edition) Integration with Cisco Unified Communications Manager

Transcription

1 AtHoc IWSAlerts Unified Notification Server (Cisco edition) Integration with Cisco Unified Communications Manager Technical Whitepaper March AtHoc, Inc. All right Reserved. AtHoc, the AtHoc logo and IWSAlerts are trademarks of AtHoc, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.

2 AtHoc IWSAlerts Version (Build 78) Executive Summary AtHoc IWSAlerts is a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution that turns an existing IP network into a comprehensive emergency mass notification system. AtHoc IWSAlerts Unified Notification Server (AtHoc UNS) now fully integrates with the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) to send audio/visual alerts to Cisco IP phones and to send voice telephony alerts to Cisco IP phones and PSTN lines. Emergency mass notification is available from a single unified console which enables the operator to effectively trigger, manage, track, and control notification processes across multiple communication channels. This document explains how AtHoc IWSAlerts UNS integrates with CUCM. Solution Overview AtHoc UNS manages the emergency mass notification process across the entire organization. When integrated with the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM), AtHoc UNS transforms an existing IP network with its Cisco IP Phones into a mass two-way alert system for rapid, cost-effective emergency notification. Using a Web-based console, authorized operators in any location within the organization can use any computer on the network to send alerts to all supported Cisco IP phone devices and PSTN phone lines, as well as to track responses and view accountability reports. Integration Features When integrated with CUCM, AtHoc UNS provides the following features: Audio/visual alerts to Cisco IP phones: Versatile, dynamic text options to deliver in-depth textual information Presenting, accepting, and tracking dynamic response options Predefined alert tones to indicate different levels of emergency conditions Multicast delivery of audio tones, voice and text-to-speech messages directly to Cisco IP Phones Prepackaged image library to indicate different levels of emergency conditions Remote viewing of a web camera via an alert directly to the Cisco IP phone display Support for multiple Cisco IP phone models High-delivery throughput in the range of 1,500 alerts per minute The figure above shows a Cisco IP phone as it receives a Security Event In Campus alert, provides response options, and displays an acknowledgement of that response Copyright AtHoc, Inc. AtHoc confidential. Page 2 of 6

3 Voice telephony alerts to Cisco IP phones and PSTN lines: Dial-out voice alerts to CUCM-connected IP phones and to PSTN lines as provisioned by the CUCM Embedded text to speech and configurable IVR interaction flows (using DTMF responses), presenting and accepting response options Distinction between human recipients and answering machine/voice mail recipients Message delivery verification and receipt of message Response collection and tracking Security PIN identification Message replay and scheduled retries Scheduled escalation between phone numbers Figure shows selection of telephony devices, delivery order and calling options. Real-time messaging through panic buttons and predefined scenarios: Panic buttons on Cisco IP phones enable end- users to send real-time alerts to Emergency Operation Center (EOC) operators quickly and quietly. Predefined and configurable scenarios enable EOC operators to identify the source of an emergency and take action. Figure shows the panic services feature on a Cisco IP phone selected, confirmation, and pop-up alert to Security Copyright AtHoc, Inc. AtHoc confidential. Page 3 of 6

4 Response Tracking and Reporting Capabilities AtHoc UNS supports response tracking and reporting that provides real-time visibility into the status and safety of all personnel. Alert recipients are presented with multiple response options for selection and acknowledgement on all personal communications channels. All alerts are tracked, and feedback from each recipient is captured. Consequently, operators can obtain aggregated overview summaries and detailed delivery information for each alert recipient. Figure 3 Different Types of AtHoc UNS Real- time Reporting Dashboards Integration Benefits When integrated with CUCM, AtHoc UNS extends the emergency alerting system to Cisco IP phones and telephony devices to notify all personnel when the need arises. This capability is added to many other notification methods, such as alerts displayed on computer desktops, alerts sent to and PDAs, alerts broadcast on loud speaker systems, and alerts displayed on marquees. Using CUCM, AtHoc UNS provides the following benefits: Increases Return on Investment (ROI): By leveraging existing investments and infrastructure, AtHoc UNS converts the already-installed CUCM infrastructure to an emergency alerting system. Single unified activation: AtHoc UNS streamlines operations and reduces activation time in emergency situations by enabling operators to use one scenario to send alerts to Cisco IP phones and telephony, and other devices. Consistent messaging: AtHoc UNS ensures consistent messaging by enabling operators to send the same message to all phones and devices. Personnel accountability: AtHoc UNS ensures that personnel are accounted for by detailed auditing of the delivery process, logging recipient responses and acknowledgements. System security: AtHoc UNS promotes system security with permission-based activation so that only authorized operators can activate alerts Copyright AtHoc, Inc. AtHoc confidential. Page 4 of 6

5 Activation redundancy: Remote activation enables authorized operators to activate alerts from any computer on the network. Targeted alerting or map-based selection: AtHoc UNS enables operators to send alerts to specific groups or to personnel in targeted geographic areas. Scheduled automatic alerting: Facilitates ease of operation. Integration Module Overview The AtHoc CUCM Integration Module integrates AtHoc UNS with CUCM. The module delivers audio/visual alerts to Cisco IP phones and delivers voice telephony alerts to Cisco IP phones and PSTN lines. The AtHoc CUCM Integration Module is implemented as a set of plug-ins to the AtHoc Notification Delivery Server (NDS). When an alert is activated in AtHoc UNS, the alert is sent to the AtHoc NDS using SOAP web services. The AtHoc NDS parses the alert payloads and activates the CUCM Integration Module plug-ins to process the recipients list, alert content, and alert parameters. The CUCM Integration Module utilizes a Microsoft SQL Server that can be dedicated or can be shared with AtHoc UNS System. Audio/visual alerts are implemented by using the Administration XML API (AXL and RisPort) and the CUCM Publisher node to retrieve a list of IP addresses for the registered phones of the targeted recipients; RisPort calls are throttled as required for CUCM. The XML Service Interface (XSI) is then used by HTTP POSTing to activate and present the audio/visual alert. The embedded web application is responsible for all subsequent interaction with the Cisco IP phones, including accepting and tracking recipients responses. Voice streaming, if used, is multicast g711 audio stream to the target Cisco IP phones. Voice telephony alerts are implemented using Telephony Application Programming Interface (TAPI). TAPI works with the CUCM Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) Manager via Telephony Service Provide (TSP) to dial out and process the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) user-interaction flow. The AtHoc CUCM Integration Module includes an embedded high-quality textto-speech system that converts text messages to audio as necessary. During deployment, the CUCM Integration Module interfaces with the target CUCM nodes, for AXL/RisPort access and for TAPI integration. Call limits can be set, for example, to process up to 100 concurrent dial-out calls via allocated CTI ports. Figure 4 AtHoc IWSAlerts architecture diagram and CUCM integration The above diagram shows a typical AtHoc UNS and CUCM integrated configuration with one dedicated-delivery server 2011 Copyright AtHoc, Inc. AtHoc confidential. Page 5 of 6

6 System Requirements System requirements for the delivery server in the AtHoc CUCM Integration Module (deployed on AtHoc NDS) include: Operating system: Windows 2003 server 32 bit CPU: Dual-Dual Core or Dual-Quad Core, 2GHz or higher RAM: 4GB recommended Storage: 50 GB, RAID 1 or 10 An audio card (built in, internal or USB based) Database: Microsoft SQL Server 2005/2008 standard; in lower-capacity scenarios, can utilize the AtHoc UNS database server, or Microsoft SQL Server Express residing on NDS system. Multicast enabled network, if a multicast audio stream is used Network access from AtHoc UNS Server to ATHOC NDS server using HTTP/S (for SOAP web services requests) must be provisioned Note: See separate technical documentation for system requirements for the AtHoc IWSAlerts Emergency Mass Notification System. Supported Cisco Systems and Devices The AtHoc CUCM Integration Module supports the following Cisco systems, devices, and protocols: Certified with CUCM Versions 4.3 and 7.1 Cisco IP phone models 7911, 7937, 7940, 7941, 7942, 7945, 7960, 7961, 7965, 7970, and 7971 Cisco IP Communicator Release 2.1, 7.0 Cisco Skinny Client Control Protocol (SCCP) Network connectivity from NDS server to CUCM and to target IP phones to support AXL, RisPort, TAPI, RTP streaming and XSI POST requests Integrating AtHoc UNS with a CUCM system does not interfere with the normal operation of CUCM and Cisco IP phones. System Performance When integrated with CUCM, a single AtHoc CUCM Integration Module supports high-delivery throughput in the range of 1,500 audio/visual alerts per minute and at least 200 concurrent voice telephony sessions Copyright AtHoc, Inc. AtHoc confidential. Page 6 of 6