Do your workers have reliable access to 911 emergency assistance when they are working from home? With more people than ever telecommuting, organizations need to ensure their remote workers receive the help they need when they dial 911, regardless of their location.
Government regulations, like RAY BAUM’S Act, require enterprise communication systems to route 911 calls seamlessly to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and provide the dispatcher with the caller’s precise location. However, the portability of VoIP phones and softphones can make it challenging to keep location information up-to-date for all your endpoints.
Enhanced 911 (E911) solutions offer essential tools for automating and simplifying emergency location management for remote workers. The right E911 solution will help you ensure your remote workers receive an effective emergency response and keep your organization compliant with regulations.
Keeping Emergency Response Location Information Updated
When an endpoint is provisioned, it is assigned emergency response location information. If a 911 call is made from the endpoint, the information is used to route the call to the appropriate emergency call center and automatically provide the dispatcher with the caller’s location. Because VoIP phones and softphones can be used from anywhere, the emergency response location information needs to be updated each time an endpoint is moved.
Your E911 solution should dynamically track all the endpoints across your enterprise network and update their emergency response location based on their IP subnet connection. It should also integrate with wireless access points to automatically update location information for your wireless users as they roam across campus. However, when VoIP phones and softphones are used at remote locations outside of your enterprise network, emergency location information has to be updated by the user or a system administrator.
While E911 solutions provide an interface for administrators to add, move, or change emergency response location for endpoints, contacting a system admin to update the information each time a phone moves would be extremely inefficient and time-consuming. Consequently, your E-911 solution should simplify the process with features that enable users to enter their current address when they log in from a new location. It should automatically recognize locations an endpoint connected to previously, so each location only needs to be provisioned once. Additionally, your E911 solution should empower users to switch seamlessly between remote and on-site work with automatic discovery features that start dynamically tracking the endpoint when the user returns to the enterprise network.
Are Your Remote Workers Protected?
Ensuring your organization is covered by a comprehensive E911 solution that accurately tracks your remote worker’s locations, routes their 911 calls appropriately, and notifies your security personnel when an emergency occurs, is essential for keeping your mobile workforce safe and staying compliant with 911 regulations.
Is your organization upgrading and expanding your communication and collaboration technology infrastructure to accommodate more remote workers and provide new user experiences? Don’t forget to address worker safety with an integrated, compliant E911 solution. Give your workforce the freedom to collaborate from anywhere with the assurance of a timely emergency response if they call 911.
If you have questions or concerns about how well your current E-911 solution is protecting your remote workforce and ensuring compliance with 911 regulations, contact a Cerium expert for an E911 consultation. Cerium is your trusted technology partner for E911 solutions that connect users to 911 emergency services—in time, every time.
