Solutions
For Business-Critical Continuity™
Safeguarding the Availability of
9-1-1 Emergency Communications
In life-critical situations, connectivity counts. Experts realize
that connectivity depends on the performance of IT and
data center support systems. Here is a checklist to evaluate
the reliability of your underlying infrastructure, and discover
best practices for fortifying your systems to ensure they
operate when needed, effectively and efficiently.
FCC Report: Loss of 9-1-1 Connectivity
was Avoidable
Recently, the United States Federal Communications Commission
Is Your Infrastructure Vulnerable?
Here is a checklist to assess your risk. A list of best practices can be found on
page 2 to help you improve your operations.
Facility
Are your technology operations secure from unauthorized access?
Are your systems/network racks and cabinets secure from
unauthorized entry?
Do you want to be alerted when a rack/enclosure is opened?
Power
Does your facility have redundant utility feeds?
issued a report, “Impact of the June 2012 Derecho on
Does your facility have redundant power systems?
Communications Networks and Services,” which examined how and
Are your uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems designed for
true online performance?
why a summer wind storm severely disrupted 9-1-1 communications
for more than 3.6 million people in six states across the Midwest and
Mid-Atlantic regions. According to the report, “9-1-1 communications
were disrupted in large part because of avoidable planning and
system failures, including the lack of functional backup power,
Do you have transient voltage surge suppression (TVSS) in place at
the utility entrance?
Do you have sufficient generator backup, with enough fuel on hand to
comply with local code (generally, 24 hours to two weeks)?
communications providers of visibility into critical network functions.”
Do you have sufficient power capacity to adapt to technology
change or to expand services?
The report calls the failures unacceptable and urges the FCC to
Have you taken action to reduce single points of failure and minimize
energy losses in your power system?
notably in central offices. Monitoring systems also failed, depriving
“consider action to ensure the reliability, resiliency and availability
of 9-1-1 communications networks.” These include ensuring that
service providers:
Does your UPS comply with FCC standards for EMI emitting devices, and
UL and CSA safety certifications?
Cooling
1. Conduct periodic audits of 9-1-1 circuits.
Are your technology systems cooled with dedicated units?
2. Maintain adequate backup power at central offices and follow
regular maintenance and testing procedures.
Are you experiencing any overheating IT racks or cabinets?
3. Have adequate network monitoring links.
4. Have a more specific obligation to notify 9-1-1 call centers of
breakdowns of 9-1-1 communications.
The demands of supporting today’s 9-1-1 services are changing. The
services extend beyond landlines, to servicing mobile users, as
well as text and even video feeds. Service providers must
accommodate mobile and online apps, all of which demand more
infrastructure support.
Is your cooling system supported by your backup power system?
Monitoring and Management
Do you monitor your UPS batteries?
Do you monitor environmental conditions with your IT systems, such as
heat, humidity and water leakage?
Do you have notifications of alarms/alerts of possible problems in your IT
support systems?
Service and Maintenance
Can you service the UPS without shutting down power?
Have you performed a thermal and power assessment within the
last 3 years?
Do you have a preventive maintenance program
in place for your critical equipment?
Is your electrical system single-line
diagram up-to-date?
Best Practices for Protecting Critical Applications
Greater Harris County 9-1-1
The following list of best practices can safeguard your infrastructure from
disruptions and establish the infrastructure a 9-1-1 operations requires for
reliable, efficient and flexible performance.
Greater Harris County 9-1-1 is the largest 9-1-1 system in
Texas and the second largest in the United States. It turned
to Emerson Network Power to upgrade and improve system
support and protection.
Assessments
Conduct a data center assessment to baseline your facility and identify
opportunities to improve availability, efficiency and capacity.
Solutions: Liebert® Data Center Assessment.
Power
Configure your power infrastructure to deliver redundancy for maximum
availability and reliability.
Deploy online, double-conversion UPS systems—these are the only systems
that protect against the full range of power disturbances.
Size UPS systems correctly to allow for redundancy, and growth in your
power infrastructure. Consider modular systems to provide a path for growth
without over-provisioning resources.
Use TVSS products at key electrical design points to protect against
voltage spikes.
Use power systems tested and compliant with FCC Part 15, Class A regulations
on EMI for UPS Systems, and UL1778 and CSA C22.2 for safety.
Power Infrastructure
To maintain uninterrupted access to emergency
communication systems, the command center deploys ASCO
automatic transfer switches, redundant Liebert UPS systems,
Liebert power distribution units, Liebert SiteScan monitoring
and preventive maintenance services from Liebert Services. In
addition, the municipality depends on Liebert single phase UPS
and integrated enclosures to maintain connectivity with the
command center.
Results
The robust power infrastructure has eliminated failures.
Monitoring systems have enhanced the organization’s
visibility into remote systems, improving uptime and
reducing costs.
Solutions: Liebert NX™ with Softscale™, Liebert NXL™, NetSure™ ITM.
Airflow/Temperature/Humidity Control
General building comfort air conditioning systems are insufficient for the
needs of IT systems. Critical equipment requires dedicated and specilaized
temperature, airflow and humidity control.
Ensure dedicated cooling systems are scalable to adjust to changing
system demands.
Ensure your cooling infrastructure is on your backup power plan, so that
systems do not overheat when the electricity is disrupted.
Solutions: Liebert CRV™, Liebert DS™ or Liebert DSE™.
Enclosures and Integrated Solutions
Ensure physical security by using racks and enclosures with key or card-swipe
locks and contact closures.
Pasco County
Tampa Bay area Pasco County provides server functionality and
telephony/communication support for the county’s
9-1-1 systems, serving approximately 475,000 residents.
Integrated Solution
Pasco County’s continued IT growth and dependence, coupled
with the budget constraints led the selection of the SmartRow
solution from Emerson Network Power. The county improved
availability while saving $80,000 in installation costs compared
to a traditional data center design.
Consider an integrated approach, which provides a complete, rapid
solution including power protection, cooling and monitoring.
Solutions: DCF™ and DCM™ enclosures, SmartRow™ and SmartMod™
infrastructures from Emerson Network Power.
Monitoring, Management and Service
Consolidate IT access with performance KVM switches.
Deploy centralized monitoring and alarm management solution to ensure
visibility and control of your critical systems.
Our local experts are available to answer questions
and help you develop the right systems support
solution. Visit our website and search for a local
trusted advisor near you.
EmersonNetworkPower.com
Battery issues are the single highest cause of UPS failure—a proactive battery
monitoring system helps you protect your power chain.
Depend on a local service organization that can guarantee response and total
systems support.
Utilize a sound preventive maintenance program to ensure availability and
performance of your critical equipment
Maintain your single-line diagrams to show how the electrical system is
connected, improving safety and repair time.
Solutions: Avocent® High Performance KVM, Liebert SiteScan™,
Alber® Battery Monitoring and Emerson Services.
While every precaution has been taken to ensure accuracy and completeness in this literature, Liebert Corporation assumes no responsibility, and
disclaims all liability for damages resulting from use of this information or for any errors or omissions.© 2013 Liebert Corporation. All rights reserved
throughout the world. Specifications subject to change without notice. All names and logos referred to herein are trade names, trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective owners. ® Liebert is a registered trademark of the Liebert Corporation.
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