Microsoft® Response Point™
Microsoft Response Point Guidance
©2007 Microsoft Corporation. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/
Introduction
Microsoft® Response Point™ is an easy-to-use, advanced phone system for small businesses. While the system is designed to be easy to manage for business users with limited networking or IT experience, some maintenance tasks will benefit from professional assistance, possibly as part of a Value Added Reseller maintenance agreement. The following document provides information about recommended maintenance tasks that can be performed by the VAR on a regular schedule or on an event basis to assist Response Point customers.
Overview
This document provides Response Point VARs and technicians with information to help them provide maintenance services to Response Point customers. This information is provided as a recommendation that can be used as a basis for building maintenance agreements with Response Point clients to help ensure the proper functioning of a Response Point solution.
The first section of this paper describes various maintenance concepts, including information about performing some of the more complex maintenance tasks. The second section provides information and recommendations for Response Point maintenance scheduling. The third section gives further recommendations for tasks that should be performed whenever certain types of changes are made to a Response Point environment.
Response Point Maintenance Concepts
Because Response Point is designed for ease of administration, many maintenance tasks can be performed by customers. However, some tasks are best performed by technology professionals and people with experience maintaining and implementing Response Point solutions in a variety of small-business environments. This section provides information about the tasks that can benefit from maintenance provider experience.
Each maintenance visit should start with a review of the Administrator interface, where any problems or device connectivity issues will be identified. Even though the customer can perform this task, the customer might not regularly access the Response Point Administrator. Also, while customers might be able to review event logs, determining which types of events require intervention and troubleshooting those events may require the assistance of a maintenance provider.
Backing up a Response Point base unit is a relatively simple task that customers can perform on their own. However, it is recommended that maintenance providers take the time to back up the Response Point base unit during each visit, even when no configuration changes are performed, since the backup process also archives voicemail and custom greetings.
Response Point enables customers to perform firmware upgrades on phones and gateways. However, it may be best to have maintenance providers perform this task because their experience with upgrades in other environments and their familiarity with the upgrade process enable them to spot potential problems.
Testing and troubleshooting Response Point performance is best handled by information technology professionals who have a firm understanding of and experience with network fundamentals and IP telephony concepts. Most small businesses do not have a dedicated IT staff
Recommended Maintenance Schedule
The following table lists some of the common Response Point maintenance tasks that should be performed on a regular basis, along with the suggested frequency of these tasks. Some of these tasks, especially those that should occur most frequently, can be performed by customers.
| Task | Frequency | Description |
|---|
| Check Administrative Interface | Daily | The administrative interface provides the customer with information about the basic functioning of the Response Point system, including color-coded indicators where problem areas may exist.
This task can be performed by the customer. |
| Check Voicemail Usage | Weekly | While voicemail storage should not required frequent checks immediately after deployment, it is a good idea to establish a regular routine of checking
voicemail storage statistics in order to identify trends before they become problems.
This task can be performed by the customer. |
| Review Event Logs | Monthly | In addition to using event logs in reaction to problems, it is also useful to review event logs proactively by looking for error events or warnings that could indicate an unnoticed condition before it becomes problematic. |
| Firmware Upgrades | Quarterly | After unutuak deployment, it is important to ensure that the latest firmware version is installed on all equipment, including phones, gateways, and base units. It is also important to regularly check for any new firmware updates that may affect performance, stability, or security. |
| Performance Testing | Quarterly | Track general trends like call quality, and network utilization to spot any potential problems. |
Reactive Maintenance Tasks
This section lists some common events that might require additional attention when they occur in a Response Point environment. While some of these tasks can be performed by the customer, these types of changes should be monitored and performed with the assistance of a qualified Response Point professional or VAR.
| Event | Task | Description |
|---|
| Significant User Changes | Perform a system backup before and after the user changes
Monitor call quality
Monitor voicemail usage |
After adding or modifying a significant amount of information in Response Point, it is recommended that the administrator perform a backup. Also, the addition of several new users may place additional load on the network and on voicemail storage. Since base units can store only 1,000 shared minutes of voicemails, these resources should be monitored after such changes. |
| Server Changes | Review Response Point settings | If a new e-mail server is added or changed, it is important to review the Response Point settings to ensure that any integration with SMTP servers is still correct. |
| Server Provider Changes | Review Response Point connections and settings
Test features to ensure proper functionality
Monitor call quality |
Changing providers can require changes to the Response Point system, including how it is connected to that external provider. This is especially true if the customer is switching to or from an IP telephony provider. It is also important to test and monitor the phone system for proper performance after such changes. |
| Office Relocations | Perform a system backup
Perform deployment testing
Perform post-deployment testing
Monitor call quality |
Relocating an entire office can introduce a number of changes, even though you don't need to re-provision Response Point phone units. The new environment should be assessed to determine if any additional infrastructure changes may be required. Additionally, a post-move quality test should be performed to ensure that there are no cable-related issues in the new environment. |
| Voicemail Storage Issues | Peform system backup
Review voicemail usage
Upgrade voicemail memory |
When the voicemail system runs out of memory or becomes low on memory, review how voicemail is used and review the current business size to determine if transferring voicemail to e-mail may be a more appropriate solution. |
| Firmware Upgrades | Perform system backups before and after the firmware upgrade |
Any time there is a significant change to the Response Point system, including a firmware update of the base unit, the system should be backed up before and after that change. |
| Subnet Changes | Reset all phones or wait until DHCP leases expire | Response Point uses an auto-recovery routine that causes phones to detect when the base unit's IP address changes. The phones will make the appropriate configuration changes within 30 minutes of an IP address change, or the next time a user dials out. However, when the actual subnet changes, the phones will be unable to locate the base unit until they receive a new lease that places them in the new subnet with the base unit. |
Summary
While Response Point is designed for easy administration, VAR partners can help customers make the most of their investment in a Response Point solution. Offering maintenance services to customers is one way to add value to the relationship long after deploying a Response Point solution to small-business clients.