Softswitch Monitoring

When replacing your switch with a softswitch, you will lose embedded monitoring. If that was your only site monitoring, you've just lost all visibility of your valuable infrastructure. To regain what you have lost, you need to deploy a new monitoring system when you deploy your softswitch. You could theoretically keep your switch online just for its embedded monitoring, but that is a huge waste of your resources, including power and rack space. What's more, it is completely unnecessary because there are other solutions available for softswitch monitoring. Although deploying a new monitoring system may seem like a hassle, it is actually a big opportunity to start off right with an excellent solution. It is, therefore, vital to make the right choice and deploy the most effective alarm monitoring system for your network and your new softswitch.

Softswitch Monitoring: The NetGuardian RTU is the industry-standard...

"In speaking with clients and installers, I've heard the NetGuardian 832A RTU referred to as the 'de facto' standard in softswitch monitoring," said DPS Telecom President Eric Storm. "Real installers working with real equipment on a daily basis have told me, 'You can't find a softswitch without finding a NetGuardian next to it.' That speaks volumes about the NetGuardian's top-notch quality."

The 7 Key Softswitch Monitoring Elements

While there are many softswitch monitoring options available, you must know the difference between an effective monitoring system and one that simply won't meet your needs.

1. Multiprotocol support A good softswitch monitoring system will collect alarms from all of your equipment, regardless of manufacturer or protocol.
2. Email and pager/cell phone notifications A high-quality softswitch monitoring system will also automatically send detailed notifications to technicians by pager, email, and cell phone.
3. Control relays A good monitoring system will allow for remote operation of site devices, such as generators and cooling systems. This is an excellent way to eliminate unnecessary site visits and expensive truck rolls.
4. Intelligent alarm organization An effective monitoring system will display alarms filtered by site, severity, and other criteria.
5. History and trend analysis Another feature of an intelligent softswitch monitoring system a complete alarm history that is exportable for trend analysis. This can be used to identify trouble areas and eliminate recurring problems.
6. Nuisance alarm filtering A good softswitch monitoring system can filter out status alerts, oscillating conditions, and unimportant alarms. This is important, as your staff may stop taking alarms seriously if they are bombarded with repetitive, unimportant alerts.
7. Live analog monitoring The ability to support analog inputs, including live monitoring of actual analog values is an essential feature of a high-quality monitoring system. Analog monitoring allows you to accurately measure and report important values, such as temperature, humidity, and fuel levels. These factors affect the condition of your valuable equipment at your remote softswitch sites.