Recent natural disasters, health scares, security-related events, environmental concerns and other emergency situations are focusing organizations on comprehensive business continuity and crisis management plans to maintain business productivity. Several communication considerations need to be included in a comprehensive action plan:

In the past, physical changes had to be made to re-establish employee productivity and communications with customers. Temporary facilities and equipment held in reserve (as underutilized resources) have been required to recover business operations - an expensive plan.

SessionSuite ^®from BlueNote Networks delivers an alternative that enables employees to communicate with each other and with customers without physical changes and disruptions. Best of all, the cost of preparedness is minimized and the solution is highly utilized for normal communications, including nomadic users.

SessionSuite enables corporate workers to use their corporate voice services and office phone numbers immediately - wherever they are stationed. By leveraging the Internet, SessionSuite solutions can provide communication services even when traditional public telephone network services and corporate communication infrastructures are impacted by a failure. Any remote employee with a broadband Internet connection can place, receive, conference, and control telephone calls as if using his/her office telephone. Displaced workers appear office-resident to outside callers. Callers are presented with a common automated attendant, corporate directory, voice messaging system, and corporate announcements regardless of the employee's location. Corporations benefit from reduced business interruptions and absenteeism, as well as eliminating unanticipated costs associated with off-site PSTN and cellular use, and setting up alternative sites for displaced workers.

SessionSuite Desktop is an innovative Windows-based personal communications assistant that integrates telephony functions with business applications to improve worker productivity. This flexible application delivers integrated voice capabilities to a desktop or notebook personal computer and can be optionally used to augment a companion desk phone or mobile phone. SessionSuite Desktop improves communications for office workers as well as telecommuters and mobile employees.

To read our Business Continuity application note, click here.