E911 UC & UCaaS Challenges

In part five of our Understanding Enterprise E911 series, Josh discusses why E911 poses a challenge in today's dynamic work environment.   

UCaaS and Unified Communications deliver flexibility to workers, but with the dynamic nature of today's workforce, including hybrid and remote work, device mobility, diverse phone systems, softphones and cloud calling-based environments, the complexity has significantly increased. The way we communicate has changed.

E911 & UC / UCaaS Challenges

  • Inaccurate/imprecise location data
  • Multiple phone systems
  • SIP trunking
  • Offsite users
  • Lack of integration with security teams

In the past, enterprises enabling E911 capabilities with their IP-PBX systems often purchased Private Switch Automatic Location Identification accounts (PS-ALI) accounts that required extensive integration with the local carrier. Then all locations needed to be provisioned with their carrier’s PS-ALI service, with updates taking more than 24 hours in some cases.  

However, because of the centralized nature of IP telephony and its inability to support remote workers that may be constantly moving, PS-ALI accounts are not effective for enterprises located in large office buildings or with multiple locations. Combined with multiple and diverse phone systems, including newer cloud-based PBXs, different PS-ALI providers based on region, and the lack of integration with security teams – a traditional PS-ALI service makes it impossible to comply with federal and state regulations.

With the dynamic nature of today's workforce and increased complexity, enterprises need a more robust and flexible solution. Intrado solutions allow for seamless compatibility and compliance across use cases, devices, and UC/UCaaS vendors.