Q: So, Just How Does Virtual Observer Record in a Voice over IP Environment?
A: I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you, just kidding. Virtual Observer uses a Network Appliance loaded with a packet sniffing recording engine to capture voice conversations from a VLAN. The Virtual Observer Network Appliance is a stand-alone MS-Windows 2003 Server connected to a QOS (Quality of Service) or SPAN (Switch Port Analyzer) port on a managed switch, such as a CISCO Catalyst. This device works similar to a Network Analyzer in that traffic from all ports on the switch are mirrored to one port, which acts as the SPAN port, and captures and stores the packets. This method is less intrusive to the phone environment and scales well beyond the average failing point of other tap methods. The "SPAN" method of harvesting VoIP conversations will scale up to and beyond 200 channels on a single Pentium 4 computer.

Q: Why Doesn't Virtual Observer use CMAPI?
A: CSI has been building great customer, vendor and partner relationships since 1972. We've maintained our longevity by building technologies that are "Simple, Effective and Affordable". We feel that a simple Analog Service Observe line, a Digital Extension tap, or an RJ45 cable into a Catalyst switch, is much easier than CMAPI. Why dig deep for audio and data when they are present on the surface. Besides, this method is not only much easier, but as you all know, a lot more affordable. A single 4 port analog telephony card and 4 service observe lines, give you the power to random sample 50, 75 even 100 agents. This value comes in at a cost of under $10,000. Try that with a CMAPI implementation. Also, is 100 or 200 ports of recording connected to CMAPI going to be detrimental to you operating environment? Try scaling a solution that high and then weigh the cost versus the value. A Single Pentium 4 with 3 dual network cards can tap up to 6 SPAN ports and harvest VoIP conversations for literally 200 phones simultaneously.

Q: With 100% call logging, storage space can become an issue, right?
A: We've created a methodology that offers and virtual unlimited storage capacity for your system. There is no need to worry about hard drive space, maximum storage capacity or total system failure due to unavailable disk space. You may rest assured that the system will function without interruption and be capable of retaining events for and unlimited period of time. Virtual Observer contains two services that work together to create the illusion of endless storage. The first service is the Archiving Service. The second service is an auto-purge service.
...go back to part one