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Cisco Emergency Responder helps Cisco Unified Communications Manager customers comply more effectively with their legal or regulatory obligations and reduce their risk of liability related to emergency calls.
Cisco® Emergency Responder helps assure that Cisco Unified Communications Manager sends emergency calls to the appropriate Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for a caller's location. It also helps ensure that the PSAP can identify the caller's location and, if necessary, return the call. Cisco Emergency Responder can also notify customer security personnel of an emergency call in progress and the caller's location.
New with Cisco Emergency Responder Version 14
The newest release, Version 14, builds on the many capabilities of previous versions. It offers:
● Compliance to new federal regulations. Cisco Emergency Responder can be configured to provide E911 support to remote teleworker and off-premises users. These users, when registering over a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Mobile Remote Agent (MRA), can update their location through the phone display or through the Cisco Emergency Responders off-premises user page.
● Simplified administration:
◦ Cisco Emergency Responder offers support for configuration APIs for Emergency Response Location (ERL) management, as well as user management and associated Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) settings
◦ Enhanced role-based access control allows for default standard user groups, such as like system admin, network admin, ERL admin, serviceability, admin utility, end user. Additional user groups can be created with defined roles and access
● Infrastructure refresh. Cisco Emergency Responder provides a Switch Refresh Utility to simplify voice LAN switch replacement, minimizing admin and logistics overhead while ensuring E911 support.
● Secure and new voice LAN switch support. Cipher management allows administrators to control a set of security ciphers in Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Shell SSH connections. A transport setting offers Smart Licensing registration support. Authentication is based on HTTP/HTTPS proxy.
● Switch port-based tracking for new LAN switches with Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) version 3 tracking. This includes tracking for Cisco Catalyst® 9300L and 1000 Series Switches, Cisco Industrial Ethernet 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 Series Switches and Cisco Meraki® MS120, MS210, and MS355 Switches (SNMP version 2).
Simplifying Release Number Scheme: Please note, for Cisco Emergency Responder v14 onwards, Cisco has adopted a whole number release numbering structure. There will be no (dot)releases, like (dot)5 in past version releases. Service Upgrade release will be published on top of the main release through its Software Maintenance cycle.
Table 1 lists the major features in Cisco Emergency Responder Version 14.
Table 1. High-level features in Cisco Emergency Responder 14
| Feature |
Benefit |
| Automatic location of wireless IP phones and clients by associated Wi-Fi access point |
● Enhanced location tracking of wireless IP phones and soft clients like the Webex
® App and Jabber
® that support location-based service in Unified Communications Manager and tracked by wireless access points.
|
| Automatic location of IP phones by MAC or IP address |
● Eliminates the need for administrators to update the location when an IP phone is relocated
● Keeps track of IP phones powered down by Cisco EnergyWise
® technology
● Uses secure Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) version 3 communication with LAN access switches and Unified Communications Manager
● Tracks devices that are configured with E.164 numbers
|
| Off-premises emergency calling |
● Cisco Emergency Responder can be configured to provide E911 support to remote teleworker and off-premises users. These users, when registering over a Virtual Private Network (VPN) or Mobile Remote Agent (MRA), can update their location through the phone display or through Cisco Emergency Responder’s off-premises user page.
|
| Emergency calls routed by location |
● Routes calls to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) gateway capable of reaching the responsible Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) for the caller’s location
|
| Identification of caller location to PSAPs by ELINs |
● Eliminates the need to update the Automatic Location Information (ALI) database when an IP phone is relocated
|
| Integration with a national E911 service provider |
● Centralizes and automates the initial administration of ELINs and ERLs for on-premises users, especially for customers with many sites in regions served by different Local Exchange Carriers (LECs)
|
| Emergency call-back to ELINs |
● Facilitates PSAP callback to reach the most recent callers from each location, including callers from stations without Direct-Inward-Dialing (DID) numbers
● Mask digits on an ELIN during call-back to indicate local dialing patterns
● PSAP callback ignores any call forward settings on the caller’s device
|
| Non-emergency call-back to ELINs |
● ELINs are DID numbers and are dial-able from outside. An administrator can define a Directory Number (DN) where non-emergency callback (not a PSAP callback) to ELINs should be routed
|
| Emergency call alerting by voice, web, and email |
● Includes the time zone for a caller’s location in an email alert to better relate with the caller during an emergency
● Add links in email alert such as a corporate directory
● Helps onsite security to identify and assist emergency callers immediately, and to direct fire, police, or ambulance services when they arrive
● Web alert for calls from ERLs are associated with specific onsite security personnel
● Expanded browser support
|
| Remote user authentication |
● Enables shared user passwords with Cisco Unified Communications Manager
|
| Simplified CER administration |
● Support for configuration APIs for ERL management, user management, and associated CUCM settings
● Role-based access control, including a default standard user group like system admin, network admin, ERL admin, serviceability, admin utility, and end user. An additional user group can be created with defined roles and access.
● Cipher management
|
| Infrastructure refresh |
● CER provides a switch refresh utility and a simplified switch replacement process to ensure E911 functionality
|
| Software appliance |
● Allows hostnames that start with a numeral
● Simplifies software installation and upgrade
● Enhances system security and stability
● Hostname change
● Reduced storage requirements
|
| Smart licensing |
● Smart software licensing adds flexibility to licensing and simplifies it in the enterprise. It helps you procure, deploy, track, and manage licenses easily.
● Cisco Emergency Responder 12.0 and later licenses are managed in Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM) or Cisco SSM On-Premises (Satellite).
● The Smart Software Licensing deployment option includes direct access: (a) from Cisco Unified Communications Manager to the Smart Licensing cloud; (b) through an HTTP/HTTPS proxy or authentication-based proxy; (c) via mediated access through an on-premises collector SSM On-Premises (Satellite); or, (d) specific license reservation for a highly secure environment with no ability anytime to connect to Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM).
|
| Security |
● Cipher management similar to CUCM
● Configurable session timeout for web portals
● Command-line interface support to set minimum TLS mode for all interfaces
● FIPS compliance
● Secure communication between Cisco Emergency Responder and third-party applications such as SMTP
● Improved encryption
|
| Auditing capability |
● Privilege activities on the system can be audited and tracked by the administrator or auditor
● Audit events are logged locally and also can be sent to a configured remote syslog server
|
Ordering Cisco Emergency Responder Version 14
Cisco Emergency Responder 14 is supported on the Cisco Unified Computing System™ (Cisco UCS®) and other virtual platforms only.
Cisco Emergency Responder server software and user licenses are ordered through Flex. Options include A-Flex-3, A-Flex-3-EDU, or A-Flex-3-FEDRAMP. Refer the Flex 3.0 Ordering Guide for more details: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/partners/tools/collaboration-ordering-guides.html
New purchase of Cisco Emergency Responder Version 14
● Starting with Version 12.0, Smart Software Licensing only is supported. Licenses are smart entitlements. The customer must create a Smart Account. For details on Smart Licensing, visit:
● Cisco Smart Software Licensing – https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/software/smart-accounts/software-licensing.html
● Cisco Smart Software Manager – https://www.cisco.com/web/ordering/smart-software-manager/index.html
● Cisco Smart Software Manager Satellite – https://www.cisco.com/go/smartsatellite
● Cisco Smart Accounts – https://www.cisco.com/web/ordering/smart-software-manager/smart-accounts.html
Customers ordering an Enterprise Agreement or Named User buying model in A-Flex-3 are entitled to a Cisco Emergency Responder license. Any additional quantity or standalone order for Emergency Responder with the CUCM solution can be ordered through Calling Add-on options. Select the Emergency Responder quantity for your Emergency Responder choice—On-Premises or Hosted Emergency Responder.
Upgrades with SWSS to Cisco Emergency Responder Version 14
Customers with Software Support Service (SWSS) should use My Cisco Entitlements (MCE) to order the Cisco Emergency Responder 14 server software suite and upgrade licenses for the SWSS term. The Cisco Global Licensing Operations (GLO) team can assist in upgrading licenses if customers have any issues in the MCE conversion portal. Raise a GLO case at: https://mycase.cloudapps.cisco.com/case
Upgrades without SWSS to Cisco Emergency Responder Version 14
Customers that do not add SWSS when upgrading to Cisco Emergency Responder 14 may order through Flex (A-Flex-3) and maintain their subscription. Refer the Flex 3.0 Ordering Guide for more details: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/partners/tools/collaboration-ordering-guides.html
Migrating and upgrading classic licenses to Smart Entitlement Version 14
Customers must create a Smart Account and a Virtual Account before starting a migration or upgrade. For more details on Smart Accounts and Virtual Accounts, refer to: https://www.cisco.com/web/ordering/smart-software-manager/smart-accounts.html
Migration to a smart license-enabled version is available only with an active SWSS contract
● Moving from Version 10 and Version 11 classic licenses to Smart Licenses can be performed on Cisco Smart Software Manager (CSSM) and from the traditional License Registration Portal (LRP). These are self-service portals.
● Two types of migration are supported:
◦ Product Activation Key (PAK)-based - Migration can be done for already fulfilled, partially fulfilled, and unfulfilled PAKs
◦ Device-based - Can be used to convert Cisco Prime License Manager (PLM)-based licenses to smart entitlements
● PAKs or devices (PLM) can be assigned to a Smart Account and Virtual Account in LRP and then converted to Smart Licenses. Select your version (14 or v12).
● The Global Licensing Operations (GLO) team can assist customers in converting classic licenses if they experience any issues in self-service conversion portal on LRP or CSSM. Raise a GLO case at: https://mycase.cloudapps.cisco.com/case
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For more information about Cisco Emergency Responder, visit https://www.cisco.com/en/US/partner/products/sw/voicesw/ps842/index.html or contact your local Cisco account representative.