Perhaps nothing is more mission-critical than a 911 call. The ability to quickly alert authorities of an emergency situation with a call that automatically sends location data has saved countless lives over the years. It is a service that we have come to rely upon and expect to be available 24/7, 365 days a year. Making sure that important call connects every single time is a key step in providing vital emergency services.

While new technologies have continued to make 911 services even better – GPS and caller location information, for example – the proliferation of communications devices and platforms is also creating new challenges. And it’s not just about supporting new technologies as they emerge. 911 services have to remain available to users of all devices, including older versions.

Not everyone is on iPhone 6s or Android Lollipop. Or even Skype for Business. You know, the new name for Microsoft Lync. In fact, there is a huge base of users on earlier versions, still known as Lync. The challenge is to support new versions as they are launched and also continue to ensure popular older versions can successfully make the 911 connection.

This is exactly what 911 ETC did for its VoIPConnect emergency services. 911 ETC is the leading national provider of fully managed E911 services with customers the likes of T-Mobile, the U.S. Department of Interior, Chase Bank and Orange County in California.

Microsoft Lync/Skype for Business has become a popular communications solution for government and the workplace. Many of those customers are still using the older Microsoft Lync 2013 version. 911 ETC wanted to make sure that Microsoft Lync 2013 would enable users to successfully make 911 calls and quickly get emergency services.

911 ETC turns to independent lab tekVizion to run an interoperability verification of its VoIPConnect services and Microsoft Lync. The test was run on the Sonus SBC platform and validated that Microsoft Lync 2013 users could successfully place 911 calls and that location information was routed to the nearest Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP).

“Third-party testing is a critical and highly strategic process for 911 ETC, as we continuously strive to provide the very best service. When you are talking about emergency 911 services, there is no room for error. We have to get this right every single call,” said [NAME], [TITLE] 911 ETC.

“Testing to validate interoperability and ensure we provide the right level of performance is a key part of that. We turned to tekVizion to validate our services for Microsoft Lync 2013 users, which is a large base for us. In addition to validating the solution, we also got incredible insight from the tekVizion team,” he/she continued.

And while some in the tech industry might view validation testing as a necessary late stage step and even an afterthought, businesses such as 911 ETC understand its strategic value in ensuring the most mission-critical transaction of all – emergency 911 calls.