Understand the common device migration strategies used to migrate phones to Phonism.

Many start at Phonism with hundreds of thousands of devices to migrate. This can be daunting, but we’ve worked through several, common scenarios and used some of these strategies to migrate devices to Phonism. 

Of course, one size does not fit all. If your deployment does not fit any of these scenarios, reach out to our support team for help!

CONSIDERATIONS FOR ALL SCENARIOS

Utilizing manufacturer redirect services

• Most supported manufacturers provide a redirection service. Devices registered with the service are automatically redirected to the provisioning server of your choice when the phone is factory reset.

• For services we integrate with, Phonism automatically handles registering the devices for redirection once added to Phonism.

• For more information, see the Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) guide. 

DHCP Option 66

• DHCP Option 66 can be utilized to redirect the phones to Phonism for provisioning. This Option is a part of the DHCP scope and the local network administrator is able to assist.

Retaining existing configurations

• If maintaining existing device configurations is a requirement, you can import existing configurations into Phonism.

• Phonism cannot extract configuration out of your devices. You need access to the configuration files.

SCENARIOS

No existing provisioning system

Sometimes employee turnover means that no one really has a grasp of the current system. This may require some Q&A to get to the right place. For assistance and the right questions to ask, contact Phonism support. 

Assumptions

• Your devices were configured manually.

• You have no remote access to your devices.

Migration Strategies

• For each device, modify its configuration in the Phone's Web GUI to redirect it to Phonism for provisioning.

• Set up DHCP Option 66 on the network so that the phones are told to provision from Phonism.

• Utilize manufacturer redirect services and our integrations so that phones are automatically directed to Phonism for provisioning after being factory reset. For more information, see the Zero-touch provisioning (ZTP) guide. 

Existing provisioning system

Assumptions

• You have an existing provisioning system that your devices are periodically assessing for configuration.

• You have the ability to modify the configuration files in this system.

Migration Strategies

• Utilize your existing provisioning system to redirect the devices to our service.

• Modify the configurations such that on their next provision, they are reconfigured to provision from Phonism.

Broadworks DMS using Phonism’s Broadworks integration

Assumptions

• The devices in question are periodically provisioned from DMS.

• A Broadworks integration is set up in Phonism.

• Your Broadworks hierarchy and device records are synced from Broadworks into Phonism

Migration Strategies

• Utilize our automated migration tool. This tool does the following:

• Reconfigures your device(s) to provision from Phonism.

• Tells the phone to reboot and pull new configuration from DMS (this will be the last contact to DMS).

• Once the Phone re-provisions and the system confirms that it is communicating with Phonism, the phone's existing configuration is imported from DMS into Phonism.

• After import, Phonism serves configuration to the device on it's next provision

Broadworks DMS without using Phonism’s Broadworks integration

Assumptions

• The devices in question are periodically provisioned from DMS.

• Inside DMS, you can modify the device profile templates of the devices to be migrated.

Migration Strategies

• Utilize your existing provisioning system to redirect the devices to our service.

• Modify the device profile templates such that on their next provision, they are reconfigured to provision from Phonism.