HPE Survivable Branch Communication zl Voice Module

The HPE Survivable Branch Communication zl Voice Module (SBM) is a purpose-built, edge-ready expansion designed to keep your organization connected when the primary data center becomes inaccessible. Built to work in concert with HP’s Survivable Branch Appliance ecosystem and powered by Microsoft Lync, this module delivers critical survivable branch services that ensure essential voice communication remains available at remote sites. In the event of WAN outages or data-center interruptions, the SBM zl module enables external phone call capability and sustains internal peer-to-peer communications, so field staff, distributed teams, and frontline operations can continue to collaborate, respond to customers, and execute business processes with minimal disruption. The zl Voice Module blends reliable hardware with Microsoft Lync survivable branch applications to provide a resilient, scalable, and secure voice foundation at the edge. It is engineered to minimize downtime, maximize uptime, and preserve a consistent user experience across multiple sites, thereby protecting business continuity and helping organizations maintain service levels during outages. This solution is especially valuable for industries with frequent remote-site activity or strict uptime requirements, including manufacturing plants, retail networks, healthcare facilities, banks, and logistics hubs, where every minute of voice capability can translate into faster issue resolution and happier customers. By extending Lync-based telephony to the edge, HP’s SBM zl module enables seamless integration of enterprise voice, presence, conferencing, and messaging, while ensuring compliance with corporate security policies and regulatory standards. The installation is designed to be straightforward for IT teams already managing HP SBM ecosystems, and its failover-oriented design ensures that local voice services keep operating even when central connectivity is compromised. In short, the HPE Survivable Branch Communication zl Voice Module is a strategic investment in resilience, helping organizations protect communications infrastructure, maintain collaboration, and sustain operations through outages with confidence.

• Survivable branch functionality with Microsoft Lync integration: When connectivity to the data center is broken, SBM preserves core voice services, enabling external calling and maintaining core Lync communications at the edge, so field teams can reach customers and colleagues without interruption. This module ensures that presence, call control, and basic voicemail services remain reachable locally, preserving critical communication flows even in the most challenging network conditions.
• External and internal communications continuity: SBM provides external PSTN calls and internal peer-to-peer communications, ensuring that both inbound/outbound communication and intra-site collaboration remain available even in outage scenarios. This continuity supports emergency response, order processing, customer support, and cross-site coordination, helping teams stay aligned during service disruptions.
• Seamless user experience across sites: The zl Voice Module preserves consistent call quality, presence information, and voicemail access, so users experience the same productivity tools regardless of site connectivity status. By delivering edge-level telephony with centralized policy control, organizations can maintain a uniform user experience across regional offices, manufacturing floors, and remote locations.
• Security, compliance, and reliability: Built with enterprise-grade security, encryption, and policy controls to safeguard voice traffic, along with high availability and failover capabilities to minimize downtime. The module supports secure authentication, encrypted signaling and media, and policy-driven routing to meet organizational security requirements while maintaining performance during outages.
• Easy deployment, management, and scalability: Designed to integrate with HP SBM appliances, the zl module supports streamlined provisioning, centralized management, and scalable capacity to grow with your branch network. Its modular design simplifies upgrades, capacity planning, and fault-tolerant configurations, helping IT teams extend survivable branch services as business needs evolve.

Technical Details of HPE Survivable Branch Communication zl Voice Module

• Note: Detailed specifications vary by SKU/UPC; refer to the Synnex catalog for exact specifications corresponding to your product reference.

How to install HPE Survivable Branch Communication zl Voice Module

• Step 1: Verify system requirements and prerequisites including SBM hardware compatibility, software versions, and network access policy. Ensure you have appropriate access credentials for the SBM management interface and confirm that your edge site meets power, cooling, and space specifications for module installation.
• Step 2: Power down the SBM appliance if required by your deployment guide and carefully insert the zl Voice Module into the designated expansion slot or PCIe slot according to the HP installation manual. Secure the module with the provided retention mechanism, ensuring proper seating and alignment for reliable operation.
• Step 3: Connect the module to the voice network using the recommended cabling and configure the interface on the SBM management console. Validate physical link status, perform basic diagnostics, and run a loopback test to confirm connectivity and signaling integrity between the module and the SBM ecosystem.
• Step 4: Install or upgrade the Microsoft Lync/Skype for Business survivable branch service component, then register the SBM zl Voice Module as a trusted survivable branch node within your enterprise telephony topology. Confirm licensing, policy alignment, and presence/IM integration settings to ensure seamless interoperability with existing Lync features.
• Step 5: Apply required security and QoS policies, configure voice routes, and test intra-site and inter-site call flows, including emergency numbers, voicemail access, and presence synchronization. Validate failover behavior by simulating outages and monitoring call quality metrics, signaling stability, and failover latency to guarantee readiness for real-world outages.

Frequently asked questions

• What is the HPE Survivable Branch Communication zl Voice Module? It is a dedicated module that enables survivable branch voice services as part of HP's SBM ecosystem, extending Microsoft Lync/Skype for Business capabilities to remote sites even when centralized data-center connectivity is unavailable.
• Why would I need this module? In distributed organizations with remote offices, the zl Voice Module ensures continuity of essential voice communications, preserves collaboration tools, and reduces downtime during WAN outages or data-center interruptions. It helps maintain customer service levels, supports field operations, and ensures critical communications remain robust under adverse conditions.
• Is it compatible with Microsoft Lync/Skype for Business? Yes. The SBM integrates with the Microsoft Lync (now Skype for Business / Teams) voice stack to provide survivable branch services and seamless call handling at the edge, preserving presence, conferencing, and messaging capabilities at remote sites.
• How do I install and configure it? The installation guide provides step-by-step instructions to install the module, connect to the SBM management interface, register survivable branch services, and apply QoS and security policies for optimal performance. Ongoing management is supported through centralized SBM dashboards and policy controls.
• Where can I find detailed technical specifications? Detailed specs vary by SKU/UPC; consult the Synnex catalog or your product SKU documentation for exact processor, memory, interface, and firmware information.