Graph-Based Telephony Migration Planning for Hybrid Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Migrating an organization from an on-premise telephony system to a cloud-based system poses challenges, especially for larger organizations, as it requires dividing the migration into phases to minimize downtime while maintaining user and device attributes and associations, such as hunt groups, shared lines, and speed dials, without disrupting workflow.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for determining a migration plan by creating clusters of users and devices based on their attributes and associations, using a graph-based approach to maximize intra-cluster connections and minimize disruptions, with automatic scheduling and notification to a migration coordinator for approval of broken connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the migration is performed in phases to minimize downtime, then the productivity is improved, but the device complexity increases due to managing multiple migration phases and clusters
Solution Approach 1:
The migration process is segmented into multiple phases, where each phase migrates a specific cluster of entities. The system divides the source telephony system entities into multiple clusters, with each cluster representing a manageable group that can be migrated independently in a specific time window, thereby reducing overall migration downtime while maintaining system operability
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by generating a comprehensive migration plan before execution. This includes creating an entities graph, identifying clusters, determining migration phases, and preparing the target telephony system in advance. The migration coordinator receives the complete plan beforehand, allowing for review and approval before actual migration begins
2Loss of time
If all entities are migrated at once, then the loss of time is reduced, but the reliability decreases due to increased risk of migration failures and disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The migration is divided into multiple smaller phases, each handling a specific cluster of entities. This segmentation reduces the risk associated with migrating all entities at once, as failures in one phase do not necessarily compromise the entire migration. Each phase can be completed and validated independently
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares cushioning measures by maintaining the source telephony system operational during the migration process. The hybrid system architecture allows the source system to continue serving entities not yet migrated, providing a safety buffer in case migration issues arise. The migration can be paused or reversed if problems occur
3Ease of operation
If the migration plan is generated automatically, then the ease of operation is improved, but the measurement precision decreases in identifying optimal cluster groupings
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically generating the migration plan without requiring manual intervention. The migration coordinator system autonomously creates the entities graph, identifies clusters based on entity relationships and attributes, determines optimal migration phases, and generates the complete migration plan. This automation significantly reduces manual effort while maintaining reasonable optimization through algorithmic cluster identification
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus and computer program product for determining a plan of a first migration phase for a source to target telephony migration in at least two phases, the method comprising: obtaining a configuration of the source system including devices and users entities, each associated with attributes and values; generating a graph from the configuration, each node represents a source entity, nodes having corresponding attribute values are connected; obtaining a threshold number of entities for migrating on the first phase; determining a cluster of nodes, comprising determining a first and second maximal density clusters having first and second densities and cluster sizes not exceeding the threshold; and selecting the first or second clusters; adding to the first phase plan entities represented by the selected cluster; and providing the plan to a coordinator, whereby enabling execution of the first phase, whereby a hybrid system is operated, comprising the source and target.