• Keep an up-to-date, full system backup of your studio AoIP system in case a CPU loses power or goes belly up from Flood or Fire. If you’re a WheatNet IP shop, you can back up the entire system from the CONFIG MANAGER tab in NAVIGATOR, which will have all Blade information backed up to a local PC file in case you need to restore a Blade to the system. NAVIGATOR should always be installed on at least two machines and always running on at least one of the two. Also, as a preventative measure, keep a copy of software installers for consoles, WheatNet IP utilities, and other GUIs on backup. “When I was a CE, I had a flash drive that I carried with me everywhere that had all my software, licenses, drivers, etc, on it—basically a copy of everything I ran in my building and the config files from each of those machines. And I would regularly update that flash drive,” said Trey Bryant, who was previously CE for Curtis Media before joining the Wheatstone tech support team.
• For uninterrupted automation, keep old soundcards on standby in the event of an audio driver that goes south during a disaster. Or better yet, if you’re a WheatNet IP shop, borrow a M4IP USB mic processor from a studio to use as a USB interface to a nearby PC for quick audio out. You can also USB audio codecs to an XLR breakout in a pinch. 
• Invest in surge suppressors. Uninterruptible power supplies are great, but surge suppression should be on studio equipment. Lightning-related damage repairs are very expensive. 
• Have a backup switch on standby. Gigabit network switches are critical to AoIP operations. All AoIP studios need to have some kind of backup switch on standby.

For other helpful tips, videos, and product information, visit our new online Wheatstone Support Center, a repository of knowledge and technical information created by our tech support team.