Tag: SBCaaS

What is a Session-Border-Controller (SBCaaS)?
What is a Session-Border-Controller (SBCaaS)?

Session Border Controller as a Service (SBCaaS) is a cloud-based tool that helps businesses control their communication networks, especially for voice calls over the internet, like VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). In the past, companies used physical devices called Session Border Controllers (SBCs), but now with cloud technology, many are switching to virtual versions for more flexibility and security.

SBCaaS allows organizations to secure their calls, prevent cyberattacks, and ensure smooth communication between different systems. It is especially useful for large companies that need to manage many phone calls or data exchanges over the internet, making sure these are safe and efficient. As cloud solutions are set to generate over $3 trillion in value by 2030 across industries, including telecommunications, the role of SBCaaS is becoming more critical. (Source: McKinsey).

Core Functions of Session Border Controllers

Now that we’ve answered the question of “What is a Session-Border-Controller (SBCaaS)?”, what does it do?

An SBC serves as a “gatekeeper” for communications that happen over the internet. This means it protects, monitors, and controls the flow of information to ensure everything is working properly. With SBCaaS, the core functions are:
- Security: The SBC prevents issues like Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks, where hackers try to overload systems and cause disruptions. It also ensures calls are private and protected from eavesdropping.
- Interoperability: SBCs help different systems “talk” to each other smoothly. For example, if a company uses multiple VoIP providers, the SBC ensures these systems can work together.
- Traffic Management: It controls the flow of voice and data traffic to prevent delays or drops in call quality, making sure users have a smooth experience.
Because SBCaaS is cloud-based, businesses don’t need to buy expensive hardware and can easily scale up or down depending on their needs.

Why Virtual Session Border Controllers are Important

Today, as more companies move their operations to the cloud, virtual session border controllers (SBCs) have become essential. A virtual SBC does everything a traditional SBC does but without the physical hardware, allowing companies to save money and adapt more quickly to changes.

With virtual SBCs, companies can:
- Scale on-demand: This means they can adjust their communication capabilities as their business grows.
- Integrate seamlessly: Virtual SBCs fit well with existing cloud services and telecom solutions.
- Improve security: They offer built-in protection from internet threats, which is crucial for businesses relying on VoIP systems.
According to Gartner, companies using virtual SBCs have increased by 40% in recent years due to the benefits of cloud-based communications (Source: Gartner).

Use Cases and Benefits of SBCaaS

SBCaaS is especially helpful for businesses that need to manage large-scale communication systems. It’s commonly used in industries like telecommunications, finance, healthcare, and government services—areas where secure and reliable communication is critical.

Here are some of the main benefits of SBCaaS:
- Cost Efficiency: Since it’s cloud-based, businesses don’t need to spend money on buying and maintaining hardware. According to McKinsey, using cloud-based services like SBCaaS can lower operational costs by up to 25% (Source: McKinsey).
- Flexibility and Scalability: SBCaaS allows companies to easily increase or decrease their communication capacity as needed.
- Enhanced Security: Virtual SBCs offer high levels of encryption, keeping sensitive information safe during communications.
Case Study: A large telecom company used SBCaaS to replace its old hardware system. After the switch, the company saw a 30% increase in system uptime and a 15% drop in security breaches within the first year (Source: McKinsey).

SBC in Telecommunications

The telecommunications industry heavily relies on SBCs to ensure smooth and secure communication. With the rise of SIP trunking (a technology that allows phone systems to operate over the internet) and VoIP, SBCs help telecom companies manage massive amounts of voice and video traffic, making sure everything runs efficiently.

The SBC telecommunications market is growing fast, thanks to the increasing demand for cloud-based communication. According to Statista, the global SBC market is expected to grow by 12% each year, reaching $2.1 billion by 2027 (Source: Statista).

SBCaaS vs. Traditional SBCs

While traditional SBCs require physical equipment and regular maintenance, SBCaaS eliminates these costs and offers greater flexibility. The main advantages of SBCaaS include:
- Cost Savings: With no need for hardware, businesses can save money upfront. A report from Gartner found that 60% of companies prefer cloud-based SBCs due to their cost-efficiency (Source: Gartner).
- Scalability: SBCaaS allows businesses to adjust their communication systems based on their current needs.
- Easier Integration: Cloud-based SBCs fit seamlessly with existing telecom systems.
Session Border Controller Vendors

Several companies provide SBCaaS solutions, but few are able to offer it in far-reaching global locations as ULAP does (learn more about it here). While other vendors may focus on more centralized markets, ULAP stands out by delivering SBCaaS to remote and underserved regions, ensuring businesses in these areas have access to the same level of secure and scalable communications as their counterparts in major hubs.

Other key SBCaaS vendors include:

•Ribbon Communications: Known for their innovative virtual SBCs, Ribbon is a leader in cloud communications.

•Oracle: Oracle offers robust SBCaaS solutions designed for large enterprises and service providers.

•AudioCodes: This company offers SBCs that work well with popular platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

Case Study: A global financial services company partnered with Ribbon Communications to roll out SBCaaS across its offices worldwide. This change improved call quality and reduced downtime by 20% (Source: Forbes).

Conclusion and Future Trends

SBCaaS is becoming a must-have for businesses that want to stay ahead in the digital world. As companies adopt more SIP and VoIP technologies, having a secure and scalable communication system like SBCaaS will become increasingly important.

Future Trends:
- AI and Automation: Many companies are adding AI to their SBCaaS solutions for real-time monitoring and better performance.
- Increased Security: As cyber threats grow, SBCaaS providers will continue developing advanced security features to keep communications safe.
According to Forrester, 70% of companies are planning to fully switch to virtual SBCs in the next five years (Source: Forrester).

SBCaaS is set to lead the way in modern telecommunications, giving businesses the tools they need to secure their communications and operate more efficiently.
09/19/2024
What is Cloud Telephony and Why Should I Use It?
Cloud telephony (or cloud calling) is a phone service that works over the internet instead of physical phone lines. A cloud provider can offer telephony services on their technology and infrastructure, as a managed service.

How Does Cloud Telephony Work?

Cloud telephony works by turning your voice into digital data that travels over the virtual network. Here’s a simple breakdown of the process:
1. Making a Call: When you make a call, your voice is captured by your device (like a phone or computer).
2. Converting Data: Your voice is turned into digital data using SIP* and sent over the internet to the cloud telephony provider.
3. Routing the Call: The provider sends the call to the person you’re calling through its servers.
4. Receiving the Call: The person’s device converts the digital data back into voice, and the call is complete.
SIP, Briefly Explained.

Previously, calls required copper cables, dedicated circuits and other physical connections to reach the public network. A company with hundreds or thousands of calls a day would have a large monthly expense for telephony. SIP works on both wired and wireless cables, which means it can make calls over the internet without physical connections. This makes installations and usage overall easier and cheaper.

SBC, Briefly Explained.

A Session Border Controller (SBC) is like a gatekeeper for SIP and other VoIP protocols. It manages real time communications and protects calls with security features such as firewalls, protection, and encryption. Businesses need reliable communications solutions; SBCs also make sure calls are high-quality and not prone to lagging.

Read about Session Border Controllers as a Service here, or learn about our native service SBCaaS.

Both SIP and SBCs can be completely virtual solutions, minimizing cost for scale by a significant amount.

Benefits of Cloud Telephony

Cloud-based phone systems have many advantages over traditional phone systems. Here are some key benefits:
1. Cost Savings: You don’t need to buy and maintain expensive hardware, saving cost significantly.
2. Easy to Scale: As your business grows, you can easily add more users and features without needing new equipment.
3. Mobility: You can use the phone system from anywhere with an internet connection, perfect for remote or hybrid work.
4. Full Features: Phone features like call routing, voicemail to email, automated attendants, and integrations with other apps are available.
5. Reliability: Since everything is stored online, there’s less risk of downtime, making the system more reliable.
Integrations with Unified Communication

Another advantage of cloud telephony is its use with popular unified communication platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams 365. By integrating telephony with these platforms, teams can enrich and optimize the way they communicate internally and with customers.
1. Transition between calls, videos and meetings. Telephony with UC takes full advantage of features you can find on your device. You can move from a phone call on your business number, to a video conference with one click while staying on the same app. Teams gain easier access to their communication tools.
2. Bring data from other platforms. Besides flexible and intuitive tools to communicate, users can also integrate their telephony and UC directly to other apps. This includes CRM, inventory, and project management to enhance digital workspaces.
3. Data handled by platform. Most platforms have built-in compliant data practices to serve even heavily-regulated industries, such as finance and healthcare. But businesses can also reach out to providers to further fortify their data handling protocols. For example, CallCabinet offers secure call recording solutions that help large businesses keep their checks and balances.
4. Centralise your IT management. IT administrators can have more control over the business’ communications. Dashboards significantly reduce complexity, allowing administrators to manage phone numbers, call routing, permissions and other settings in one place.
Choosing a Cloud Telephony Service

Cloud telephony is a leap forward in communication technology, offering businesses a flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution. By understanding what cloud telephony is and how it works, businesses can improve their communication systems and boost productivity. Embrace the future of communication with cloud telephony and enjoy its many benefits.

You should choose a cloud telephony service that’s reliable, easy to scale, has the features and integrations you need. A provider with cloud-based services will fit your business needs and can grow with you.
08/15/2024
How Microsoft Teams Direct Routing works with SBCaaS
Microsoft 365 is one of the most popular office suites with many features to help with modern workplaces and remote work.

One special feature is the Microsoft Teams Phone that lets your teams make and receive calls on the platform. Businesses can use Microsoft Teams Direct Routing to connect teams and existing telephony systems directly to the platform. This allows for a direct connection between the two systems.

Since this enables cloud-based calling between their phone systems and Microsoft Teams, companies use an SBCaaS to keep their calls and data safe.

Let’s explores how Microsoft Direct Routing and SBCaaS work together to help businesses.

Learn more about ULAP’s SBCaaS here

Understanding Microsoft Teams Routing

Microsoft Teams Direct Routing offers businesses to connect their private branch exchange (PBX) systems to Microsoft Teams. Organisations can use the Teams platform’s calling features and file sharing together in one place. Direct Routing for teams offers several key benefits:
- Enable cloud-calling and lower call costs without additional infrastructure
- Use their existing telephony hardware while integrating with Microsoft Teams.
- Unify communications on a single platform, streamlining operations and improving user experience.
Challenges:
- Need to encrypt calls to protect sensitive data
- Need to monitor connection up-time / availability
- Not all phone providers offer this service, and vendors are not available in all regions
- Regulations can vary according to region
Direct-Routing-as-a-Service (DRaaS) with an SBC

Direct-Routing-as-a-Service (DRaaS) is a service offered by providers and vendors to manage this connection. They will usually setup, configure and manage this connection for you through an SBC (Session Border Controller).

A Session Border Controller (SBC) is like a gatekeeper for VoIP calls, making sure data flows securely between networks.

Here’s what it can do:
- Enhance Security: Encrypt and secure VoIP traffic to protect against fraud, unauthorized access, and other security threats
- Reliable Connectivity: Ensure high-quality voice communications with minimal latency and downtime.
- Scale As You Need: Easily scales to meet the growing needs of your business without requiring additional hardware investments.
- Compliance: Helps businesses meet regulatory requirements by providing detailed reporting and monitoring capabilities.
Telecom providers or cloud vendors can offer SBC as a service (SBCaaS) to make and manage this connection for you. Finding one in the USA, Europe or other countries where this is a growing norm might be easier.

For regions where regulation and cloud-based technology is still growing, finding the right provider can be challenging. You’ll have to find one available and compliant in your region.

How to find a vendor or provider for Microsoft Direct Routing

Learn more about ULAP’s SBCaaS here
1. Identify your requirements: Understand what you need from your solution. From the number of users, call volume, to existing infrastructure and any special features or integrations needed.
2. Research vendors: Look for vendors who have done Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams, through case studies and professional networks.
3. Assess technical capabilities: Contact your vendor and ask about their coverage, technical support, network redundancy and regional availability
4. Compare pricing: Get detailed pricing information and compare to find a plan that suits your budget and needs
5. Request for demo: Ask for a demonstration so you can assess the user experience and support they will provide.
Contact our team for ours here

What about ULAP SBCaaS for Teams?

ULAP SBCaaS manages SBC deployment, maintenance, and monitoring for Microsoft Teams Direct Routing globally. We have network presence in 6 continents and you can check our coverage here.

Easy Global Number Provisioning with ULAP’s SBCaaS

Maintaining local phone numbers is crucial for businesses to retain local identity and trust.

We configure your existing or new numbers for you, in full regulatory compliance around the globe. This simplifies the process, ensuring a smooth transition while maintaining your business’s local presence.

Our clients span from Malta, Poland, and the UK, to Mauritius, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and the Philippines.

Advantages:
- Local Identity: You can maintain local numbers, so clients can reach you through familiar contact points.
- Compliance: We work with your local regulatory bodies to ensure you’re compliant with all regional requirements. This minimises potential legal issues and ensures a seamless transfer.
- Fully managed: Our team manages the entire process, from setup to live. This lessens the burdens on your IT staff and reduces downtime during the transition.
- Global Coverage: ULAP’s extensive network and expertise covers global teams for a consistent and efficient experience worldwide.
Takeaways

Microsoft Direct Routing with ULAP’s SBCaaS is a powerful solution for businesses that want to optimize their communication tools. By leveraging this combination, businesses can enjoy enhanced security, improved performance, and seamless scaling.

Ready to take your business communications to the next level?

Learn how our SBCaaS can enhance your Microsoft Direct Routing. We’ll walk you through a setup that’s secure, reliable, and an efficient communication solution for your business.

Reach out to our team for your SBCaaS solution here.
08/07/2024
Top Energy Firm uses ULAP for Global Zoom Deployment
We accelerated digital transformation for a leading global energy company, with ULAP Secure Internet, SBC and Zoom.

Company profile

A large, publicly traded energy company operating in all areas of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, power generation and trading. The company has a regional presence in over 60 countries and employees close to over 70,000 employees across corporate and field sites.

Empowering a mobile workforce for secure success

With the growing challenges of adapting to a mobile and disparate workforce, this energyfirm needed to give their users the flexibility and performance needed to conduct their everyday duties securely. One challenge was giving users a high-quality

experience for all Enterprise and SaaS applications. With their existing secure access solution, there were a handful of enterprise-hosted applications which were either not meeting the requirements for user experience or simply not working at all.

Beating out the competition

Other solutions failed to meet the energy firm’s complex digital transformation needs. Here’s how ULAP quickly rose to the challenge and delivered unique and differentiated value:
1. ULAP made Zoom Phone and Contact Center apps work well, where none of the incumbent solutions were successful
2. ULAP provided fully redundant, secure access to all site locations to the Zoom Cloud infrastructure
3. ULAP exceeded targets on the company’s global cost-savings initiatives
Streamline Global Expansion with ULAP Networks. ULAP’s secure and reliable solutions slash new terminal onboarding times from 4 months to just 30 days, empowering you to activate new locations on our secure and reliable global platform at unprecedented speed. This frictionless process saves time, money, and ensures a smooth experience for your end users.

Download our brochure here
05/24/2024
ULAP listed in top SIP Trunk Provider and SBCaaS for 2023, by UC Today

ULAP listed in top SIP Trunk Provider and SBCaaS for 2023, by UC Today

We’re proud to have been listed by UC Today as one of the top SIP trunk providers and SBCaaS globally, amongst many industry leaders.

As corporates increasingly explore cost-effective and flexible solutions to deliver cloud services, our ongoing efforts in developing our ULAP Smart Exchange, accessible via our Smart Cloud Network, has proven to be aligned with many industry leaders in the community.

The Top SIP Trunk Providers for 2023, by UC Today

Read the article here

Image courtesy of UC Today

The Top SIP Session Border Controllers Providers , by UC Today

Read the article here

Image courtesy of UC Today

08/11/2023