Evaluating SBC vendors for cloud communications infrastructure

As more organizations move their communications infrastructure to the cloud, session border controllers must follow suit. In 2016, nearly 40% of North American business users were using some form of IP telephony, such as SIP trunking, voice over IP and cloud unified communications, according to Frost & Sullivan, a market research firm based in San Antonio. Organizations are also increasingly using third-party apps that incorporate VoIP and other cloud communications services. Session border controllers (SBCs) are at the heart of these services as they provide the interoperability to deliver voice networks at scale, while securing links between services and customers, according to Frost & Sullivan analyst Michael Brandenburg. “Cloud-ready SBCs are a strategic infrastructure investment,” he said in a recent webinar. “Picking the right one paves the way for the cloud-first communication opportunities that are coming to market.” Brandenburg offered four considerations for organizations evaluating cloud-based SBC vendors. With a cloud-based product, SBC vendors can develop a common software product that can support multiple virtualized environments and optimize data center resources, he said. Cloud-based SBCs also shift costs from a traditional capex model to opex-based subscription licensing.