For years, SBCs have been an indispensable part of the SIP-based VoIP networks. SBCs protect these networks from various types of cyber-attacks. And, that’s just one reason. SBCs also add quality to the flow of communication. Talking about the evolution of SBCs, initially, hardware-based SBCs were the only option to secure the network perimeters. Their on-premises deployment often comes with complex configuration with the business’s PBX system requiring significant infrastructure costs and operational complexities. But in today’s cloud-first world, cloud-based SBCs are taking over the market, of course for good reasons. In this post, we are going to highlight how cloud SBC software reduces infrastructure costs and the complexity of a business.
Let’s begin, shall we?
What is a Cloud SBC?
We know that every cloud-based service runs over the internet. A cloud SBC is a software-based SBC that runs over the cloud infrastructure. Such SBCs do not require physical on-premise installations, thus eliminating the need for dedicated hardware and maintenance.
Cloud SBCs are managed by the cloud SBC service providers and are ideal for businesses seeking off-premises solutions with minimal setup and maintenance.
Key Features of a Cloud SBC
SIP Signaling
SIP, i.e., session initiation protocol, is the standard protocol that establishes, maintains, and terminates real-time sessions. Cloud SBCs act as intermediaries between different communication systems and handle SIP signaling between these systems. From setup, modification, and termination of SIP sessions, cloud SBCs ensure that SIP messages are correctly routed, translated, and processed.
Media Transcoding
The process of media transcoding involves the conversion of media streams, such as audio or video, from one codec to another. A codec is an algorithm that is used to encode or decode media for transmission over networks. Media transcoding is required because often different devices or systems use different codecs, leading to compatibility problems.
Cloud SBCs perform media transcoding to ensure that communication endpoints with different codecs do not face compatibility issues. For instance, if one device uses the G.711 codec for audio and another uses the G.729 codec, the SBC can convert the media stream between these codecs, allowing the two devices to communicate seamlessly.
Quality of Experience (QoS)
Cloud SBCs have the fault tolerance capabilities through redundancy, and self-healing mechanisms. This is the reason why cloud session border controllers can ensure 99.999% reliability.
Here, it is important to mention that cloud providers offer different redundancy options, mainly full redundancy, which is usually higher priced, and self-healing options, which are lower in cost with potential service disruptions. This allows businesses to make cost-effective choices.
How do Cloud SBCs Differ from Traditional SBCs?
Traditional SBCs were deployed as physical appliances within a company’s data center or at the edge of the network. They required significant capital investment, ongoing maintenance, and dedicated IT staff to manage them. As communication needs grew more complex, managing these traditional SBCs became increasingly challenging and costly.
Then happened the transition to cloud-based SBCs. The physical, on-premise infrastructure became no more a mandate and was taken over by virtualized and cloud-hosted solutions. The modern dat cloud SBCs offer the same functionalities as those of traditional SBCs but with several key advantages. There are several aspects in terms of which cloud SBCs differ from the traditional ones. Let’s have a look:
Comparison: Cloud SBCs vs Traditional SBCs
|
Feature |
Cloud SBC |
Traditional SBC |
|
Deployment |
Software-based, hosted in the cloud |
Physical hardware, on-premises |
|
Scalability |
Easily scalable to meet changing demand |
Limited scalability, may require additional hardware |
| Cost | Pay-as-you-go pricing, lower upfront costs |
Higher upfront costs for hardware and maintenance |
|
Management |
Managed by the cloud provider |
Managed by the organization’s IT team |
| Flexibility | Highly flexible and adaptable to changing business needs |
Less flexible, requires more planning and coordination |
|
Disaster Recovery |
Built-in redundancy and disaster recovery capabilities |
Requires additional planning and investment in redundant hardware |
|
Integration |
Easily integrates with other cloud-based services | May require more complex integration with on-premises systems |
| Security | High-level security features provided by the cloud provider |
Requires ongoing security management and updates |
Cost Reduction Benefits of Cloud SBCs
Shift from CAPEX to OPEX
In the past, SBCs were on specialized, purpose-built hardware platforms, using proprietary appliances. Today the trend is towards deploying SBCs in the cloud. This software-centric, low up-front cost solution allows businesses to “pay as you grow” with an array of platform choices. The powerful routing capabilities of the Cloud SBC, along with SIP interworking, lowers service delivery costs through simplified operations.
Easy to Scale
When it was about appliance-based SBCs, a major challenge was choosing the right-sized infrastructure for a business network. Opting for a low-end session border controller might appear as a good way to start due to its lesser cost, but it carries along the risk of creating bottlenecks when the demand increases. On the other hand, deploying a high-end session border controller could be really expensive for the business and would often result in excess capacity.
However, the cloud approach is more scalable. While there is no on-premise hardware to worry about, cloud SBCs can easily increase/ decrease concurrent calls as per the company’s requirements.
Reduced Maintenance Cost
Cloud service providers handle the underlying infrastructure, which includes hardware maintenance, software updates, and security patches. With this, not only does the cost to maintain the system eliminate, but it also frees up the IT team to focus their efforts on core business activities.
High Availability
Running a VoIP wholesale business demands 99.99% uptime. If we look at the traditional hardware-based SBCs, then achieving high availability would mean the installation of an additional SBC programmed to take over whenever the primary system goes down.
This simply means either you have to burn a hole in your pocket or simply run your business with the risk of no backup. But with Cloud Session Border Controller, this problem does not arise. Cloud SBC provides carrier-grade redundancy through standby virtual machines which assure a high level of service performance and availability. That’s certainly a more cost-effective solution as compared to that costly redundant hardware.
Complexity Reduction Benefits of Cloud SBCs
Offers Comprehensive Security
IP communications systems are an indispensable and critical part of business communications. DDoS attacks, eavesdropping, and fraudulent toll calls are common types of attacks faced by VoIP networks. Modern-day cloud SBCs are capable enough to mitigate the risk of extortion, intrusion, and theft of services. Cloud SBC blocks unauthorized traffic and conceals private network topology from malicious entities to secure critical business communications.
- Topology Hiding is a key feature of SBCs wherein the private IP addresses of an application are not exposed to the outside world but are masked. This is done to prevent the mapping of the private network.
- By detecting, deflecting, and limiting the frequency of attempts, SBCs prevent DoS and DDoS attacks on the network, which otherwise could bring the company’s operations to a complete halt.
Smooths Complexity in Connections and Communications
A business handles different types of networks and protocols in real-time through a variety of IP applications. Different types of streaming formats, audio codecs, media, etc., are some of the elements that make up unified communications. SBCs ensure interworking between incompatible protocols, codecs, and SIP variants by acting as a real-time translator. It fully supports each party throughout each session to ensure that there is no loss of features.
Simplifies Session Gatekeeping and Routing
By performing Session Admission Control, SBCs act as network gatekeepers to determine who has the authorization to access the SIP network. With this, bad actors remain at bay from the system, as well as the network traffic remains in order.
For fairly large SIP networks, multiple SBCs can be used at multiple network borders. So rather than individually configuring each controller, they can be dynamically managed as a central system using one set of routing and policies. This saves a lot of time and money for the business.
Excellent Customer and Employee Experiences
There are several ways in which SBCs improve the quality of service when used as a part of UCaas, i.e., Unified Communications as a Service, or CCaaS, i.e., Contact Center as a Service. Take a look:
- By analyzing traffic and optimizing routing, SBCs increase data speeds significantly and also improve the quality of voice calls.
- During higher loads, SBCs can prioritize and redirect sessions so as to maintain performance.
- By detecting and normalizing different SIP dialects, SBCs ensure that your agents enjoy seamless and high-quality calls across multiple devices, that too in real time.
Reduced Infrastructure Footprint of Cloud SBCs
Another significant advantage of using Cloud SBCs is the reduced infrastructure footprint. First, as the need for on-premises hardware gets eliminated, the need for physical space required to house and operate the systems also gets reduced. Second, cloud SBCs reduce the consumption of energy because they don’t need electricity to power their hardware and cooling systems.
Therefore, it helps companies to reduce their carbon footprint and foster sustainability. Third, the logistical burden on the company gets reduced. This is because maintaining cloud SBCs is the responsibility of the cloud service provider. So whether it is hardware replacement, software updates, or physical inspections, all these tasks are handled by the provider.
REVE SBC: Save Money and Improve Operational Efficiency
Having the right SBC for your business can help you reduce cost and operational complexity. REVE SBC offers great scalability, and security with high performance by supporting 30K concurrent calls with 2000 CPS from a single node. It comes with a real-time billing platform for hassle-free billing and payment that making it one of the best telecom software. REVE Session Border Controller makes use of intelligent call routing for seamless management of wholesale VoIP traffic. If you are searching for cloud SBC Vendors or virtual SBC for your business, then please get in touch with us as our team will guide you in the right direction.
Cloud SBCs: Future Outlook
The global session border controller (SBC) market value is expected to increase from USD 789.31 million in 2024 to USD 1,672.77 million by 2034. The sharp rise in demand points toward a CAGR of 7.80% through 2034. A remarkable driver of the SBC market is the high demand for SBCs from VoIP applications. (Source- Future Market Insights )
With communication technologies continuing to evolve rapidly, it is highly likely that cloud SBCs will play a prominent and critical role in modern communication networks. The growing adoption of cloud-based services such as UCaaS and CPaaS is already evident. This rising trend shall only intensify the demand for scalable, flexible, and secure communication solutions and cloud SBCs are well-positioned to meet these needs. Cloud SBCs provide organizations with the tools to seamlessly manage complex communication environments while ensuring cost-effectiveness.
Ultimately, we can say that in the coming time, we can see greater integration of communication infrastructure with cloud SBCs, further reducing the cost and complexity of maintaining reliable and high-quality communication services.
Summary
From traditional hardware-based to cloud SBCs – there has been a huge transformation in the way organizations manage their communication networks. Cloud SBCs have eliminated the need for expensive physical hardware, enabling organizations to shift from capital expenditure and adopt a flexible operational expenditure model. By leveraging cloud SBCs, businesses can simplify their infrastructure management and adapt to the changing demands quite easily.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the time-to-market for cloud SBCs?
Cloud SBCs are usually deployed in a matter of hours or days. On the contrary, traditional SBCs can take weeks or months for the same.
Can you name a few industries that can benefit from cloud SBCs?
Cloud SBCs can benefit organizations across various industries such as healthcare, education, finance, and telecommunications.
How can organizations maximize the reliability of a cloud SBC?
The reliability of a cloud service is ensured by the cloud service provider. So, choosing a reliable provider means expecting minimal downtime.
Do Virtual SBCs integrate with existing on-premise systems?
Yes, most of the virtual session border controllers providers offer hybrid solution that easily integrate with on-premise existing systems. This means you can expect a smooth transition and interoperability.
Are there any potential risks associated with the usage of Cloud SBCs?
Yes, vendor lock-in, data privacy concerns, and network latency are some potential risks.
Do Virtual SBCs have the capacity to handle high call volumes?
Yes, virtual SBCs are scalable in nature which means they can be configured to handle high call volumes. This makes them an ideal choice for contact centers and large enterprises.
What are some key benefits organizations can experience using cloud SBCs?
Reduced infrastructure costs, improved scalability, enhanced security, and faster deployment are some common benefits.
Read Also
Why Communication Service Providers Need an SBC?
An Overview of Session Border Controller
Note: This post has been updated on 13-12-2024.
