Bridge in a Box Explained

Mel Dingman 7.22.2015

What is it?

The large enterprise segment is going through a large change in no small part to the adoption of VoIP and UC based architecture. Previously the traditional audio conferencing customer would be a a series of thousands of sites that exist as islands. Today these large enterprises have either completed or are going through a consolidation of their network into a tandem-style networks represented as regional datacenters. Typically, these datacenters are linked to us via PSTN (toll-free, direct-in-dial, and outbound calls) or via direct connections.

Bridge in a Box is to overlay the “fabric” of the [Redacted] multi-media network over these datacenters extending our solutions to these customers.

As depicted in this diagram:

1. A RFC3261 SIP connection extends between [Redacted] and customer’s on premise solution that extends [Redacted] and those surrounding capabilities to the customer. While this has been an effective transport for voice, it is only inevitable that this links are looking to move into Unified Communications both with and without the company ranging from messaging, desktop sharing, point-to-point video, and point-to-multipoint video.

2. This is the actual Bridge in a Box. It is a Radvis server that via VMWare contains a virtual SBC. From this box, a customer’s UC platform of choice is bilaterally communicated to via SIP, sRTP, and PSOM. This utilizes the customer’s private infrastructure to reach directly into [REDACTED] solution(s). Thus the customer’s media remains natively inside their network / control. [Redacted] redefines its capability to the customer as collaborative partner instead of traditional conferencing.

a. Radvis server: This server handles the media. b. VMWare: This is the utility to virtualize the Sonus SBCc. Sonus SBC: extends the VoIP infrastructure without breaking the VLAN (securing the

customer’s VoIP capabilities), provides MACD continuity (Moves Adds Changes Deletes) into a single platform, and supports internetworking between [Redacted] and the customer.

i. Mimics some of the proprietary requirements of the CPE gear (Cisco, Avaya, Lync, etc.) so adds efficiency to the interop process but also offers a QoS via policy management that would otherwise not exist

1. The customer would look to [REDACTED] to help integrate platforms together i.e. Cisco extension dialing with Lync E.164 number formatting. [new revenue stream]

2. Dial plan management. Managing the dial plan of despaired platforms solving for centralized provisioning of MACDs [new revenue stream]

ii. Allows [Redacted] to bypass the PSTN introducing significant cost reduction to [Redacted] by the enabled avoidance of toll free and DID charges.

As a Lync Server Integration:The BiB allows the customer to leverage all the graceful functionality that attracted them to a Lync solution to begin with by letting Lync perform x where when a PSTN or mixed audio environment is required, the customer’s Lync Server would, via UCMA – gap, instantiate the BiB solution by [whatever the method is]. Reciprocally, the BiB pushes the PSTN or mixed audio environment stream back to Lync via [whatever it is here]. While the solution requires 2 media servers, they are different in function. The Lync Mediation Servers run the MSFT RTP. The [Redacted] Media Server is the entry point for the Lync Server Pools.

The Pros / Cons:

Pros:

1. Controlled and Securea. Fraud control; the solution will block high fraud country codes and numbers preventing

the fraud before it occursi. The SBC would now be filtering all long distance traffic

b. Media is kept within the firewalls of Dellc. Keeping inside the Dell network allows for packet loss, jitter, and latency monitoring

(built inside the virtual SBC)i. This could feed into the new NetScore system and create automated reports to

the customer on performance.2. Growth

a. WebRTC to SIP interworkingb. Allows Dell to explore the ability to introduce your own Class 4 tandem

i. (Means you can control your long distance usage between on net and off net and even between carriers

c. VPN and interworkingi. Allows the Lync network to talk to legacy voice platforms within Dell without

forcing either platform to innovate (i.e. dial plans)ii. There are solutions that would allow simultaneous ring to legacy platform and

Lyncd. Video interworking

i. This platform can interwork at the sip and H.323 level for video within the Dell network… while video will pass through (non-translating) Call Admission Control based on bandwidth will ensure video will not over-subscribe the link and ruin quality (includes FECC)

3. Transcodinga. You can interwork with different audio codecs; i.e. G.711 and G.729a or b

i. Within G.711 (relevant for MNCs) G.711 has 2 versions and this solution will transcode to the A law and mu law versions

ii. webRTC Opus to wireless or wireless audio codecs4. No Trusted application server involvement5. Leverages existing Lync call flow6. [Redacted]’s Long Distance rates are better than 90% of the enterprises out there so if you put

us in as your long distance provider, you would see an immediate 20% reduction just on US domestic – international savings would be even greater [new revenue stream]

Cons:

1. Moving away from traditional conferencing product set2. Taxation, billing, operations, provisioning3. Forces expedition of the integration of the support from [NAME OF COMPANY YOU BOUGHT]

As a Cisco Platform Integration:I’d need to explain how BiB would / could connect in such a scenario:

As a Platform Interop Capability Model:I’d need to explain how BiB would / could allow for the following use case

Lastly, as an enhancement to Acano:How does the combined solution work? What will Sonus do and what will Acano do?

The SBC will, in essence, provide all the edge security and encryption functionality to protect the network against DoS/DDoS attacks. The Sonus SBC will apply ACLs, Policers, encryption and scalability by front- ending all ‐the voice, video and IM&P sessions. Sonus will also provide the Firewall NAT traversal functionality via ICE/STUN for video and voice users outside of the private network. Because of the Sonus platform architecture and scalability, our SBCs make the entire solution more cost effective – you can support more sessions while using fewer servers.

Acano in this deployment handles all the UC video and IM&P session traffic coming from the Sonus SBCs. The Acano platform will perform all the UC video and IM&P interworking and transcoding needed on those sessions as well as collaboration Interworking (desktop sharing).

• Video Interworking- Signaling and Media interworking (SIP to 323 Video calls)- Content Sharing and FECC Interworking (BFCP to H239)

• Firewall NAT traversal• BW and CAC policy admission• Authentication, Security and encryption• Protect multimedia/UC services from DOS attack and overload• High Availability• Assured Performance and Scale• FIPS and JITC Certification

The Sonus solution

However, there is a real requirement for video transcoding services, Lync video interworking and broader Instant Messaging and Presence (IM&P) for full Unified Communication (UC) services in our customer base. When this broader set of UC functionality is required Sonus recommends and has partnered with Acano. Acano is solely focused on bringing together previously incompatible audio, video and web technologies into virtual meeting rooms.

The Acano partnership provides a compelling solution in the UC and video communication interoperability markets:• Full UC Conferencing capacity- voice, video, IM&P, and collaboration

• Skype for Business interoperability with known video-‐conferencing/ telepresence assets

• Full UC Content Sharing and FECC interworking- BFCP-‐to-‐ H239- to-‐ RDP*-‐ to-‐ WebRTC‐

• Seamless Lync/ S4B invite work-‐flow• Video transcoding• Geo- distributed‐ conferencing platform• FIPS and JITC Certification

* RDP=Remote desktop Protocol that MS Lync uses

Lastly, it is important to note that there are benefits to having this solution on the customers’ premise, that deployment model is certainly not required. The BiB solution can sit inside [Redacted] as a managed service.