Sonus Enhances Session Border Controller Portfolio, Extends Technology Leadership

 

Hardware and Software Improvements Expand Enterprise and Service Provider Market Opportunities

 

Key Takeaways:

  • Sonus is introducing two modular form factor session border controllers (SBCs) to the Sonus SBC 5000 Series – the Sonus SBC 5110 and Sonus SBC 5210 Session Border Controllers – allowing customers to field install digital signal processor (DSP) cards at their own pace as their network demands evolve and expand
  • Sonus is strengthening the Sonus SBC 5000 Series with nearly 100 new software enhancements in release 3.1, extending multimedia features for Unified Communications (UC) needs and expanding security and management capabilities
  • Sonus is the first to deliver enhanced Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA) functionality with mobile broadband 3G/4G failover capability within the Sonus SBC 1000 and Sonus SBC 2000 Session Border Controllers to ensure the Microsoft Lync Server operates at a high level of security and quality in branch offices during wide area network (WAN) failures

 

WESTFORD, Mass. – Sonus Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq: SONS), a global leader in SIP communications, today announced significant software and hardware enhancements to its session border controller (SBC) portfolio, further enabling service providers and enterprises to simplify network design, reduce costs and effectively deploy advanced communications features to support their Unified Communications (UC) environments. New SBC portfolio offerings – including a new modular platform design, increased support for media services and wireless branch office survivability for Microsoft Lync – extend Sonus’ technology leadership in the SBC market.

Sonus’ SBC portfolio serves as a foundational access technology to enable secure access to SIP trunking and unify disparate UC architectures across an enterprise. SIP trunking and the move to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) can generally reduce traditional enterprise telecom bills by up to 50 percent. The Sonus portfolio provides the industry’s only end-to-end SBC solution portfolio delivering SIP-enabled applications from the service provider to enterprise headquarters to the branch office. 

 

Platform Modularity Simplifies SBC Deployments

As part of its ongoing commitment to customer deployment flexibility, Sonus is introducing two new modular platforms – the SBC 5110 and SBC 5210 Session Border Controllers – to its award-winning service provider and enterprise portfolio. The platforms are built on the same proven hardware architecture and software as the SBC 5100 and SBC 5200 Session Border Controllers. As part of the product evolution, the SBC 5110 and SBC 5210 adopt a modular design that allows customers to install up to four digital signal processor (DSP) cards and is field upgradeable as network demands change.

To go with the new modular platforms, Sonus is also delivering new DSP cards: the DSP20 and DSP25. These new cards, together with the new platforms, provide a substantial increase in DSP system capacity, giving customers greater support for border-based media control and services.

The Sonus SBC 5110 and SBC 5210 – as well as the DSP20 and DSP25 cards – are available for immediate order and feature a new version of software which is consistent across the complete Sonus SBC 5000 Series.

The new release 3.1 software delivers nearly 100 feature enhancements across the entire SBC 5000 Series, including:

  • Comprehensive media interworking; call recording for contact center, regulatory compliance, and security applications; expanded transcoding support for G722.1 for Polycom high definition voice; and DTMF and fax enhancements
  • Bandwidth-based call admission control (CAC) to assure voice quality and simplify management
  • Support for Proxy Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) to enable the SBC 5000 Series to act as an access device bridging endpoints into the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core
  • Increased security and management capabilities, such as improved call detail record capabilities (CDR) and expanded alarms and notifications

 

Superior Microsoft Lync Survivability for Branch Offices

The Sonus SBC 1000 and SBC 2000 Session Border Controllers are purpose-built for the unique requirements of Microsoft Lync deployments. Sonus is now the first in the industry to deliver enhanced Survivable Branch Appliance (SBA) functionality with 3G/4G failover capability to ensure that the Microsoft Lync Server will operate at a high level of security and quality in branch office locations in the event of a wide area network (WAN) outage.

Sonus’ enhanced SBA functionality invokes a wireless mobile broadband 3G or 4G connection to keep the Lync signaling and data layers operational so that Lync features such as presence, address book and Web conferencing are available in the event of a WAN outage. A January 2013 Webtorials study “Enterprises Place 2013 Unified Communications Bets: How Many Horses in This Race?” reported a full 58 percent of those surveyed plan to deploy Microsoft Lync for instant messaging (IM) and presence.

This SBA functionality with 3G/4G failover capability enables enterprises to go beyond traditional SBA functionality that supports basic voice service over a traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN), so companies can maintain UC level business continuity during periods of service disruption.

The enhanced SBA functionality is available for immediate order on the SBC 1000 and SBC 2000 as part of software release 3.1. Additional software enhancements enabled by this release include:

  • Improved fax interworking; G.711 to T.38 transcoding for transmitting fax over SIP trunks and support for fallback to voice from T.38 fax
  • Support for Reason Header to improve user experience so that call notifications on Lync are not missed when a call is answered on another device

 

Quotes:

“Today's SIP-based networks are being asked to carry many types of traffic, including voice, video and multimedia over many different technology manufacturers' products,” said Michael Knobel, president and chief operating officer, Nobel, Ltd. “By introducing modularity to the SBC 5000 Series, Sonus delivers industry-leading SBC features in a form that propels enterprise and service provider networks to perform efficiently so businesses like Nobel can communicate smarter, faster and more collaboratively than ever before.”

“Microsoft Lync is one of the most pervasive enterprise communications technologies to impact the IT industry in recent years. In fact, there are more than five million Lync voice seats deployed today,” said Giovanni Mezgec, general manager, Lync Product Marketing, Microsoft. “As a Microsoft Gold Communications Partner, Sonus understands the unique interoperability, security and scalability requirements for successful adoption of Lync into new and existing voice and PBX environments. We applaud Sonus’ commitment to supporting Lync interoperability across its SBC portfolio as well as for delivering the industry’s first Survivable Branch Appliance functionality with 3G/4G failover capability for Lync Enterprise Voice environments, ensuring that enterprises can maintain branch office operations if there is a service disruption.”

“The potential of SIP trunking to save costs and grant access to more services and capabilities within the enterprise continues to drive demand for SBCs. Vendors like Sonus play an important role as advanced Unified Communications applications create a need for higher-capacity signaling and greater network security beyond the enterprise,” said Diane Myers, principal analyst, VoIP, UC and IMS, Infonetics Research. “SBCs identify and manage the ‘border of trust’ between networks; it is a critical function as the proliferation of SIP trunking expands.”

“Eighteen months ago, we set out to offer customers the most complete portfolio of session border controllers, and the market has responded by firmly establishing Sonus as the fastest growing brand of SBCs,” said David Tipping, vice president and general manager, SBC Business Unit, Sonus. “Today’s announcement represents the culmination of technology innovation and industry experience to help companies deploy advanced Unified Communications tools, such as Lync, in a more robust and secure manner from the main office to the branch office.”

 

Other Facts:

  • Sonus is the fastest growing brand of session border controllers, growing five times faster than the industry average of SBC service provider vendors (source: Infonetics Research)
  • Sonus has the broadest portfolio of Microsoft Lync qualified SBCs, and Sonus solutions have been performance verified by Miercom Labs
  • Sonus is positioned in the Leaders quadrant of the Magic Quadrant for Session Border Controllers, published October 9, 2012 by Gartner, Inc.

 

Additional Resources:

 

Tags:

Sonus, SONS, Microsoft, Microsoft Lync, Webtorials, Unified Communications, UC, SIP, SIP trunking, cost savings, security, employee productivity, interoperability, study, trends, session border controller, Survivable Branch Appliance, SBA, SBC

 

About Sonus:

Sonus Networks, Inc. is a leader in IP networking with proven expertise in delivering secure, reliable and scalable next-generation infrastructure and subscriber solutions. With customers in over 50 countries across the globe and over a decade of experience in transforming networks to IP, Sonus has enabled service providers and enterprises to capture and retain users and generate significant ROI. Sonus products include session border controllers, policy/routing servers, subscriber feature servers and media and signaling gateways. Sonus products are supported by a global services team with experience in design, deployment and maintenance of some of the world's largest and most complex IP networks. For more information, visit www.sonus.net.

 

Important Information Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

The information in this release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Although Sonus believes that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this report are forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Sonus' business, please refer to the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" sections of Sonus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements represent Sonus' views only as of the date on which such statement is made, and should not be relied upon as representing Sonus' views as of any subsequent date. While Sonus may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point, Sonus specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law.

For Sonus Networks:
Wendy Tullo, +1 972-301-4978
wtullo@sonusnet.com

Lois Paul & Partners:
Anastasia Efstratios, +1 617-986-5873
anastasia_efstratios@lpp.com

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