Session Border Controllers for Dummies
Discover why you need a session border controller in your network.
Service Provider Core Network
Ribbon's family of next-generation session border controllers (SBCs) provide robust security, simplified interoperability, advanced session management, and carrier-grade reliability for fixed, mobile, cable, and wholesale service providers. Ribbon's SBCs offer powerful deployment flexibility that meets or exceeds the demanding levels of security and service quality for applications such as SIP trunking (including Microsoft Teams Direct Routing), Unified Communications, Network-Network Interconnection, VoLTE, VoWiFi, and RCS. Ribbon SBCs deliver network security, routing and policy management, overload controls, SIP normalization along with IPv4-IPv6 interworking, and robust media transcoding. They also deliver support for STIR (Secure Telephone Identity Revisited) and SHAKEN (Signature-based Handling of Asserted information using toKENs) standards for caller authentication.
Public and Virtualized Software
Deploying unified communications, conferencing, collaboration or contact centers applications on a public cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure) is becoming commonplace. Until recently, many of the SBCs available in the public cloud didn’t deliver the security, scalability, reliability or functionality required to deliver carrier-grade services. Ribbon’s virtual, cloud-native SBC Software Edition (SWe) can meet security and interworking needs today and in the future.
Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)
Many service providers are seeking to deploy NFV in their private cloud environments. Ribbon virtual network functions (VNFs) are designed as cloud-native microservices that ensure automation, orchestration, elasticity and scalability in geo-distributed, multi-cloud, core and edge topologies. Ribbon’s SBC SWe is part of a suite of OpenStack-based VNFs developed to align with both ETSI and ONAP. Best of all, the SBC SWe shares its software code base with the SBC 5000 and 7000 portfolios, making it is one of the most trusted security solutions on the planet.
SBC SWe
STIR/SHAKEN and Identity Assurance
Turnkey Hardware Platforms
Microsoft Teams Direct Routing
Teams is the fastest growing business application in the Microsoft’s history. Service providers can tap into this success by being the provider of choice for connecting SIP trunks to the Microsoft Phone System through Direct Routing.
Securing and ensuring interoperability for SIP trunking, Ribbon’s core SBCs deliver multi-tenancy, scalability and high-availability that is required to provide cost-effective connectivity to Microsoft Teams customers, including the direct connections between a service provider’s network and Microsoft Azure.
Ribbon’s extensive portfolio of Microsoft-certified session border controllers, coupled with decades of experience building session border controllers for SIP trunking, make Ribbon the right solution for service providers to deliver market-leading Direct Routing services to new and existing business customers.
Microsoft Operator Connect
Microsoft Operator Connect is next generation cloud-to-cloud interconnect solution that tightens the integration between service providers and Microsoft Teams. Designed to simplify the Teams customer experience, service providers can combine their SIP Trunking services with Microsoft 365 workflow APIs to make it easy for enterprise to acquire and deploy PSTN calling services for Teams. Enterprises can configure users for Teams calling and at the same time buy and assign DIDs/DDIs from their preferred service provider.
Ribbon SBCs are fully compatible with Operator Connect and Ribbon is working with Microsoft and many of the service providers rolling out this new service.
- Service providers connecting to the Microsoft 365 cloud using their peering SBCs
- Operator Connect providing integration tools (APIs) to automate the interaction between service provider and Microsoft, enabling carriers to sell and deploy SIP trunks (DIDs/DDIs) from inside of the Microsoft 365 portal
Microsoft Certified Core SBCs
Managing Service Provider SBCs
Ribbon’s portfolio of service provider core and edge SBCs are managed from a centralized Ribbon Application Management Platform offering a complete Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security solution. Delivering intuitive, reliable, scalable and automated management, a service provider can quickly configure systems, identify and remediate issues, deliver improved customer experience, and do so at reduced operational costs.
Ribbon Application Management Platform manages service provider SBCs deployed across physical, virtual, and cloud environments and edge SBCs in virtual or cloud environments. The platform itself is designed using cloud native principles and can be deployed in multiple data center and public or private cloud environments in standalone or high availability configurations, including options for geographic redundancy.
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Microsoft Teams & Direct Routing
Many organizations are already using Teams for video conferencing, collaboration, file sharing and chat. Microsoft Phone System Direct Routing allows organizations to connect to external phone lines and use Teams as an office phone system. Direct Routing requires a Microsoft certified Session Border Controller (SBC) to connect Teams to a communications service provider.
As a long-time partner of Microsoft, Ribbon’s Intelligent Edge SBCs are certified to secure these connections and assure interoperability so organizations can select from hundreds of service providers across the globe. Each service provider has multiple options to provide the required SBC, including both software and hardware solutions that can be on the customer’s premises or in private or public cloud.
Microsoft Certified Edge SBCs
| SBC Product Line | Microsoft Certified | Edgeview Management | Maximum Scale | Fit | Hardware | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SBC SWe Edge | ● | ● | 1,000 Sessions | Enterprise or Small Business | Virtualized & Public Cloud | Available in Azure Marketplace |
| SBC 1000 | ● | 192 Sessions | Enterprise or Small Business | Turnkey Hardware | FXO/FXS Ports | |
| SBC 2000 | ● | 600 Sessions | Enterprise or Small Business | Turnkey Hardware | T1/E1 & FXS Ports | |
| Edgemarc 2900 | ● | ● | 300 Sessions | Enterprise or Small Business | Turnkey Hardware | FXS & PoE Options |
| Edgemarc 4000 | ● | ● | 500 Sessions | Enterprise or Small Business | Turnkey Hardware | T1/E1 & FXS Ports |
| Edgemarc 6000 | ● | ● | 500 Sessions | Enterprise or Small Business | Turnkey Hardware | LTE WAN Option T1/E1 & FXS Ports |
| Edgemarc 7000 | ● | ● | 2,000 Sessions | Enterprise or Small Business | Turnkey Hardware | 7400 Includes Dual Hot Swappable PSU |
