Any SIP trunking provider will agree the SIP trunk business is only growing, with 2011 holding at least as much promise as the past few.  What it means is that, while many businesses have already migrated to IP communications systems, the rate at which others are making the switch is increasing.  Certainly, the cost benefits are a key driver but, undoubtedly, Microsoft’s (News - Alert) second run at a Unified Communication platform is also a positive force in the market.

For SIP trunking providers, while the growth of their businesses is welcome, they are faced with the challenge of ensuring burden of ensuring interoperability between their SIP-based services and enterprise platforms.  Despite the growing use of the SIP standard, the fact remains that different vendors add their own proprietary elements to their products, creating a variety of different flavors of SIP, which then require mediation in order to function properly.

“We are dealing with an education issue,” explains AudioCodes’ (News - Alert) director of business development Alan Percy.  “Owners of SIP-based applications often incorrectly believe they can plug two SIP-based products into each other and expect them to work perfectly.  Rather, they need to me converted back and forth between each other.”

In an effort to help its customers negotiate SIP interoperability, SIP trunking provider Broadvox (News - Alert) – which is currently hosting its annual partner summit in Dallas (look for plenty of coverage from Rich Tehrani, who is on-site at the event) – has partnered with AudioCodes to ensure compatibility of its services with Microsoft Lync of OCS deployments.

“Enterprise SBCs (E-SBCs) help interoperability with any number of IP applications, because AudioCodes has already done the work,” notes David Byrd (News - Alert), vice president of marketing and sales at Broadvox.  “The buyer doesn’t have to be worried about interoperability between those apps and the SIP service provider.”

In addition to providing the interoperability between enterprise apps and SIP trunks, E-SBCs also offer a much needed security element.  Security is a critical piece of any IP infrastructure but, despite claiming to understand the need for proper security, many businesses fail to properly implement them.  With an enterprise SBC, they get security features along with the interop they need to make their platforms work properly.

While it does represent another investment for the enterprise, both Percy and Byrd agree the E-SBC is a necessary part of the deployment process as they migrate from TDM to IP-based communications platforms.  For enterprises with MS Lync or OCS deployments, the AudioCodes Mediant 1000 E-SBC enables that migration.

The Mediant 1000 can simultaneously connect the Microsoft Lync 2010 server, Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 or Microsoft Exchange Server 2007/2010 into existing TDM PBXs, IP PBXs or PSTN services, as well as into SIP Trunking services. It can also be configured as a standalone gateway in various configurations, as a hybrid gateway, or  as a survivable branch appliance,  integrating Microsoft software.

“We are helping enterprises understand it would be wise to budget money for an E-SBC to front-end their business and provide them not only interoperability, but flexibility, survivability, and security as well,” says Percy.