Voice Communications: Moving from Appliance to Software

1. Voice Communications: Moving from Appliance to Software Serge Forest – CEO Paraxip, a Sangoma Company

2. Agenda • Changes in Voice Communication Systems • Business Considerations • Technical Implications • Conclusion • Q&A

3. Software-Based Appliance A Bit of History -CPE Voice Systems • Tel Appliance • Custom built hw • Vertically Integrated • Proprietary • Few Large Vendors • High costs • CT Solution • Off-the-shelf hw • Vertically Integrated • Proprietary APIs • Many Vendors • Lower costs • Software • Off-the-shelf hw • Horizontal model • Standard i/f • Many Vendors • Very low costs ‘90 ‘95 ‘00 ‘05 ‘10

4. Software-Based Appliances • Key Drivers for software model: • Maturity of standards: SIP, VoiceXML, etc. • Availability of Open Source • Host Processing Technology • Why appliances? Have we gone full circle? • Support and deployment model • Interop complexity • Management

5. Agenda • Changes in Voice Communication Systems • Business Implications • Technical Impacts • Conclusion

6. Who owns the integration issues? • Interop is all good, but who’s in charge? • Exponential complexity problem • Benefit from vendor availability, but limit problems by vendor selection • Is your channel prepared for plug and play? • Keys to success: • Streamlined support • Integrated Management

7. Build vs Buy – Where is the Value? • What components should your organization build? • Focus on your value: • Services/Support? • Hardware delivery? • Application? • Management? • Let standards-based components do the rest

8. SIP Based • Applications • IVRs • Conferencing • IPBX • Etc. External Gateways LAN Router/Switch Public Telephone Network VoIP Analog lines (FXO) Digital (T1/E1, ISDN) VoIP Ethernet Port Ethernet Cables PSTN Port LAN Port External VoIP Gateway App. Server

9. Internal Gateways • SIP Based • Applications • IVRs • Conferencing • IPBX • Etc. Public Telephone Network Analog lines (FXO) Digital (T1/E1, ISDN) PSTN Port

10. CPE Gateway Selection

11. External vs Internal Gateway • External Gateways are ideal for: • Product development/lab work • Large port counts (>500) at a single site • Horizontal model • Internal Gateways are ideal for: • Low-COGS premise systems • Tight control on product, deployment, support • Scaling production • Software-based appliances

12. What about costs? • Have you considered everything? • Material • License / royalties • Production • On-site - bringing in service • Support and troubleshooting • R&D (including interop testing, Maintenance)

13. Agenda • Changes in Voice Communication Systems • Business Implications • Technical Impacts • Conclusion

14. Host-Based Signal Processing • Software approach leads to faster innovation cycle • Host processor power growing rapidly • Many vendors offering host processing libraries • New algorithms available in many categories • CPA • ASR • TTS

15. Selecting Components • Important considerations: • Modular building blocks • Multiple integration models • Standards-compliant • Ability to integrate management • Optimized for software • Vendor’s support through cycle • Is it too late to change? • Beauty of standards is you can change with minimal disruption

16. Management • Key is integration: • Unified reporting • Pre-configuration • Common User Interface • Methods: • Web Server • Proactive notification on alarms • Programmable interface – Web Services

17. APIs and Protocols • Telephony connectivity: SIP RFC 3261 • IVR: VoiceXML, CCXML • Speech: MRCP • Management: Web Services

18. Conclusion • Premise-based voice communications have moved to software solutions, packaged within an appliance • Shift has both business and technical implications: • Focus on customer’s TCO • Integrated delivery, management and support is key • Select standards-based components to complement your core • Leverage innovations from software running on host

19. Questions? • See us at booth #703