Session Border Controllers are devices or appliances used in VoIP networks that govern many functions, such as initiation and termination of communication sessions (e.g. a call), event prioritization, transcoding for simultaneous sessions, and also perform security functions.
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A Session Border Controller (SBC) is a device used to regulate and protect IP communications flows. They are typically deployed at both the network edge and at carrier interconnects, or the border between their users and other service providers.
An SBC’s main function is to manipulate IP communications signaling and media streams. It secures the main SIP network and application servers, and providers client/server interworking as it acts as a back-to-back user agent.
Functionalities include:
Security- protection against Denial of Service (DoS) and Distributed DoS (DDoS) attacks, media and signaling encryption, protection against service theft and toll fraud.
Session routing- routes sessions across network interfaces. This ensures the least cost routing.
Protocol interworking- interconnection between various different protocols and codecs, like SIP to H.323 – or g.711 to g.729.
Multivendor interoperability- regulate multivendor incompatibilities by standardizing messages and signaling stream headers.
Quality of Service (QoS)- implement call admission (or denial) policies, Type of Service (ToS) marking, or rate-limiting for service quality assurance.
Performance under real-world network traffic loads- SBCs are expected to perform under real-world network traffic loads however consider your enterprise and the mix of traffic it receives daily. Best way to check is to deploy it in a live environment that mimics your enterprise’s traffic to see how well it handles the network load.
Security- SBCs come with a variety of security protocols but many vendors offer them in variants. Check what is being offered to ensure it suits your business needs.
Other businesses using VoIP Phone Systems- This can be especially helpful to startups and smaller business models needing to decide how relevant this is for the business. Look at the types of business using SBCs and how they are being implemented.
Some SBCs are priced at anywhere from $300 to as much as $55,000. For accurate pricing, the rule of thumb is to contact the vendor to receive a direct quote for services you would like rendered. As mentioned above, there are some features or functions that come standard, like security, but the specificities may vary, eg: the features present for Fraud Detection and Monitoring.
