Transcript What is SIP?

SIP & How It Relates To YOUR Business
Jeff S. Olson
Director of Marco Carrier Services
952-738-7005
[email protected]
David Bailey-Aldrich
Technology Advisor - Carrier Services
952-738-7018
[email protected]
Agenda
 Welcome
 What is SIP?
 History of SIP
 Why Consider SIP?
 Considerations
 Where do I go from here?
 Q&A
What is SIP?
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Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a
communications protocol for
signaling and controlling multimedia
communication sessions.
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Applications of SIP:
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Voice
Video Calls
Instant Messaging
SIP must work in conjunction with
other application layer protocols
History of SIP

Initially only the traditional switch-based telephone system (PSTN) was the
main medium for voice traffic
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The advent of the Internet created the need to create a system to connect
over an IP-based network – VoIP
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Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) set standards in 1999
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There are multiple VoIP protocols in use today:
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H.323 – developed by International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and IETF
MGCP (Megaco) – developed by Cisco as an alternative to H.323
SIP – developed by 3Com as an alternative to H.323
Why Consider SIP?
 Potential to scale total voice trunks across a multi-site organization
 Scalable to meet actual voice trunk needs (single site or multi-site)
 Perceived cost savings - “Free long distance?” – “Overall reduced trunking?”
 Flexible deployment options – delivered over public and private network topologies
 Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity applications
Considerations
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Connectivity
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Security
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Session Border Controller
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911 Emergency Call Handling
Connectivity – Public/Internet
 Best Efforts
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Cable or DSL service
Shared infrastructure on the carrier network
No performance guarantees
Low-cost option
 Dedicated
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Delivered over copper or fiber physical connections
Will include Service Level Agreement requirements or network availability
Cost dependent upon local access
Very limited availability of Quality of Service (QoS)
Connectivity – Private WAN
 Switched Ethernet
 Layer 2 (switched) connection to customer site
 Customer responsible for providing routers and controlling Quality of Service (QoS)
 MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switched)
 Layer 3 (routed) connection to customer site
 Customer may provide and manage routers, or elect for the carrier to provide for an
additional monthly fee
 QoS controlled in routers (customer and carrier provided)
Security
 Internet Security
 Less secure than landlines - subject to hackers/cybercriminals
 No encryption – easily stolen
 Phone Set Patches
 VoIP-based phone handsets need to be updated with security patches to ensure they are protected
 Network Security
 Proper network security is required – gateway security, firewall configuration, patching procedures,
periodic syslog review and wireless security
 Denial of Service (DoS)
 Successful DoS will shut down company’s Internet system – loss of telephone service
 Spam over IP Telephony (SPIT)
 SPIT slows down employees’ productivity – phones ring with unsolicited messages
 DoS attacks and unauthorized use of resources - bandwidth
Session Border Controller
 A session border controller (SBC) is a dedicated hardware device or software
application that governs the manner in which phone calls are initiated, conducted
and terminated on a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.
 Acts as a router between the enterprise and carrier service
 Defines and monitors the quality of service status for all sessions
 Serves as a firewall for session traffic, applying its own QoS rules and identifying specific
incoming threats
911 Emergency Call Handling
 SIP and other VoIP service offerings are not regulated similar to traditional (PSTN)
voice services such as analog lines, or ISDN PRI circuits
 911 emergency call resolution is not handled in the same way
 If not addressed properly, 911 calls may end up sending emergency personnel to
the wrong location
Carrier SIP Offerings Differ
CenturyLink has three (3) SIP trunks types to choose from:
• Basic
• Standard
• Enterprise
Level3 has two (2) SIP trunk types to choose from:
• Basic
• Enhanced
AT&T SIP Product Requires choice of calling plans
• Plan A = Long Distance only (local calling not included)
• Plan B = Unlimited Local calling, with Long Distance access available and paid per minute
• Plan C = Same as Plan B, but includes some outbound domestic LD minutes based on quantity of
trunks across the organization
What codecs are supported? Examples include: G.711, G.729 (compressed), and T-38.
Where do I go from here?
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Establish and define business goals
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There is no “one size fits all”
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Not all carrier SIP offerings are the same
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Upper level executive management and
sponsorship for the project is critical
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Plan for bumps in the road
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Ensure long-term carrier support after
installation
Q&A