Transcript EI-4 - TMCnet

Hosted iPBX / IP Centrex
Huw Rees
8x8, Inc.
[email protected]
New Telecommunications
Landscape
Rapid adoption of broadband connections
and IP technology are being made
• Broadband and IP can be used to provide IP
Centrex / Hosted PBX services
• PBX becomes a piece of software embedded
in the Network
New Service Provider Models
• Enables new service provider models. Adding
voice to data and data to voice.
• No PBX hardware investment for the enterprise –
voice control (hardware and software) resides at
Service Provider’s premise
– Cost savings
– No hassles for small companies
– Single bill for phone and Internet
Hosted iPBX vs IP Centrex
• Is there a difference?
– Maybe, but somewhat semantics
– IP Centrex is a common set of services usually
without much in the way of customization
– Hosted iPBX offers a “virtual PBX” with
customized services unique to each end
enterprise customer.
Targeted Enterprise Customers
Potentially, virtually any type of enterprise
SMEs (10 -200 extensions)
Larger enterprises with multiple sites
Multi-tenant buildings
Branch Offices
High value proposition for distributed
enterprise customers
Vertical Markets – Hotels, Healthcare, Professional
Services, etc.
Typical Solution
Unified Corporate Network
Hosted iPBX or IP Centrex also creates ability for larger
enterprises to consolidate multiple separate office data and
telephone networks into a single unified corporate network
Market Requirements
• Carrier grade reliability/availability
• Provides features that significantly surpass
current Centrex
• Integrated applications environment that
allows for the development of user defined
custom features (is this really true)?
• QOS
Reliability/Availability
• Operating environment
– Most Service providers seem to prefer Solaris
or (moving to) Linux. Windows is generally not
accepted (always exceptions)
– Scalability - must scale to thousands of
companies
– Reliability - everybody wants five “9s”, but do
they really need this?
Typical Feature Set
 Voice Mail
 Auto Attendant
 3-way Conferencing and conference bridge (n-way
conferencing)
 Call Forwarding (Find Me, Follow Me)
 Do Not Disturb
 Call Waiting
 Caller ID
 Call Waiting Caller ID
 Call Transfer (1 step, 2 step: announcement), Call Hold
 Hunt Groups, ring groups
 Fax Support
 Plus new CTI features such as remote receptionist and (web
based) user control, including Microsoft Outlook integration
QOS
• If there is a point to point IP connection,
QOS can be implemented
• If the service is entirely over the Internet,
QOS is really a “best effort”
– Use compressed codecs (poor man’s QOS)
– Compensate at the end point with packet loss
concealment and adaptive jitter buffers
– Compensate with a better business value?
Benefits over traditional PBX
For Service Providers
For End Users
 Additional and recurring
revenues with new service
offering
 Retain customers as
company grows
 Minimal capital
investments
 Improved margins
 Single broadband
connection for voice
and data eliminates
costs of PSTN link
 Low capital investment
 Service scales with the
company
 Highly customizable
 Moves, adds & changes
quick, easy and
inexpensive
CPE
Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) Support:
Many excellent IP phones now available
Media Gateways (useful for fax)
Soft Clients
Protocols
• SIP is king, but for a virtual PBX maybe a
master slave protocol is more suitable
(MGCP, SCCP)
• Does the end user care - no.
• Does the service provider care - maybe
• Answer - support multiple protocols?
Service Architecture Overview
SoftSwitch
(LINUX servers, JVM 1.4)
Front end
(Windows 2000, SQL)
Store front
API (XML)
LDAP Database
Web Services
Media Switch
SIP proxy
Hosted iPBX
IP Centrex
Feature
Server
Billing
Support
Customer Admin
System Management
SIP and MGCP
Endpoints
PSTN gateway
Feature Server Architecture
Tcl Service
Customization
VM
AA
IVR
External Applications
(billing, email, …)
CTI Applications
Web
Browser
OAM&P
Applications
iPBX Server Software
SLEE
Phonelets
XML,
LDAP,
SNMP
Servlets
JTAPI
JTAPI for OA&M
Core iPBX
Configuration
Manager
TNM
LDAP
Device Manager
RTPMS API
Media Server
MGCP
SCCP
(Skinny)
IP Phones, SIP Phones & Media Hubs
SIP
Gateway
/Softswitch
H.323
H.323, GW,
GKs
Applications
Servers
(VM,UM,…)
Administration
• Any solution needs to include at least 3
tiered administration functions
– Service provider interface (allows complete
control over all virtual iPBXs or Centrex groups)
– Business owner interface - allows control of a
virtual group- can set global preferences of
users and dynamic MAC
– End User interface - allows self provisioning and
local preferences
Enhanced Services
• IP Centrex / Hosted iPBX can offer new
services like TV quality video calls
– Broadband videophones with 30fps, full motion
video
– Need 256Kbps+ to look “good”
– Has to be plug and play
– Too expensive today?
Keys to success
– How to deploy in volume
– Needs to meet previous market requirements
plus
• plug and play installation.
• Dial tone in seconds.
• Firewall/NAT traversal.
– Need distribution channel
– Also, don’t forget 911