Acme Packet defines role for session border controller
in a Microsoft® Office Communications Server architecture
Acme Packet Net-Net session border controller provides critical security, broad IP PBX interoperability, SIP trunking support and enhanced scalability; reduces total cost of ownership
VOICECON 2008, ORLANDO, Fla., MARCH 17, 2008 — Acme Packet® (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, today announced a complementary role of its Net-Net® session border controller (SBC) in delivering trusted, first-class unified communications (UC) within Microsoft® Office Communications Server architecture. Acme Packet’s Net-Net SBC satisfies critical enterprise requirements in the areas of comprehensive Office Communications Server infrastructure and IP PBX security, IP PBX integration, SIP trunking and overall solution scalability that complement Microsoft’s architecture and reduce overall total cost of ownership.
Microsoft Office Communications Server combines or unifies all enterprise communications including presence-enabled voice, video, instant messaging, conferencing and collaboration such as white-boarding and application sharing. The protocol used for client/server communication in Office Communications Server is based on the IETF’s Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE).
These protocols have emerged as the de-facto standards for both enterprise and service provider interactive communication services and applications. However, many enterprise IP PBXs and service provider IP networks currently use other protocols. In addition, UC is not just another data application on an IP network. New tools are required to deliver the security, quality and scalability required by enterprises.
“Many Microsoft customers and channels are asking us to play a strategic role in their deployment of UC solutions. Just one publicly announced example is Korea’s Hanjin Group, one of the world’s leading transportation conglomerates,” said Seamus Hourihan, vice president of marketing and product management at Acme Packet. “From our production experience in over 140 tier one service provider deployments and many large enterprises, we know how to satisfy the comprehensive security, IP PBX integration, SIP trunking and scalability requirements that Microsoft enterprise customers have.”
Acme Packet Net-Net SBCs protect both the Microsoft Office Communications Server core and IP PBXs from malicious attacks and non-malicious overloads generated from endpoints connected to internal and external networks. Acme Packet’s Net-SAFE® (Session Aware Filtering and Enforcement) capabilities are field-proven in large service provider deployments. Net-SAFE provides comprehensive security functions including SBC DoS/DDoS protection; Microsoft Office Communications Server and IP PBX DoS/DDoS attack and overload prevention; dynamic access control; topology hiding; VPN separation; session privacy; virus, worm and SPIT mitigation; fraud prevention and IDP (Intrusion Detection & Prevention) reporting.
An extensive set of proven IP PBX interoperability features for both SIP and H.323 IP PBXs are supported by Acme Packet’s Net-Net SBCs. The SBCs are interoperable with all popular IP PBXs including those from Asterisk, Avaya, Cisco, Mitel, Nortel, Siemens and others; and with other SIP application servers such as those from BroadSoft, Genesys and Sylantro Systems. Acme Packet’s session routing capabilities can unify dialing plans across multiple, separate IP PBX and Microsoft Office Communications Server deployments.
Acme Packet’s Net-Net SBC supports secure, readily interoperable SIP, H.323 or SIP-H.323 trunking to service provider IP networks for connecting to the PSTN or other VoIP users more cost-effectively. In this border application, they also perform translations for transport protocols, and encryption protocols for signaling and media. Acme Packet’s SBC can also provide vendor-specific protocol fix-up and repair, securely bridge heterogeneous IP address spaces; manipulate telephone numbers, URIs and response codes; and provide transcoding and transrating for a broad range of wireline and wireless codecs. A comprehensive selection of session routing metrics are supported including enhanced LCR, ENUM, QoS and ASR to minimize costs and maximize session quality. Call detail records (CDRs) with actual observed QoS and ASR metrics are also available.
To increase scalability and reduce costs, an Acme Packet Net-Net SBC can also be used to load balance traffic destined for multiple Microsoft Office Communications Server edge servers. In Acme Packet service provider deployments, the Net-Net SBC controls every dimension of a SIP session - SIP signaling, SIP media and web server access. The same architectural role is applicable for Acme Packet’s SBC in enterprise environments. Using an Acme Packet SBC does not diminish service availability, capacity or performance. Acme Packet’s high availability (HA) configuration with checkpointing of signaling, media and configuration state between active and standby SBCs protects against loss of service in the event of system failure. A single Acme Packet SBC can scale from 250 to 32,000 simultaneous SIP media sessions and to 90,000 SIP/TLS signaling sessions via a software license upgrade.
About Acme Packet
Acme Packet, Inc. (NASDAQ: APKT), the leader in session border control solutions, enables the delivery of trusted, first class interactive communications—voice, video and multimedia sessions—and data services across IP network borders. Our Net-Net family of session border controllers and multiservice security gateways supports multiple applications in service provider, large enterprise and contact center networks—from VoIP trunking to hosted enterprise and residential services to fixed-mobile convergence. They satisfy critical security, service assurance and regulatory requirements in wireline, cable and wireless networks; and support multiple signaling protocols—SIP, H.323, MGCP/NCS and H.248—and multiple border points—interconnect, access and data center. Our products have been selected by 500 customers in 85 countries, including 24 of the top 25, and 82 of the top 100 service providers in the world. For more information, contact us at +1 781.328.4400, or visit www.acmepacket.com.
Acme Packet Safe Harbor Statement
Statements contained herein that are not historical fact may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements may relate, among other things, to our position in the session border control market, our expected financial and operating results, our ability to build and grow Acme Packet, the benefits and expected deployments of our product, and our ability to achieve our goals, plans and objectives. Such forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: difficulties in growing our customer base, difficulties leveraging market opportunities, difficulties providing solutions that meet the needs of customers, poor product sales, long sales cycles, difficulty developing new products, difficulty in relationships with vendors and partners, higher risk in international operations, difficulty managing rapid growth, increased competition, and the benefits of our products when used with Microsoft Office Communications Server. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially form those projected or suggested in any forward-looking statements are contained in our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in such filings.
