Ruchir Brahmbhatt is Co-Founder and CTO of Ecosmob.
The migration of applications and data to the cloud has accelerated dramatically, with many organizations adopting a multi-cloud strategy to utilize the best attributes of different cloud providers. This approach offers increased flexibility, scalability and resilience. However, it also introduces significant complexities, particularly when it comes to unified communications (UC).
In a multi-cloud environment, UC traffic traverses multiple networks, cloud platforms and on-premises infrastructures. These interconnections present numerous challenges. As businesses shift to cloud-based unified communications, managing these systems across multi-cloud environments introduces significant security and optimization challenges.
Session border controllers (SBCs) are pivotal in addressing these issues.
Security: The Critical Role Of SBCs
Securing unified communications in a multi-cloud environment involves more than basic firewalls and encryption. Advanced threats require sophisticated defenses, and SBCs have evolved to meet these needs.
AI-Driven Threat Detection
Traditional threat detection methods are often reactive. SBCs equipped with AI offer a more proactive approach. They analyze large amounts of real-time traffic data to identify and neutralize cyber threats like toll fraud, DoS attacks and eavesdropping.
From what I’ve seen, toll fraud can be particularly challenging, but AI-driven SBCs have significantly reduced risks by identifying anomalies in call patterns and blocking suspicious activities.
Quantum-Resistant Encryption
Quantum computing is revolutionary but poses a significant threat to current encryption methods. Traditional encryption relies on complex mathematical problems that classical computers find difficult to solve. However, quantum computers can solve these problems significantly faster, potentially breaking encryption standards.
To counter this, SBCs are now integrating quantum-resistant encryption algorithms. These algorithms, built to withstand the computational power of quantum computers, ensure long-term security for industries handling sensitive data. NIST has even selected several quantum-resistant algorithms that are expected to become the new standard.
Multifactor Authentication (MFA) And Biometric Verification
As passwords no longer suffice to secure critical systems, SBCs enhance protection with MFA and biometric verification.
MFA requires users to have two or more verification factors—something they know (like a password) and something they have (like a smartphone and a unique fingerprint).
In our deployments, combining MFA with identity management systems has prevented unauthorized access, particularly in remote work scenarios, significantly reducing security incidents.
Optimization: Enhancing UC Deployments
UC optimization involves more than just improving performance; it ensures seamless interoperability and resource management across multiple cloud environments.
AI-Powered Traffic Management
AI-driven SBCs can predict network congestion dynamically by analyzing historical data, real-time conditions and route traffic.
In some multi-cloud deployments, they can reduce latency by rerouting traffic to less congested routes or different cloud providers. This keeps communications clear and uninterrupted, even during peak usage.
Protocol And Codec Interoperability
Different UC systems often use different protocols and codecs, resulting in interoperability issues in a multi-cloud environment. SBCs address this by translating protocols and codecs in real time.
I’ve seen the biggest challenges arise when integrating different UC platforms (Teams, Webex, Zoom), where each may have different protocols (like SIP, H.323) and codecs (e.g., G.711, G.729, Opus). SBCs facilitate this, ensuring smooth communication, especially when translating WebRTC signaling into SIP.
Geo-Redundant Failover Capabilities
Business continuity is a top priority for every organization, and SBCs help achieve this. They can automatically reroute traffic to alternate data centers in different geographical locations in case of a failure. This ensures that communication services remain uninterrupted, providing resilience against regional outages and operational integrity.
How To Get Started With SBCs
Here’s a quick look at the most important steps to get you started:
• Identify traffic bottlenecks, security weak spots and where you’ll most benefit from an SBC integration. This helps plan for maximum efficiency.
• Pick the right type. For heavily cloud-based UC setups, go for cloud-native SBCs that can scale. For hybrid environments, hybrid SBCs should be considered for managing both on-premise and cloud traffic.
• Prioritize security configurations. Enable SRTP and TLS for encrypted communication and use certificate-based authentication to secure signaling traffic.
• Choose SBCs that grow with you. Use horizontal scaling (additional SBCs are deployed as traffic increases) or auto-scaling features (in cloud-based SBCs to adjust capacity dynamically).
• Continuous monitoring is key. Use AI network monitoring tools to assess traffic, optimize routes and predict congestion continuously.
Potential Shortcomings Of SBCs
SBCs are powerful, but they can come with challenges for which you must be prepared.
Interoperability Struggles
SBCs can struggle with older systems, especially with real-time protocol negotiations.
It’s good practice to run extensive mock traffic so it flags incompatible codecs or routing failures that could disrupt communication.
Latency In Global Networks
High volumes of VoIP traffic across multiple regions can cause latency. To solve this, you can deploy SBCs at the network edge and use AI-driven load balancing to optimize real-time traffic flow.
Limited Transparency
SBCs obscure some visibility into real-time communication flows. Traditional network monitoring tools often struggle to provide granular data on how traffic is handled once it passes through an SBC. Use SBC-specific analytics tools to monitor traffic flows and performance metrics, ensuring transparency in complex networks.
Security Risks
One of the biggest reasons SBCs become liabilities is overconfidence in default settings.
I’d say that regular penetration testing and securing SIP trunks with encryption and MFA can help prevent major vulnerabilities.
Upcoming SBC Trends To Look Out For
The evolution of SBC technology is rapid, and staying informed is key to enhancing your communication infrastructure’s security and performance.
• SBCs will use AI for predictive analytics to foresee and automatically mitigate threats before they impact the system.
• Edge computing can help reduce latency and improve performance for real-time applications (like telemedicine and remote collaboration). By processing data closer to the source, SBCs can deliver faster and more reliable service.
• Soon, SBCs will also integrate automated compliance frameworks, ensuring continuous adherence to regulations like GDPR and HIPAA and reducing the compliance burden.
SBCs are an asset that can help grow your business and ensure operational excellence. By understanding this interplay between security and optimization, you can utilize the full potential of your cloud-based UC solution through SBCs.
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