Sonus Networks has launched its first software-based session border controller (SBC), positioning the company to better compete as networks evolve toward less purpose-built hardware and more software-defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV).
The Sonus SBC SWe is equivalent to the company’s hardware-based SBC 5000 series, and Sonus says that it is the only vendor thus far to offer the same code base across both its SBC hardware and software. That standardization allows customers to choose from the same features across either hardware and software-defined networking (SDN) deployments, and mix-and-match if they desire.
“Separating the SBC from the underlying hardware is a game-changer for Sonus,” said David Tipping, Sonus’ vice president and general manager.
The virtualized SBC is scalable from as few as 25 up to an unlimited number of sessions, limited only by the CPUs and resources a customer wants to dedicate to the solution — which the company says is an industry first. Tipping said that while customers are comfortable deploying software for small-scale needs, they still expect to need hardware-based SBCs for large-scale deployments. Tipping said that Sonus has tested the SWe for handling “greater than 100,000 sessions,” while just one CPU can handle 1,000 sessions.
“We truly don’t say to you, ‘use this product up to this capacity’ or ‘use it if these features don’t make a difference to you,'” Tipping said. “This is a fully-featured product that gives end customers the ability to choose based on their needs, not based on our limitations.”
Tipping said that Sonus is trying to “tear down the belief in the industry … that virtualization is not as good as hardware-based.”
Irwin Lazar, vice president and service director at Nemertes Research, said that the new SWe gives Sonus “a chance to play in the SDN and NFV space.”
He said the enterprise market has already embraced software-based networks as a good way to reduce the costs of hardware, improve reliability, and set up protective redundancies in their systems.
Lazar said that a software-based SBC also potentially opens up new doors for Sonus with the ability to more easily bundle its product with those of partners and find new distribution channels.
Tipping said that customer decisions on whether to go with software or hardware SBCs will likely depend on whether they already have the infrastructure and support for a virtual environment, and if they feel comfortable.
“For those who are technology-forward, this is going to feel very normal and natural for them. I really do believe that we’ll see a lot of interest in the SWe,” Tipping said.
