SIP & How It Relates To YOUR Business

Jeff S. Olson Director of Marco Carrier Services David Bailey-Aldrich Technology Advisor - Carrier Services

Agenda  Welcome  What is SIP?  History of SIP  Why Consider SIP?  Considerations  Where do I go from here?  Q & A

 Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a communications protocol for signaling and controlling multimedia communication sessions.  Applications of SIP:  Voice  Video Calls  Instant Messaging  SIP must work in conjunction with other application layer protocols What is SIP?

 Initially only the traditional switch-based telephone system (PSTN) was the main medium for voice traffic  The advent of the Internet created the need to create a system to connect over an IP-based network – VoIP  Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) set standards in 1999  There are multiple VoIP protocols in use today:  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 History of 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 Why Consider SIP?

 Connectivity  Security  Session Border Controller  911 Emergency Call Handling Considerations

 Best Efforts  Cable or DSL service  Shared infrastructure on the carrier network  No performance guarantees  Low-cost option  Dedicated  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 – Public/Internet

 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) Connectivity – Private WAN

 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 Security

 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 Session Border Controller

 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 911 Emergency Call Handling

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. Carrier SIP Offerings Differ

 Establish and define business goals  There is no “one size fits all”  Not all carrier SIP offerings are the same  Upper level executive management and sponsorship for the project is critical  Plan for bumps in the road  Ensure long-term carrier support after installation Where do I go from here?

Q & A