SIP has been around since the late 1990’s, but confusion still exists about what it exactly is and what it can do. Most telephony people understand that SIP changes the way we make voice and video calls, but their understanding is often sketchy.
The confusion surrounding SIP is often greatest when it comes to the Session Border Controller (SBC). People know that it’s part of a SIP solution, but they are unsure of exactly why. Unfortunately, even those folks that have a reasonable understanding of what an SBC is used for are still confused as to its placement in the network. Does it sit on the network edge or inside the DMZ? What is its relationship with a company’s existing data firewall? Can I split two SBCs between my geographically separated data centers? These questions stymie many experienced voice and telephony managers and their staff.
In my latest article for No Jitter, I write about why you need to own your own SBC.
Tao, Zen, and Tomorrow 