Technological inventions and innovations are the only permanent thing in any industry. Industries like VoIP and telephony where the whole world relies around communication, the VoIP development companies need to be more innovative along with other tech contributors. Cloud is one of the major shifts in this industry. All VoIP solutions, including, VoIP Softswitch solutions, are in the journey of migrating their existing infrastructure and solutions to the cloud platforms. In fact, some major players and tech-savvy businesses have already switched to the cloud.
Even if cloud computing and platforms have been in the market for many years, still some telecom operators and CSPs (Communication Service Providers) find it susceptible to use this technology. The future lies over cloud based solutions and making a decision to migrate to cloud can really help in staying competitive. To make sure we help every CSP in this crucial decision making process and journey, we have collated all major concerns of network operators and CSPs and to provide them the required technical assistance for migration.
In this article, we will cover all major points to answer all major questions a communication service provider would face:
- What is a VoIP Softswitch solution?
- What is the traditional model of using this Softswitch?
- What does switching to cloud mean?
- What are the major concerns and their resolutions?
- Concluding notes
Let’s begin exploring more on this fascinating topic.
1. What is a VoIP Softswitch solution?
Softswitch is blend of two words Soft and switch. Softswitch stands for software switch and VoIP Softswitch signifies a VoIP based software switch. It is a software solution that replaces hardware based telephony switch to provide wholesale and retail telecommunication features.
Retail Softswitch is used to provide telephony services to the local market and it serves end to end communication and collaboration solution. Wholesale Softswitch solution is used to run international call routing business in the wholesale VoIP market.
A VoIP based Softswitch solution can be either retail or wholesale switch or both of them.
2. What is the traditional model of using this Softswitch?
Traditionally, VoIP industry used to use a hardware switch that is setup on premises of the service provider. This model was replaced by software based switch launched in this market by experts.
Habitually, this VoIP Softswitch software was setup on physical servers that are setup and configured on physical location of a wholesale or retail VoIP service provider. This was also a bit intricate and cumbersome setup process because it required heavy physical servers to setup the software along with some wiring. It also required a technician or VoIP engineer dedicatedly keep an eye on the network and servers and for any issue, make the fixes.
With the inventions in this industry, cloud based solutions got introduced and gain popularity. In the past few years, many providers and CSPs have switched from hardware based server setup to cloud infrastructure for their VoIP Softswitch solutions.
3. What does switching to cloud mean?
Cloud computing is a virtual hosting and IT maintenance platform on which any software can be hosted or even whole IT infrastructure can be set up. It eliminates requirement of physical servers, physical office, and physical setup. Everything will be available on cloud and virtually. There is an abundance of space, which makes it one of the most scalable options. Having a scalable solution while using class 4 and class 5 Softswitch solutions is a must to ensure it supports growing business model.
Switching your Softswitch to cloud means migrating your physical infrastructure to the cloud platforms. In other words, completely moving all solutions to the cloud platform with a migration process is referred to as switching to the cloud.
Class 4 and Class 5 SoftSwitch Solutions
4. What are the major concerns and their resolutions?
Though there are several advantages associated with moving a VoIP based Softswitch solution to the cloud, some communication service providers are skeptical about some aspects. That is why there are some major concerns associated with moving Softswitch to the cloud. To help CSPs make the right decision, here we are with a list of major concerns commonly faced by these Softswitch solutions and their resolution.
Will I lose any important data?
Ideally, the best software company or technical support team that offers switch to the cloud defines a full proof plan to switch to the cloud platform and ensure that you do not lose any vital business data or files. Their experience in this space ensures that the whole switch is completely seamless and does not affect your data or operations. However, it is necessary to choose the right technician or technical partner while making a move from physical setup to cloud to ensure you do not lose the vital data.
Is it safe to move to the cloud platform?
Security has been a major concern by many telecom engineers, network operators, and CSPs while considering cloud platform. As everything is digitally available, it is prone to attack and there is no doubt about it. However, with time the technology has become mature and now it cloud platforms are extremely securer than the past incidents. There are several inbuilt components added by the cloud platforms to safeguard class 4 and class 5 Softswitch solutions or any other software hosted on their platform. In addition to that, cloud platforms provide added security modules that can be enabled and configured by the Softswitch owners to reduce security concerns. The companies that offer these software solutions also provide security solutions such as fraud detection and management software to ensure your system is kept secure and reliable even on the cloud platforms.
How about the scalability?
One of the major advantages of cloud platforms is scalability. There is abundance of space, processing power, and other components that make these platforms highly scalable. In fact, it takes lesser turnaround time to scale up than server based setup. Thus, if you are concerned about scalability, then it is highly recommended to switch your retail and/or wholesale Softswitch solutions to the cloud platforms as they are more scalable than physical servers.
Will pricing and expenses increase?
The cloud platforms are quite expensive compared to on-premise setup. You will not need to maintain expensive hardware. Moreover, the physical system faces deprivation with time and therefore, it needs to be replaced or repaired with time.
The cloud platforms are completely virtual and therefore, everything is online. Thus, concerns like deprivation, expensive hardware, etc. is not associated with cloud. This makes it cheaper to maintain compared to the counterpart. It will also not require a dedicated technician to keep an eye on the servers. The cloud platforms will ensure high SLA for all hosted software solutions. It will also have its own team to deal with situations like failover and recovery.
Yes, it is possible to be concerned about future rent hikes due to increasing competition, as monthly pricing has reduced over time, as shown by trends and charts. Still, in case, if the pricing of cloud hosting increases with time, the overall expense of cloud hosting for a wholesale or retail Softswitch will be lower than physical servers.
Will I have control over my system?
It’s essential to recognize that switching to the cloud is merely a change in hosting, nothing more. Your VoIP Softswitch software will be owned by you with the same terms and conditions. You and your company will own likewise, data, records, files, processes, etc. The cloud platforms also keep them confidential. For this type of platform, the company introduces even regulatory clauses to keep sensitive information of business private and confidential. Thus, you will have the same control over your Softswitch solution as you would have on physical setup.
Concluding notes
Cloud computing is not absolutely new. It is a proven and mature technology to host any software or IT infrastructure. There are some renowned and reliable players in the market such as AWS (Amazon Web Server), Google Cloud, etc. There are also some emerging platforms that provide reliable and affordable hosting solutions to businesses. Thus, it is worth switching to the cloud platform. We address common concerns for CSPs, network operators, or VoIP service providers considering a cloud switch. Our technical experts are available to answer any further questions.
ASTPP have been offering the best VoIP Softswitch solutions along with several other telecommunication platforms. ASTPP provide essential technical support for migrating to modern cloud infrastructure with a well-defined strategy. We can help with your cloud platform switch using our experience and technical know-how. To initiate the discussion, contact us NOW!
