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Pocos

Scalable, reliable SBCs with Microsoft Teams Direct Routing support for a hosted voice service

Background

Based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Pocos has stood for "Connectivity that beats" since 1997, offering a wide range of innovative solutions in the field of connectivity, telephony and cloud services. The Pocos platform is accessible via almost all copper and fiber infrastructures in the Benelux region. As a wholesale service provider, Pocos sells solely through its partner channel. The core of its network is built in-house and based on open-source platforms, enabling its channel partners to deliver the most distinctive and complete products and service portfolio with minimal upfront investment.

For further information visit the Pocos website.

Challenges

For several years, Pocos had been very successful in offering a hosted VoIP solution using its own infrastructure, based on open-source components such as Kamailio and RTP-Engine. Together with a strong focus on end-user voice applications, this led to impressive growth in its partner network and customer base. However, due to the company’s limited in-house development and support capacity, this home-grown solution became a constricting factor in terms of scaling, functionality and stability. This was further emphasized by Pocos’s inability to offer Microsoft Teams certified SIP trunks. As a result, Pocos decided to look for a partner that could offer a mature and stable solution to drive its future growth.

Challenges

  • Limited resources for inhouse development

  • No Microsoft Teams certification

  • Improving uptime

"We are confident that selecting AudioCodes to provide Microsoft Teams Direct Routing connectivity was the correct strategic decision for Pocos."

Simon Poels, Owner at Pocos.

Solution

Pocos chose to work with AudioCodes mainly due to the deep commitment AudioCodes displayed during the planning of the deployment. Together with distributor Actis there were multiple on-site visits, design sessions, support for a proof-of-concept (POC) trial and technical training. This gave the Pocos engineers an excellent opportunity to get hands-on experience with the AudioCodes solution. Together with the engineers from AudioCodes and Actis, a design was created where the existing Pocos platform was expanded using AudioCodes Mediant VE virtualized SBCs deployed in Pocos’s private cloud infrastructure. The AudioCodes SBCs function both in an access role interfacing with customers’ voice platforms and in a peering role to connect with various carriers. Adding the AudioCodes SBCs gave Pocos the option to expand its connectivity portfolio by offering SIP trunks certified for use with Microsoft Teams Direct Routing. AudioCodes’ One Voice Operations Center (OVOC) was deployed as a centralized voice network management solution and to offer detailed voice quality monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities.

  • Mediant VE/SE SBC

    Scalable solution for enterprises and service providers looking to virtualize their infrastructure and harmonize their datacenters on commodity server hardware.

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  • Direct Routing SBCs for Microsoft Teams

    AudioCodes Direct Routing SBCs offer flexible SIP connectivity for Microsoft Teams customers and service providers

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Results

The ability to offer SIP trunks certified for Teams Direct Routing coincided perfectly with the introduction of Microsoft 365 Business Voice and the increased demand for comprehensive voice services and connectivity within Teams environments. At the same time (early 2020), global events drove a huge increase in the number of Teams users with more and more people switching to working from home. By deploying AudioCodes SBCs, Pocos could meet this market demand and keep catering to the wishes of its customers.

Another aspect of the solution that delivered tangible benefits for Pocos was the robust security offered by AudioCodes SBCs, in particular, their ability to shield customers’ internal voice infrastructure. In addition to creating an extra layer of security and offering extensive interoperability with various endpoints, Pocos’s operational staff reported a big increase in manageability. OVOC enables Pocos to continually monitor the voice network, offering detailed call quality information from each individual call as well as offering always-available SIP traces in case of failed calls. This information is constantly aggregated and trends are plotted, allowing Pocos, for example, to mitigate peering-carrier issues before customers even notice any degradation in the service. By preventing issues rather than reacting to them, customer satisfaction is improved and service desk calls are reduced. This proactive approach to a high level of service perfectly matches the Pocos mission statement.

“We are confident that selecting AudioCodes to provide Microsoft Teams Direct Routing connectivity was the correct strategic decision for Pocos,” said Simon Poels, Pocos owner. “Throughout the course of our research, AudioCodes has been able to either meet or exceed our requirements for a carrier-grade platform for our organisation. The support provided by the local AudioCodes team and distributor Actis helped create the confidence to launch this collaboration.”

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