Cloud-Based Unified Communications Federation
Introduction to Unified Communications Federation Unified Communications (UC) Federation connects productivity
According to an IDC 2015 report, the number of marketplaces
services across enterprise boundaries, by establishing a
that support business networks by connecting suppliers,
common, cloud-based platform for a wide range of collaboration
partners, and customers in a single entity will increase by 100%
tools and services. UC Federation eliminates the need to create
through 2017. 2
complicated point-to-point UC integration projects between companies. Point-to-point integrations are neither resilient nor
Instead
scalable, and are vulnerable to intrusion and security risks. UC
collaboration tools that have constraints and offer limited
Federation allows Communications Service Providers (CSPs) to
integration
rapidly deploy new UC revenue generating services with fast
interoperability across commonly used industry UC platforms.
positive ROI. Grand Research View projects the global Unified
Enterprises are able to seamlessly connect with multiple
Communication market size will reach $75.81 billion USD by
cross-functional teams inside and outside their companies,
2020, growing at a CAGR of 16.3% from 2014 to 2020. The
across disparate UC platforms, across collaboration services
report also says that North America Unified Communication
and across fixed or mobile devices leveraging the same, familiar
market is expected to dominate the global industry, contributing
UC applications the end customer uses daily. UC Federation
to over 35% of the overall enterprise revenue. Enterprises can
enables services such as messaging, presence, voice, video,
collaborate seamlessly with external partners and suppliers
directory and others. In addition, UC Federation offers granular
using encrypted connections for highly secure interactions.
and powerful policy capability.
1
of
utilizing experience,
multiple UC
cumbersome
Federation
offers
proprietary seamless
What is Driving Service Providers Toward Federation? Vendor UC solutions only support collaboration across their
Being able to leverage presence outside the enterprise firewall is
proprietary platform which enables users to exchange presence,
just as valuable as inside the organization.
instant messaging, data, voice, and video calls. Enterprises not only need to communicate within the enterprise, but they need
Service providers are faced with a wide range of challenges,
instant communications with their entire partners ecosystem.
including:
1. Presence Integration Across PSTN/PLMN/ IP Networks The need to integrate information across IT, telephony, and
such as presence, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), unified
mobile devices has led more and more enterprises to implement
communications as a service (UCaaS), rich mobility solutions
UC. Enterprises require user presence information to be
and Web real-time communications (WebRTC). These will
reflected across fixed, mobile, and IP networks so that users are
facilitate deeper use of UC as an aid to improving individual
contacted at appropriate times. Presence federation becomes
employee
challenging when service providers try to integrate proprietary
augmenting business processes. The availability of diverse
vendor solutions across multiple devices. Enterprise UCC
enterprise systems (Skype For Business, IBM Sametime, Google
solutions based on familiar technologies, such as telephony,
Apps and Cisco Jabber) and public systems (Google Hangout,
messaging and conferencing, are being supplemented by
Yahoo) poses a challenge for information exchange between
rapidly developing communications architectures, platforms
systems and creates the need for an integrated environment.3
and
corporate
productivity,
facilitating
and
and applications based on fast-moving networking technologies
Cloud-Based Unified Communications Federation
1
2. Voice Video, and Data Across UC Platforms Because UC platforms support voice and video calls, users are
platforms that can seamlessly integrate with their current and
now able to escalate their chat sessions to voice or video
future IT infrastructure, thereby minimizing the risk of platform
through the click of a button. Peer-to-peer and multi-party
dependency. Currently, many enterprise UC solutions use
voice and video calls, and ad hoc conferences across enterprise
proprietary protocols, which makes the UC system very rigid.
boundaries, adds a new dimension to communication across
Enterprises are demanding protocol convergence across
diverse and disparate UC platforms.
different proprietary standards. Service providers will need to start selling systems based on open standards like Session
In addition to presence, enterprises are looking for exchange of
Initiation Protocol (SIP), Simple Object Access Protocol
data between multiple UC vendor platforms, both public and
(SOAP), Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP),
enterprise. Users should be able to easily exchange documents,
and SIP for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging
images, and videos across platforms subject to security and
Extensions (SIMPLE) to serve a wide range of buyers.
data model preferences. Also, enterprises need interoperable
3. Address Book, Calendar Sharing Across Enterprises To create an approachable, collaborative, and productive
Book sharing allows users to quickly and easily search for and
environment, enterprises are looking for a federation solution
connect with partners. Calendar sharing plays an important
that can facilitate Enterprise Address Book and Calendar
role in reducing delays in communications and decision making
sharing with federated partner enterprises based on their
by checking the availability of stakeholders across enterprises
outbound information sharing policies. Enterprise Address
before sending meeting invitations with defined agendas.
4. Policy Information Security, and Audit enterprise
documents, images, and videos across platforms. Enterprises
communication network, the need for secure policy control
need to evolve their data model to protect confidentiality of
increases. Policy control enables users to seamlessly exchange
information being exchanged by imposing corresponding policy
relevant data across other users by monitoring the policies tied
control rules. Further, a need to audit information exchange is
up with corresponding users. The policy control preferences
imperative. The ability to monitor information exchange based
define a particular user’s ability to view the presence of other
on properties, file type, file size, context, key words, and other
users, set up voice calls, and exchange instant messages,
criteria is covered at a later part in this document.
With
partners
becoming
a
part
of
the
Centralized Federation Currently,
enterprises
are
creating
mesh
point-to-point networks with partner enterprises which have high financial and operational costs. Managing, and maintaining these mesh networks is costly, and often out of service due to a router or network configuration change which did not consider the mesh. Enterprises intend to leverage a single federated solution which provides a single interface to all federated partner enterprises.
Cloud-Based Unified Communications Federation
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Centralized UC Federation
IBM Sametime
Microsoft Skype for Business
Google Hangout
Cisco Jabber
Presence/1:1 IM/Multi-party IM Voice/Video/File Transfer
Centralized federation solutions give service providers call control, presence and data exchange, policy management options, and much more. The solution also enables users to connect across multiple devices by publishing the relevant information to these devices.
3rd-Party Web Apps REST
Application Enablement UC Federation
Media
Media
Signaling
Signaling
ES Intra/ Internet
RS Internet
Public Telecom Network
PBX
Inter-Enterprise Presence And IM Federation Federation can enable users across multiple enterprise
statuses to others across different enterprises. Advance
platforms to share presence information with other users.
presence federation enables efficient sharing of location
Presence services not only share standard presence states like
information of enterprise users.
“available,” “busy,” and “do not disturb,” but let users add custom status messages to share with federated colleagues.
Federation also enables peer-to-peer and ad hoc chat sessions
The federated presence capabilities across multiple platforms
across enterprise boundaries.
collect detailed information on users and report the presence
Cloud-Based Unified Communications Federation
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Presence Across PLMN/PSTN, IP and IMS Networks A federated UC solution enables tight integration of presence
For example, when Bob wants to talk to Denis, he checks
not only with the diverse UC platform, but onto users’ fixed,
Denis’s unified presence information via his UC client, or on his
mobile, or IP networks. It also reflects each user’s presence
IP phone. Knowing Denis’s presence increases Bob’s chances
across the multiple modes of communications.
of reaching him directly, as opposed to not knowing Denis’s availability and thus being less likely to make a successful call.
Access Levels Access levels provide a flexible authorization model for
or in a meeting, the user can assign those users to the Team
enterprises/ users to control the amount of presence informa-
access level. In short, the user may choose to be accessible to a
tion that others see. For example, if a user wants to always be
select group or specific users.
available to a group of selected federated users even when busy
Hub and Spoke Model Centralized federation is represented by a Hub-and-Spoke
with partners. It is simpler to integrate enterprise and public UC
model, wherein UC Federation is the hub and the supported UC
platforms with federation solutions that require minimal
platforms are the spokes. This solution leverages reduced
maintenance, thus reducing financial and operational costs for
enterprise IT infrastructure requirements in order to federate
the enterprises.
Centralized Policy Management Policy control plays an integral part in any enterprise, enabling
locations
efficient and effective configuration of user preferences and
management capabilities for enterprises through configurable
capabilities. Service providers can configure policy control
data models to define rules on how users from one enterprise
settings at enterprise level or at a centralized location.
should be connected to users from another enterprise, and the
Centralized policy control enables enterprises to configure
presence of each in terms of viz, instant message sharing, voice
settings in one place and then apply them across multiple
and video call setup, data sharing, etc.
Web Portal Provisioning
and
departments.
policy
3rd Party Applications
UC Federation
Wireless Network IMS (SIP)
delivers
Application Enablement
Provisioning/Real-Time Charging/Call Control
SMS/MMS
Federation
DMZ
Firewall/Reverse Proxy/TLS Proxy XMPP
SIP/SIMPLE
Gtalk Server
XMPP (TLS Optional)
Enterprise #1
Enterprise #2 Access Edge
DMZ
DMZ
Gateway
Lync MOCs
Cloud-Based Unified Communications Federation
Private Network
Private Network
Gtalk Clients
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UC UC Company 2
Company 2
Company 3
UC
UC
Company 1
Company 6
UC Federation Company 1
Company 4
UC
Company 3
Company 4
UC Company 6
Company 5
Company 5
Hub and Spoke Model
Policy Management - Use Case A user belongs to an enterprise, which is segmented into
In the following example, the enterprise is defined as contact
contact groups. Contact groups are defined hierarchically (i.e.,
group 1, containing all employees. The two sub-contact groups 2
sub-contact group belongs to parent contact group).
and 3 are defined as Marketing and Support departments.
Contact Group = Enterprise A Contact Group 2 = Marketing Department
Contact Group 3 = Support Department C
B
User A inherits from the default enterprise policies (contact
User C inherits both the Marketing dept. and Support dept.
group 1)
policies (the union of contact groups 2 and 3), which override
User B inherits from the Marketing dept. policies (contact group
the policies of the default enterprise (contact group 1)
2), which overrides the default enterprise (contact group 1) policies Enterprise Policy Modelling Enterprise
Contact Group 1
Contact A
Contact Group 2
Contact B
Cloud-Based Unified Communications Federation
Enterprise Contact defined at Group Level (* Company.com )
Contact Group 3
Contact C
Contact D
Contact Group 2, Group 3, defined at Group Level (* Sales company.com ) (* hr company.com )
Additional contacts defined at individual level (jim@sales.company.com)
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The federation capabilities are allowed or denied based on the policies defined by federating enterprises in UC Federation solution. Examples:
Automatic Sensing of Activities With the enhanced presence model, users’ activities across
contacts) or to “in a meeting” when the user is attending a
devices are automatically collected and aggregated into a
meeting. As a user signs in to Office Communicator, attends
presence status selected on behalf of the user. No user input is
meetings, places or answers phone calls, or simply stops
required. For example, a user’s presence status is set to “on a
interacting via phone or computer, the presence system contin-
call” when that user places or receives a call on a landline or
ues to gather information about the user’s status and then
mobile phone (assuming these devices are defined in the user’s
distributes the information to others.
Voice and Video Federation Federation allows and manages policies for voice/video chat
signalling session. UC Federation Policy management monitors
and conferencing. Enterprise users can connect to peers in
and enables such calls based on enterprise policies and rules
another enterprise via their UC platform and perform two-party
while media is shared directly between the enterprise users
communication or multi-party communication. These calls
(point-to-point).
involve signalling session and media session, on top of the Centralized UC Federation
Video over IP Enterprise #1
Video over IP Enterprise #2
Microsoft Skype For Business, Lync
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Policies are defined at Various Levels Restrict sending/receiving file transfer capabilities of enterprise
Allow/restrict file transfers after content monitoring: Rules
users: Policies defined in Policy Manager to enable sending/
defined in Policy Manager to inspect the file content in order to
receiving of files by the enterprise users
determine if it contains sensitive information of any kind (e.g.,
Allow/restrict of files transfers of defined file type: Policies
intellectual property, consumer data, etc.). Once it is
defined in Policy Manager to inspect file properties viz file name,
determined that the file contains sensitive information, proper
title, size, type, copyright, etc.
security action is enforced (block file transfer or warn the user
– Allow/restrict of files sharing based on file name, title, and copyrights
that the action is illegitimate) UC Federation exposes APIs to interface with 3rd-party
– Allow sharing files with extensions DOC, DOCX, PDF, etc.,
Content Inspection and Monitoring solutions
while restricting the sharing of image files with extensions IMG
– To provide a powerful combined solution for secure data
and BMP; music files with extensions MP3 and MP4; code files
transfer
with extensions CXX, C, and PL by users across enterprise
– Easily integrate into the existing enterprise IT infrastructure
boundaries
having a Content Inspection and Monitoring solution
– Allow/restrict file sharing with defined size limits: Polices defined to inspect the file size limits (e.g., file size of more than 1 GB is not allowed to be transferred across Enterprise boundaries) Centralized UC Federation
File Transfer over IP Enterprise #1
File Transfer over IP Enterprise #2
Microsoft Skype For Business, Lync Whenever a policy breach is determined, a trace log is created
File transfers can be attained by embedding the files as MIME
for the enterprise administrator to track the policy infringement
objects inside the stream of instant messages with MSRP
within at enterprise.
protocol. Also, secure MIME (S/MIME) can be used for ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of the transferred content.
Unified Communications Federation enables users to transfer
Legitimate file transfers allow receiving users to decide whether
files by simply dragging and dropping them into a chat session.
to download a file based on information shared about the file.
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Summary The federation of presence, instant messaging, data, voice, and
Federation delivers a framework that gives rise to a “world
video between two enterprises improves productivity through
without boundaries� where enterprises and users interact with
efficient
multiple vendors across networks and platforms.
information
exchange
resulting
in
improved
communications and accelerated deliverables. As the UC market matures, federation will become critical to maintaining
Aricent UC Federation is a centralized application which
seamless communication across enterprises. A federated
interconnects UC systems, including industry leaders such as
environment delivers a simplified architecture that can enable
Microsoft Lync/Skype for Business, Cisco Jabber, IBM
users to overcome many of the inherent drawbacks and
Sametime, Broadsoft Broadworks as well as public UC and even
challenges faced during day-to-day communication. Our UC
IMS/RCS networks. The UC Federation is part of our Business
Federation solution will help an enterprise implement the
Communications Services portfolio. It includes applications for
simplest
corporate users, including a VPN / VPBX, a contact center, a call
UC
integration
strategy
and
improve
secure
productivity without significant operational overhead.
routing system, a toll-free service, a UC federation service and a gateway to interact with Social Networks. UC Fed also provides a
Federation helps enterprises create collaborative environments
unified set of interfaces for OSS/BSS integration, as well as
that improve productivity and accelerate decision making.
open APIs for third-party developments and end-user clients.
Whilst the centralized federation solution also helps enterprises reduce financial and operational costs by leveraging the centralized policy and eliminating costly point-to-point network builds.
Cloud-Based Unified Communications Federation
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REFERENCES 1. https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2015/09/25/770978/10150609/en/ Unified-Communication-Market-Size-Will-Be-Worth-75-81-Billion-By-2020Grand-View-Research-Inc.html 2. Mobile unified communications: an unexplored opportunity 3. Gartner-Magic-Quadrant-for-Unified-Communications-as-a-Service-Worldwide
Trademarks Google Hangout is a trademark of Google. IBM Same Time is a trademark of IBM. Cisco Jabber is a trademark of Cisco. Microsoft Skype for Business are trademarks of Microsoft.
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