Aculab, a leading provider of enabling technology for the communications market

 

The company has developed an innovative all-in-one IP communications software suite that is scalable and standards-based, offering single platform architecture with inherent multi-channel processing to deliver comprehensive applications minus the cost and complexity introduced by multi-point vendors.

 

Founded in 1994 and backed by more than 3000 customers worldwide, Interactive Intelligence is not only an innovator, but an experienced leader that brings the kind of maturity needed to satisfy the most diverse enterprise requirements, including those of multi-national organisations.

 

Today, the company's Interaction Center Platform^® - the foundation on which all Interactive Intelligence products are based - centralises business interactions (including phone calls, e-mail, faxes, Web chats, and callbacks) as well as business processes, giving contact centres and enterprises everything they need to cost-effectively maximise productivity and provide superior customer service.

Interactive Intelligence's all-in-one communications software suite uses media gateway technology designed to meet precise business needs for TDM, IP or hybrid convergence. Initially, generic third-party gateway products were used to interconnect this suite with circuit-switched PSTN networks and TDM-based equipment, such as PBXs.

 

The reliance on third-party gateways often created a variety of strategic, operational and performance problems. Third-party gateway suppliers could not always address the dynamic and demanding degree of technical service and customer support required by Interactive Intelligence customers. These gateways proved to have very different and complex installation and administration processes. Such gateways also offered limited product differentiation, while lacking critical features and functions needed to optimise performance of the Interactive Intelligence suite.

 

As the market evolved for unified communications solutions, Interactive Intelligence determined that certain customer segments preferred full solutions delivered and supported by one vendor. It became clear that the most productive way for Interactive Intelligence to move forward was to design and provide its own custom media gateway tightly integrated with its software suite.

 

The Interactive Intelligence design requirements for an advanced, full-featured, TDM-to-SIP media gateway architecture were well defined. A critical factor in its 'build versus buy' product plan was qualifying a supplier that could offer the exact enabling technology today, as well as into the future.

The new planned product, Interaction Gateway, was designed from the beginning to provide worldwide network connectivity. The Interactive Intelligence branded gateway solution would provide multi-span T1/E1 support for high-quality, low latency voice and fax communications in an industry standard, small form factor. Two models were to be developed with a flexible NxM scalability architecture that supported rack-and-stack capabilities necessary to address growing, high-density deployments. Precise call progress analysis functionality would be available for high-volume outbound predictive dialer requirements. The gateway would perform as an appliance, and offer a unique Web-based, easy-to-use configuration, installation and administration tool. The new product would be fully integrated, tested and certified with the company's software suite.

 

Additional criteria for supplier selection included broader integration possibilities than were presently available via third-party gateways, simplified deployment, higher scalability, load-balancing, fault-tolerance, redundancy, reliability, and security. Industry standard audio processing functions were required such as record, playback, DTMF-handling, voice-conferencing, ACD, and music-on-hold support. Extended features required included an MRCP client for ASR/TTS, transcoding, T.30-to-T.38 fax gateway capability, and a wide range of TDM/VoIP/GSM narrowband codecs. Required SIP/IP features included RTCP, secure RTP, SIPS, symmetric SIP signalling ports, and synchronous RTP.

 

To optimise outbound dialer performance, the gateway framework also had to differentiate between live caller, answering machine, fax machine, busy signal, and any other call detection situation, including differentiation among SIT tones. PSTN digital trunk requirements included support for CAS and Q.931-based ISDN signalling protocols, including 4ESS, 5ESS, DMS100, NI-2, Q.SIG, EuroISDN, and T1-RBS. Network interfaces and termination needed to be software selectable in order to ensure global versatility. A single card form factor was sought. This meant simultaneously transcoding and converting A-law or µ-law G.711 speech data to RTP/RTCP packet data on the card on a per call basis, no matter what level of call volume or system size.

 

Aculab had recently introduced its new, next-generation Prosody X architecture and its comprehensive feature set to the telephony market. Designed as a rich media processing platform for IP applications with optional IP-to-TDM gateway functionality, the new Prosody X platform proved to be the ideal choice to address all the Interactive Intelligence design requirements. Already a long term technology partner of Interactive Intelligence, Aculab was well positioned to respond to the challenge in a timely manner. Upon selection, Aculab quickly and actively got engaged with Interactive Intelligence's development teams. This partnership approach proved very effective by leveraging each organization's expertise to provide a best-of-breed communications solution.

 

Successfully launched in mid 2007, Interaction Gateway today provides a powerful TDM-SIP gateway when integrated with the Interactive Intelligence all-in-one communications software suite, which includes both its Customer Interaction Center^® (CIC) product for contact centre automation, and its Vonexus Enterprise Interaction Center (Vonexus EIC) product for enterprise IP telephony. In particular, when used with the Interactive Intelligence Interaction Dialer^® product, Interaction Gateway gives high-volume outbound contact centres the kind of accurate predictive call analysis capabilities they've been waiting for.

 

Available in 4-span or 8-span densities, the gateway appliance enhances special dial plan routing, redundancy and load balancing across the Interactive Intelligence suite while allowing for straightforward administration, thus making set-up and configuration easy. The design is scalable, able to process high call volume, provides advanced call analysis for outbound dialing configurations, and supports PSTN/IP fax transmissions.

 

Prosody X provided all the necessary voice/fax media processing functions and configuration options to enable Interactive Intelligence to meet its demanding system specifications. Aculab delivered tailored software development and technical support necessary to set itself apart as a key supplier of advanced, DSP-based media processing and signalling technology. In an increasingly complex marketplace, strong partnerships are of critical importance. Aculab stands ready to invest time and resources on behalf of customers to help them add value to their products.