This article originally appeared in the Sept. 2011 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY

Video from the desktop is poised to become the next wave of unified communications applications to reach the enterprise market. Voice has become entrenched, proven to be secure enough for business and deliver exceptional voice quality (when deployed with the right equipment).

Today, video calls are confined to the enterprise local area network, or at best within the service provider’s own network. This limitation creates islands of use that restrict users to videoconferencing with a limited number of contacts. Since video is not a service that can be deployed via SIP trunking service (SIP trunks support voice only), expanding video calling outside of these artificial boundaries may be difficult.

But with an enterprise session border controller in the picture, video and other point-to-point services can be effectively added to the enterprise communications arsenal. In this scenario, since the E-SBC sits at the edge of the enterprise network, it can be configured to route video directly over the Internet while voice traffic is routed to the SIP trunking softswitch. The E-SBC can deliver video-over-SIP over either a managed connection or the public Internet. But most importantly, the video can bridge service networks to allow point-to-point calling to anyone with an Internet connection.

The E-SBC performs an important role in this scenario, routing different types of traffic over different routes to reach the called party. And the security features ensure that the internal corporate network will be protected. Quality of service will ensure the priority of the voice and video SIP traffic to keep traffic flowing the way your business, or your customers, need it to.

Video is available now on most desktop, laptop and tablet computers, and with an E-SBC the power of video can be harnessed to enhance business communications beyond the enterprise island.

Stop by Ingate’s new Unified Communications (News - Alert): SIP Trunking, Voice, Video and More event at ITEXPO West to learn more.