Acme and Oracle: A Sign of Big Things to Come for the Session Border Controller Space

By Rich Steeves
TMCnet Web Editor

They say a rising tide lifts all boats and often, when there is big news in one corner of an industry, it is a good sign for the rest of the space. This definitely holds true for Oracle’s (News - Alert) recent acquisition of Acme Packet. It sends a clear signal that IP communications, SIP trunks and session border controllers are the inevitable wave of the future in telecommunications. Other companies in the space, like Sonus Networks, AudioCodes (News - Alert) and others should see this transaction as a sign of good things to come.

Oracle is a company with hundreds of thousands of clients, serving all of the companies in the Fortune 100, and prides itself on bringing hardware and software together to work in the cloud and data centers. Oracle purchased Acme Packet (News - Alert) as a part of its strategy to deliver high quality products that meet customer needs in key industries. With Acme Packet in the fold, Oracle can offer service providers and enterprises communications solutions that will drive employee and customer interactions into the future of an all-IP world.

What does this mean for the rest of the SIP, UC and SBC space? For one thing, it can only increase awareness of IP communications. Companies that were only vaguely aware of unified communications and thought a SIP trunk was something an elephant used when it was thirsty are no doubt following this story closely. When a large company like Oracle makes a move into a new space, people stand up and take note. This will build awareness of other providers that offer products and services similar to those of Acme Packet, so session border controller providers like Sonus and Metaswitch will certainly be getting extra hits on their websites.

This move by Oracle also legitimizes the future of the technology. Businesses that were on the fence, waiting to see what early adopters did before they move into the space can now see that a large corporation like Oracle has given a vote of confidence to the technology. As companies begin to research what they would need in order to deploy SIP trunks and unified communications, they would soon learn about the importance of session border controllers, and they would start to shop around and see what is available. This would give SBC vendors a better chance to showcase their wares and prove that they have essential products.

While the Oracle/Acme deal means a lot for those two companies, it also will have huge ramifications for the session border controller space in general, and should make things interesting in the future!

Edited by Carlos Olivera