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Mediatrix Sentinel

Sentinel inherits the VoIP gateway and media adapter capabilities from the class-leading Mediatrix product portfolio and is scalable up to 240 channels to convert PSTN and Legacy PBX communications into SIP-based communications.

Sentinel is also a SBC, addressing a variety of applications including Demarcation Point, Security, SIP Normalization, Survivability, and more.

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Sentinel inherits the VoIP gateway and media adapter capabilities from the class-leading Mediatrix product portfolio and is scalable up to 240 channels to convert PSTN and Legacy PBX communications into SIP-based communications.

Sentinel is also a SBC, addressing a variety of applications including Demarcation Point, Security, SIP Normalization, Survivability, and more. With a Back-to-Back-User-Agent, Sentinel acts as the middle-man for communications between two SIP endpoints. It permits applying deep packet inspection, identifies specific properties attached to a SIP Request, and executes predefined actions to manage any particular deployment scenario. Sentinel also supports media relay for media anchoring, NAT traversal, and transcoding.

Connect to Any Device

Deploying cloud telephony services can introduce complex interoperability issues because the enterprise may have a large variety of devices from different vendors. Existing infrastructure may include legacy PBX systems, fax machines, modems, IP-PBXs, IP-Phones, alarm and security systems, and video-conference systems, to name just a few.

Sentinel can integrate any ISDN or analog device into a VoIP environment and performs SIP normalization to translate any vendor implementation into a single well-defined SIP interface that can be adapted to any IMS or Softswitch solution.

Ensure Quality of Service

Sentinel executes Quality and Class of Service tagging to media packets to set priority treatment throughout the network. This reduces the occurrence of packet loss which has a direct impact on end user quality perception for real-time communications.

Sentinel also controls the maximum number of simultaneous calls allowed based on bandwidth availability. This limitation can be set on a site-by-site, network, or group basis.

Prevention From Fraud Attacks

Routers and firewalls provide IP level protection to enterprises from external attacks. Telephony services demand a more comprehensive security package to protect from malicious attempts to access the service.

Sentinel controls and limits the number of SIP sessions per network, per IP address, or per single user and can be used to identify and block unauthorised attempts to access communication services.

Sentinel also maintains Call Detail and Activity Records on a local database. Security logs and traps can be enabled to alert the network supervisor in real-time.

Shields Network Confidentiality

Without appropriate protection, sensitive information from IP-Phones and IP-PBXs can be viewed on the Internet. This sensitive information potentially exposes these devices to malicious attacks.

Sentinel stands as a border controller between the enterprise and the public network, hiding the topology of private IP addresses and devices deployed on premise.

Any attempt to pass through this border is analysed and approved or rejected based on predefined security rules.

Protects CAPEX & OPEX

With pricing competition from Over The Top providers, Service Providers can now sharpen their operational structure and insure profitability while preserving customer satisfaction with outstanding quality of service. Migration to VoIP is a well-known strategy, but infrastructure investment and manpower training can represent significant challenges to a successful service launch.

Sentinel offers a competitive pricing structure and can be initially deployed as a single chassis with a basic configuration. Sentinel can be field-upgraded by adding telephony cards or SBC licenses according to the specific needs of each enterprise customer. This positions Sentinel as a pay-as-you-go solution that permits customers to align their infrastructure investment with the changing demand for services.

Ease of Management

Provisioning for SBC multi-service devices may require advanced technical knowledge and complex configuration procedures.

Sentinel introduces innovative provisioning templates to accelerate the installation process and simplify technical complexity for easier system management and troubleshooting.

These templates allow administrators to easily manage service activations, saving both time and money. A Template Editor also enables administrators to create new templates or modify existing templates to adjust configuration settings as needed.

Sentinel offers powerful management capabilities designed for mass deployment.
Firmware and provisioning updates can be managed using individual commands or configuration scripts (TR069, SNMP, TFTP, FTP or HTTPs).
Sentinel also provides advanced troubleshooting tools for resolving problems, monitoring operational activities, and collecting relevant service administration information.

Survivability

Sentinel ensures reliable communications by simultaneously maintaining access to separate networks in order to establish calls through a secondary server or through the PSTN when the primary server is temporally unavailable.

Survivability is achieved by real-time monitoring of network status and routing communications toward available destinations following a list of priorities.

Sentinel ensures service continuity to customers in case of a loss of connectivity or a failure to establish communications with the Soft switch or IMS Servers.
Sentinel surveys network accessibility with the Service Provider, and permits re-routing service requests outside the enterprise to a secondary server, or forwards calls to the PSTN when necessary.
SIP Registrations are monitored by Sentinel and stored in cache memory. When a Service Provider is not reachable, Sentinel behaves as a Registrar Server and uses an internal database to validate authorized users.
During service downtimes, Sentinel manages to smoothly maintain communications for local extensions and remote users without active intervention by network administrators.
When the primary server is back in service, active calls are properly completed prior to recovering communications with the original paths.

Network Demarcation

The Mediatrix Sentinel sits at the edge between the Service Provider and Enterprise networks as a demarcation point.

Sentinel is built from the ground up for SIP Demarcation. System administrators can define in-depth specifications of services allowed on both sides of the demarcation point.

Sentinel enables NAT service and acts as an ALG. NAT traversal for the media streams is provided by applying RTP Anchoring.

Sentinel is Service Provider’s single point of reference to validate customer’s quality of service and troubleshoot eventual service operation issues.
Enterprise topology is secured from the public network. Private IP Addresses are mapped into a separate interface for network confidentiality.
All communications IN and OUT are controlled by Sentinel. Every individual session is supervised before, during, and after call establishment.
Using advanced Call Detail Recording capabilities, exhaustive logs are recorded onto a local hard disk or sent to a remote server.
Sentinel monitors active calls and limits access to services following a predefined set of validation rules
Automatic rules identify and block access to any unauthorized external device trying to register as well as for any Denial of Service or toll fraud attacks. Any violations to the defined rules are reported to a higher instance server for further remediation.

SIP Normalization

The Mediatrix Sentinel normalizes the wide variety of SIP signaling protocols supported by vendors into a single well-defined interface that can be adapted to any specific 3GPP or SIP Connect standards implementation.

Sentinel offers a catalog of predefined normalization templates that can be used to allow a rapid deployment for new customers.

Sentinel performs SIP headers manipulation to permit seamless service deployment regardless of the customer’s choice of IP-PBX, IP-Phones, or IP Soft Clients.
Sentinel adapts to different SIP vendor implementations.
Sentinel identifies and rejects unsupported or unauthorized SIP Methods.
Sentinel validates the list of codecs included in the SDP offer, normalizes the body structure with predefined and compelling media types and headers, and negotiates both ends of the call for proper media adaptation.
Using TR069 for massive provisioning, large scale deployments can be rapidly adapted reducing time-to-service for new customers.

Integration with Third Party Applications

Sentinel enables an open environment for System Integrators to bundle their own Applications into a business-class multi-service platform, optimizing CPE investment while addressing complex customer solution needs.

Sentinel reduces CAPEX by using a single device for multiple applications.
System Integrators can rely on Mediatrix technologies for reliable hardware infrastructure and facilitates value-added applications across a wide range of market segments.

Teleworkers have services just like those in the office

Sentinel fixes Far-end NAT traversal and supports call-forking, giving access to communication services to home workers or travellers as if they were in the office.

Sentinel improves productivity by maintaining active communications with employees regardless of their geographic location.
Sentinel handles keep-alive mechanisms to update real-time connection with remote parties for reliable communications.
Telecommunications fees are controlled by converging remote user communications.

PSTN and Legacy PBX System Gateway

With flexible configuration of FXS, FXO and PRI telephony ports, call-switching, and user-programmable call routing (including caller/called ID), Sentinel smoothly integrates VoIP into existing PBX and PSTN networks.

Sentinel provides a gateway to the PSTN for IP-based PBXs and key systems. It allows the deployment of VoIP solutions with transparent integration of IP-based or legacy telephone systems.

Sentinel offers feature-rich carrier-grade media gateway capabilities connecting legacy PBX systems with FXS, FXO or T1/E1 PRI interface and PSTN lines to VoIP environments.
Sentinel offers a unique solution to address SIP Trunk and Hosted Services deployments involving integration with TDM interfaces.
Sentinel enables fast transition from TDM to IP by reusing existing telecom devices and protecting infrastructure investment at the customer premises.