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Netaxis Session Routing Engine SRE is a carrier-grade platform for advanced voice routing, SIP trunk provisioning, CLI spoofing prevention and more. It’s already a key part of the voice infrastructure at dozens of telecom operators worldwide. With its centralized, API-driven architecture and drag-and-drop GUI, SRE sits at the heart of modern telco networks to streamline call routing and policy control. Today, Netaxis is announcing a major new SRE feature: integrated SBC data management. This enhancement extends SRE’s capabilities beyond routing, enabling operators to centrally manage Session Border Controllers (SBCs) and on-premises PBX configurations through the SRE platform.
The hybrid PBX challenge for operators
Telecom operators today face an evolving voice landscape. Many business customers still rely on a large installed base of on-premises PBX systems, even as cloud communications grow. In fact, industry research shows roughly 40% of new unified communications deployments in 2024 were still on-premises, and 80% of organizations requiring critical voice communication continue to operate on-site PBXs with plans to retain and even upgrade them in the next five years . Rather than disappearing, traditional PBX systems are often being combined with cloud-based UCaaS platforms into hybrid solutions. Data sovereignty and control requirements are one driving factor – on-premise systems let companies keep sensitive voice data local to comply with regulations. The result is that operators must not only support their existing PBX-installed customer base but a growing number of hybrid deployments bundling on-prem PBXs with cloud services. Each enterprise PBX can be a different make or model with unique configuration needs, creating significant complexity in provisioning and maintaining voice services across diverse environments.
The status quo pain points: Traditionally, accommodating a new customer PBX or making changes to an existing PBX’s interconnect settings could require custom configurations in the operator’s Business/Operational Support Systems (BSS/OSS) and manual updates on the SBC. This process is slow, IT-intensive, and error-prone. Every tweak (for example, adjusting dial plans, caller ID formats, or SIP trunk parameters for a specific PBX type) might involve software changes in back-end systems or risky edits on live SBC devices. Operators have long sought a better way to simplify and automate these tasks to reduce costs and avoid downtime caused by misconfiguration.
The status-quo provisioning is slow, IT-intensive, and error-prone.
New SRE SBC data management – Simplification through data-driven control
Netaxis answers this growing challenge with a new SRE functionality focused on SBC management and PBX integration, built on the company’s core values of simplification and automation . At its heart, the solution enriches SRE’s central data platform with a profile of each customer’s PBX configuration. SRE has always been a data-driven system – release 3.0 even allowed service providers to define custom database structures in SRE – and now that flexibility is used to store PBX-specific parameters (e.g. supported codecs, dial plan rules, CLI formats, security triggers, etc.) in SRE’s secure database. Through SRE’s familiar web GUI, engineering teams can easily add or modify PBX configuration parameters in one place. SRE acts as the real-time “brain” between the operator’s existing BSS/OSS and the network, so these updates in SRE effectively instruct how the SBC should handle calls to/from those PBXs – without requiring any new coding in the BSS or manual reconfiguration on the SBC itself.
This approach decouples service logic from the underlying hardware. Because SRE’s routing and policy logic is centrally defined in data tables (and exposed via open REST APIs), new service rules or trunk configurations can be rolled out rapidly across the network “in days, not months,” without touching individual SBC firmware/configurations. In practice, when an operator needs to onboard a customer’s on-prem PBX or adjust its settings, they can do so by updating SRE’s database via the GUI or API. SRE then dynamically enforces those rules – for example, normalizing caller ID presentation or routing calls correctly – as traffic flows through. The SBCs simply follow SRE’s real-time instructions for call handling, obviating the need for engineers to log into each SBC for custom tweaks. SRE’s new SBC management module essentially turns the platform into a central control point for voice network configuration: the operator gains agility to make changes in one high-level system (SRE) that propagate everywhere, rather than repeatedly altering multiple disparate systems.
Key benefits for operators
By introducing centralized SBC/PBX management into SRE, Netaxis enables operators to address the hybrid voice complexity with greater efficiency and confidence. Some of the key benefits of this new functionality include:
- Lower IT costs through simplification: Changes that once required software development in BSS/OSS or complex SBC reconfiguration can now be handled through SRE’s GUI. This streamlined approach cuts down engineering effort and IT spend whenever service modifications are needed. The data-driven design means operators can adapt to customer needs without lengthy projects, directly translating to cost savings and faster time-to-market.
- Reduced network risk: Direct intervention on operational SBCs is inherently risky – a misconfiguration on an SBC can lead to service outages or security issues. With SRE’s new feature, operators no longer need to perform frequent manual changes on live SBC platforms, making such risks largely obsolete. All new PBX logic resides in SRE’s controlled environment, with no firmware upgrades or low-level tweaks required on the SBC. This “low-touch” deployment greatly lowers the chance of human error impacting the core voice network.
- Mass configuration & automation: SRE’s centralized orchestration means operators can deploy configuration changes at scale across many customer PBXs or trunks at once, instead of one-off updates. Bulk updates (for example, a global policy change for all PBXs of a certain type) are possible via SRE’s automation and templating capabilities, avoiding repetitive manual work. The platform is fully programmable, supporting automated provisioning and quick, API-driven onboarding of new services. In short, the new SBC management feature lets operators handle growing volumes of PBX connections with the same staff – improving efficiency and consistency across the board.
- Full auditability and compliance: As a carrier-grade solution, Netaxis SRE automatically logs every change and action. The integrated audit trail captures all historical configuration edits made in SRE’s database. This not only helps with troubleshooting and tracking, but also ensures operators meet regulatory compliance for change management. For example, the EU’s NIS2 directive for critical infrastructure requires rigorous documentation of security measures and configuration changes; SRE’s logging provides the evidence of control and policy enforcement that such regulations demand . Operators can confidently make changes in SRE knowing that an immutable record is kept, supporting both internal governance and external compliance audits.
With these benefits, the business case for SRE’s new feature is clear. Operators can simplify their operations and reduce OPEX, while simultaneously improving reliability and security compliance in managing hybrid voice environments. The SRE platform’s existing capabilities (like least-cost routing, number portability, anti-fraud/CLI screening, etc.) already delivered significant efficiency gains; now extending SRE to handle SBC and PBX configurations further consolidates control and unlocks new agility.
Future Outlook: Building on a unified platform
The launch of this SBC management functionality is only the first step in Netaxis’s broader vision. Having laid this foundation of centralized data-driven control, upcoming SRE releases will extend the same architecture to other network elements – for example, automating the configuration of IP routers and additional voice network components in the operator’s environment. This evolution will continue to simplify how operators manage an increasingly complex mix of technologies. Netaxis is effectively turning SRE into a unified “network brain” that can orchestrate not just voice routing decisions but a wide array of service configurations through one interface. By future-proofing the platform in this way, Netaxis aims to support operators both today and tomorrow with advanced, flexible solutions that adapt to new challenges. It underscores the company’s commitment to helping telecom providers navigate the growing complexity of voice networks by making management simpler and more automated at every layer.
Our mission is to turn complexity into opportunity for our customers. By building automation and simplification into the heart of voice networks, solutions like SRE’s new SBC management module let operators focus on innovation instead of configuration. Get in touch and let’s discuss how we can turn your challenges into opportunities.
– Manuel Basilavecchia, Netaxis co-founder and CCO
To wrap up
With the addition of SBC management, Netaxis SRE solidifies its position as a strategic tool for telecom operators to tackle the hybrid voice era. This new capability empowers operators to embrace the trend of converged on-premise/cloud communications without drowning in integration costs or risking network stability. We recommend that operators facing challenges with diverse PBX systems or time-consuming voice network changes should evaluate SRE’s enhanced functionality. Early adopters can expect tangible gains in agility, cost reduction, and service quality for their voice offerings.
Turn your challenges into opportunities
Get in touch and let’s discuss how we can turn your challenges into opportunities.
