Poly, formerly Plantronics and Polycom, today announced that its VVX desktop voice phones will be part of the largest Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) deployment in U.S. Department of Defense history.
Ribbon Communications Inc., which just released the latest version of its carrier-class Application Server that is tested and certified by the DoD Joint Interoperability Test Command’s (JITC) Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), includes support for Poly’s VVX phones.
The JITC certification of Ribbon’s Application Server and its support of VVX phones “will help the agency reduce operational costs and future-proof its investment in communications,” according to the recent Poly announcement.
Ribbon Communications’ Session Border Controller (SBC) 5000 series has been certified by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) as part of a combined Microsoft Skype for Business solution and is now available for deployment by DoD agencies and within its communications network.
The U.S. DoD Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) certification is the final step in a process that tests solutions for quality, security, interoperability and reliability.
Once solutions have achieved JITC certification, they are placed on the DISA Approved Products List (APL).
Poly VVX Gets DoD Stamp of Approval
The SBC 5000 series works with Microsoft Skype for Business to provide the DoD with real-time SIP-based multimedia sessions – including Voice over IP (VoIP) and video. The majority of Ribbon’s software and appliance-based SBCs are available on the DISA APL and certified for Direct Routing for Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business.
“Adding our SBC 5000 series as part of the Microsoft Skype for Business JITC certified solution further solidifies Ribbon as a trusted and proven partner for delivering the secure and interoperable communications technology that the Department of Defense demands,” said Tony Scarfo, executive VP of products, R&D, support and supply chain for Ribbon Communications.
“The addition of the Ribbon SBC 5000 series to Microsoft’s Skype for Business JITC certified solution allows us to deliver even more feature, functionality, flexibility and security capabilities to the DoD,” said Bill Hartwell, VP of U.S. Federal for Ribbon Communications.
In addition to SBCs, Ribbon is continuing to advance its Application Server (AS) platform for DoD deployments. The Ribbon AS platform release 12.1 completed JITC certification and is available on the DISA APL.
Ribbon’s latest certified AS release enables the DoD to reduce operational costs and assure communications investment protection by having a choice of SIP or Assured Services SIP (AS-SIP) endpoints and carrier-class session control through open IP-based technology.
The Ribbon AS 12.1 JITC certification includes support for Poly’s latest line of VVX phones, including the VVX 150, 250, 350 and 450 desktop voice clients, providing the DoD with more options for open SIP endpoints.
“The Application Server certification allows end-users to maximize the security and interoperability of the Poly VVX phone series,” said Darrius Jones, executive VP of Strategy for Poly.
“This important integration ensures Poly’s solutions are seamlessly standardized with Ribbon AS 12.1 JITC certification as well as VoIP and video for a truly secure unified communications experience, which is crucial at the federal level,” he said.
