IVR Virtualization

Why IVR Virtualization?

IVR virtualization allows IVR managers to match IVR services to a common next-generation infrastructure based on open standards, voice-over-IP (VoIP), and state-of-the-art automation. IVR virtualization goes beyond the multiapplication and multitenancy offerings of other IVR products to provide superior flexibility and greater responsiveness while maximizing the IVR investment.

Virtualization is a widely adopted computing technique in IT data centers. It is used as a means of improving operational efficiency and dramatically reducing costs. Virtualization refers to separating the physical characteristics of computing resources from the way in which other systems interact with those resources. Organizations can achieve virtualization through aggregation, disaggregation, or the combination of the two.

Aggregation makes multiple physical resources appear as a single logical resource. Disaggregation is the opposite technique that makes a single resource appear as multiple logical resources.

A virtual IVR is a fundamental advancement on traditional IVR and multitenanted IVR products. Virtualization improves infrastructure use, particularly for multiservice environments. It also reduces capital and operational expenditure yet provides access to leading IVR performance and functionality with support for open standards.

A solution that delivers both virtual aggregation and virtual disaggregation allows organizations to deploy a single physical IVR infrastructure across multiple sites and provision onto that infrastructure many virtual IVRs, each of which performs as if it were an independent, dedicated IVR. These virtual IVR systems offer all of the functionality of dedicated IVR systems but with the advantage that they can span a widely distributed foundation IVR, with that foundation shared across dozens or even hundreds of virtual IVRs, each executing a separate service. All virtual IVRs thus share common hardware and software infrastructure, operational resources and port capacity

IVR Virtualization Without Sacrifice

IVR virtualization shouldn’t mean that an organization has to sacrifice quality, performance or customer service. A virtual IVR solution should offer the following:

Open Standards: VoiceXML + VoIP

A virtual IVR should provide native support for VoIP through implementation of standards, including the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP). VoiceXML and VoIP together assure that the virtual IVR investment has a long lifespan and is interoperable with a broad range of third-party products.

Leading Density and Performance

With leading density and performance, a virtual IVR can pack more ports into less space on a lower budget. In addition, a virtual IVR should be engineered to leverage the full performance and density of the foundation IVR so that operating virtual IVRs has no effect on platform density.

Scalability

With the ability to dynamically provision new equipment and ports, a virtual IVR should enable users to increase their infrastructure as call demands dictate. Because virtual IVRs run on standard equipment, the lead time for scaling is greatly reduced.