Developing a UCaaS Platform for All-in Cloud Communications

Business challenge

The telecom industry is booming, and modern technologies play a crucial role in its development. Our client, a recognized US cloud voice company, empowers communications service providers (CSPs) with high-value digital solutions to address evolving market demands. To modernize their legacy telecom software, the company started with developing session initiation protocol (SIP) features for internet telephony and established a new cloud-based private branch exchange (PBX) by migrating monolith to microservices. Next, they expanded their VoIP solution into a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform to integrate voice, video, business messaging, and screen/file sharing.

All these transformations involved Intellias as a trusted technology partner with deep experience in telecom consulting services and software development. After implementing advanced SIP functions and cloud-based switch functionality, we took on our client’s next goal: to build a cutting-edge unified communications (UC) platform. We helped our client develop new digital services for CSPs with competitive pricing and enhanced the customer experience by transforming traditional voice solutions into an integrated UC cloud platform.

Solution delivered

Mature team setup and rapid evolution

Our client came to us looking for strong engineers and cloud consulting services to implement a next-level VoIP solution. We started as a team of 17, migrating monolithic voice and business messaging software to a microservices infrastructure. After accomplishing this mission and reinforcing our client’s trust by providing high-quality results, we readily tackled the next task: to modernize legacy UCaaS software with new features.

During telecom platform modernization, we helped our client move from on-premises to streamlined virtual cloud infrastructure to build a fully featured UCaaS solution. This transition relied on our platform development expertise to incorporate innovative features across devices and operating systems, from computers to smartphones.

Over time, cooperation with our client took the form of five dedicated teams, with separate development streams to implement carrier integrations, improved billing, big data, business messaging, and platform management. Our technology stack enlarged from mere backend technologies to frontend technologies and data storage, enabling us to complete assigned tasks autonomously. In this way, we broadened our expertise and responsibilities, moving up the value chain.

Top-notch architectural consulting and delivery services

Intellias architects formed an architecture group to create a robust software design aligned with our client’s business processes and strategies. To ensure enterprise-grade compliance with data security standards, we conducted external audits for SOC 2 certification.

Based on our approach to have a dedicated product owner for each team, we streamlined coordination with product management and enhanced solution operations. This helped our client set up efficient delivery services using a product-centric approach.

As part of our service-level agreement, Intellias ensured high-quality development results. We complied with bug thresholds by swiftly responding to critical issues. Our engineers created a purpose-built tool to constantly monitor service infrastructure and provide immediate support in case of incidents.

Full-scale unified communications cloud platform development

With microservices-based digital modernization of the UC platform, our client intended to deliver a wide range of innovative communication and collaboration features. For this, five Intellias teams focused on building relevant platform components with specific functionality:

1. Carrier integrations — features tailored for various communications providers (landline, mobile, or toll-free), including number portability, emergency call support, virtual local numbers, least-cost routing, and fraud prevention
2. Billing capabilities — enhanced detailed logs that provide transparent invoicing for platform users based on real-time call rates, detailed call records, call metering, calling plans, configurable rates, recurring and non-recurring charges, and billing data feeds
3. Data storage and analytics — data engineering that helps establish standards to transform massive volumes of unstructured datasets into actionable insights for data-driven decision-making and advanced reporting
4. Business messaging — a set of functions that enable organizations to send automated messages, reminders, notifications, or marketing campaigns to customers using suitable communication channels to boost customer engagement
5. Platform management — an intuitive web portal with a wide range of configuration options with rights-based access for specific user groups, from administrators and internal support to product owners and customers

These functions comprised a modern UCaaS solution covering all main capability areas, from voice/VoIP to audio/video conferencing and instant messaging. The platform also offered additional productivity options, such as screen and file sharing.

Business outcome

When our client charted a course toward transforming their on-premises communications software using cloud services, Intellias engineers provided the needed knowledge and resources. We proved our efficiency in all assigned development activities, helping our client achieve essential milestones:

• After one year of cooperation with Intellias, our client’s business boosted revenue by 30%, making our year together the most successful period in our client’s history.
• The company’s size almost doubled by acquiring mobile development expertise to build integrated solutions for mobile devices.
• Redefining our client’s organizational structure and operations improved business processes to better align with the current product strategy.
• By relying on Intellias’ managed IT services, our client established lean infrastructure with crucial 99% service uptime.
• Upgrading legacy on-premises voice and business messaging software using modern technology allowed our client to reinforce a strong position on the UCaaS solution market.
• On a mission to accelerate growth and innovation, our client expects to enlarge their customer base to two million users in two years.

Intellias has supported our client throughout their digital transformation journey as a reliable engineering partner by providing relevant skills and expert consulting. We helped them build innovative communications tools and continue developing their comprehensive UCaaS platform to include new features and capabilities.