There are many ways to accomplish Cisco call recording, but they vary depending on the Cisco technology you use. Cisco SIP-based VoIP systems are deployed globally and are especially present in contact centers. A number of companies make use of CUBE to manage their SIP traffic. This article will explain how to implement Cisco CUBE recording with CallCabinet.
CUBE (Cisco Unified Border Element) call recording requires the CallCabinet call connector. We deploy this call connector to the CUBE network via the SIPREC protocol, which manages all communication.
Why Choose CUBE for Cisco VoIP Call Recording?
The CUBE connects VoIP networks together and is similar to a standard voice gateway, except that traditional voice trunks are replaced by IP connections, similar to a Session Border Controller (SBC). With CUBE, CUCM systems connect SIP Trunks or VoIP networks to the Cisco infrastructure and will manage the throughput of inbound and outbound calls to and from the Cisco system.
Recording Cisco CUBE with CallCabinet
CallCabinet interfaces with the CUBE over SIPREC to record calls. This method securely records calls and captures metadata before transmission to the CallCabinet call network.
This makes CallCabinet the best choice as your Cisco SBC recorder because it consumes no bandwidth from the customer network and requires no direct interaction with the agent’s phone when capturing call audio and metadata. While many call recording solutions exist, CallCabinet was designed to be integrated with Cisco phone systems.
In this method of capturing calls over SIPREC there’s a limitation that’s important to note. Only the calls passing along the CUBE (i.e. starting or terminating in the SIP trunk) can be recorded. What this means is internal IP phone calls (extension to extension) are not recorded because they’re not routed through CUBE. This is the main distinction from recording using phones with Built In Bridge.
What is SIPREC?
SIPREC is a recording standard developed as a universal interface between a Network Element (a Session Border Controller or a Media Gateway) and a Call Recording Server. SIPREC defines the protocol between a Session Recording Client (SRC or network element) and a Session Recording Server (SRS or recording server).
SIPREC can typically be deployed either in a Hosted Model, where the network element (or CUBE) is part of the Service Provider’s hosted Cisco PBX offering, or in an On-Premise Model, where the end customer utilizes the network element (or CUBE) to interface SIP Trunks or other VoIP networks to their Cisco PBX.
Hosted Deployment
In a Service Provider environment, Cisco CUBE may be deployed in the Service Provider data center as the network element to the hosted Cisco PBX. In this environment, the CallCabinet Call Collector is deployed on a Virtual Machine in the Service Provider’s data center. Through the SIPREC protocol, CUBE provides a stream of metadata and forked media from recording targets (these are users designated by the Service Provider) to the CallCabinet Call Collector which then buffers, encrypts and moves recordings to the CallCabinet cloud.
The Hosted CUBE integration offers a low bandwidth solution for sending metadata and forked media to the CallCabinet Call Network. Where CUBE becomes an issue is in recording extensions not on the CUBE. Only calls on the CUBE are recorded in this deployment.
Customer Premise Deployment
CUBE is typically deployed in a customer premise environment where the CUBE becomes the VoIP network interface to either the CUCM or the CUCME (Cisco Unified Communication Manager Express). In this deployment, all calls from the CUCM or CUCME to the VoIP provider traverse the CUBE.
However, no extension-to-extension (internal) calls are on the CUBE and are therefore not recorded. For customers that need extension-to-extension and inbound/outbound call recording, we recommend CallCabinet’s Cisco Built-In Bridge (BIB) integration. CallCabinet’s BIB integration captures all telephone traffic directly from the extension no matter how the calls are routed within the Cisco System.
Benefits of CUBE Recording
- No bandwidth consumption on the customer premise
- No load on the CUCM or CUCME as it does not participate in the recording process
Considerations of CUBE Recording
- Recording is only available for Inbound/Outbound PSTN Internal calls are not routed through the CUBE, and therefore are not recorded
- Call metadata does not include the extension number as the information is sent to the recorder outside of the CUCM/CUCME