The Twilio suite of programmable communication apps has proven itself time and time again, but that doesn’t mean they’re perfect. Network architects are increasingly calling them bloated, which may indeed be true considering how many extraneous features they now come with. Several competitors have now popped up in the space and are giving the established brand a run for its money.
Benefits of Using Other Applications
A majority of system administrators who want to use something like Twilio are looking for an app that provides voice-over Internet Protocol and Simple Message Service integration. Both of these are common technologies that leverage the power of the publicly switched telephone network by connecting it to standard transmission control packets. Authors of dedicated PSTN subroutines have found Twilio’s features useful since they can help them automate customer service messages as well as marketing information. Anyone who wants to keep their clients abreast of the situation can turn to these tools, but they might notice an increased amount of lag if they use any of the newer ones.
There’s a good chance that they’ll also run into a situation where the explosion of extra features makes it difficult to configure their installation. By opting to work with a Twilio competitor, you can take advantage of a much leaner application base that requires far less middleware to offer the same TCP/IP connection quality. Packets sent through one of these competing apps will still find their way out to the PSTN or to whatever VoIP address they were being routed to. That
makes them an attractive option for those who want to stay in touch with large numbers of users without having to constantly reconfigure their contact lists. They’re also a good pick for anybody who has serious security or usability concerns.
Cybersecurity Problems Associated with Large Codebases
Every bit of extra code added to an existing project increases its attack surface unless said code is written with inherent security in mind. Twilio employs some of the best engineers in Silicon Valley, but they’re not responsible for how their software is used by individual clients. It’s fully possible that information technology advocates inside of a specific organization find it difficult to deploy such a large product in a safe way simply because they lack the resources to do so.
Eventually, they might run into errors as a result of the same problems.
When computer scientists want to measure the usability of an API, they usually start by checking whether any data the API spits out makes sense when compared with the original input. If a system were to become sufficiently confusing that marketing or support representatives were regularly sending out messages to the wrong location, things would start
to break down. Automation scripts may eventually begin to operate on a haywire basis as well, which is a major issue for those looking to reduce their own workloads. By using a third-party API, system architects might see better throughput numbers.
Programming for an Open API
Working with an API is much easier than the official dashboards that you’ve probably gotten used to. All you have to do is send a single call to an open TCP/IP gateway and you’ll be able to pass messages back and forth. These could take the form of SMS or multimedia texts as well as other types of packetized data. Keep in mind that VoIP calls are a form of data, even though they only ever encode sound. VoIP clients actually record a person’s voice seamlessly to produce a stream of bits.
Tech-savvy business owners can leverage this feature to automate their calls and collect information about what their customers need. Eventually, they might even be able to slipstream speed dial information directly into their relationship management database. This would make finding clients who need support a breeze regardless of how many a particular business venture had to keep track of.
Regardless of what third-party solution you choose, make sure that you go with something that offers all of the features you need. By picking the right app, you can be certain that you won’t lose out on any of the functionality you have grown accustomed to.
Guest post by Dean Samuels