Template-based configuration and management of data-communications services

A method comprising:

• communicating over one or more wide-band networks, via an interface of a computer server, with remotely-situated client entities which are to receive data-communications services via a data communications system having a data communications circuit to cause data communications routing for endpoint devices associated with the remotely-situated client entities according to instructions written in a first programming language;
• and
• communicating, via a provisioning circuit integrated as part of the data communications system, with the remotely-situated client entities via a communications-control template for providing instructions written in a second programming language that corresponds to the first programming language and that is enabled to provide a more limited degree of functional control and/or communications routing relative to the first programming language, the communications-control template facilitating use of respective sets of client-specific directives to be provided from and on behalf of the remotely-situated client entities, wherein each of the respective sets of client-specific directives includes client-specific configuration parameters for the computer server to provide at least one data communications function for an associated one of the remotely-situated client entities, and wherein the provisioning circuit is to communicate with the data communications circuit to facilitate the data communications routing according to the respective sets of client-specific directives provided from and on behalf of the remotely-situated client entities.

A storage device including data which, in response to being accessed and executed by computer circuitry, causes a set of steps to be performed as follows:

• communicating over one or more wide-band networks, via an interface of a computer server, with remotely-situated client entities which are to receive data-communications services via a data communications system having a data communications circuit to cause data communications routing for endpoint devices associated with the remotely-situated client entities according to instructions written in a first programming language;
• and
• communicating, via a provisioning circuit integrated as part of the data communications system, with the remotely-situated client entities via a communications-control template for providing instructions written in a second programming language that corresponds to the first programming language and that is enabled to provide a more limited degree of functional control and/or communications routing relative to the first programming language, the communications-control template facilitating use of respective sets of client-specific directives to be provided from and on behalf of the remotely-situated client entities, wherein each of the respective sets of client-specific directives includes client-specific configuration parameters for the computer server to provide at least one data communications function for an associated one of the remotely-situated client entities, and wherein the provisioning circuit is to communicate with the data communications circuit to facilitate the data communications routing according to the respective sets of client-specific directives provided from and on behalf of the remotely-situated client entities.