IP networks signal sales opportunities

One of the biggest open computing standards, IP, offers organisations many benefits, but it has its own unique problems, writes Bob Tarzey

Fifteen years ago a plethora of different network communications protocols were used for computer communications. Getting computers to talk to each other was a complex business and vendors such as Novell made a good living enabling them to do so.

Things are different today – there is but one network protocol used for the vast majority of computer communications: the Internet Protocol or IP. This was the first round of “network convergence” that allowed any computer anywhere to easily communicate with another. Arguably, IP has been the most successful open computing standard ever.

But for the past 10 years or so, the term “network convergence” has come to mean something quite different. Vendors such as Cisco who helped drive the first round of network convergence saw an even greater opportunity. This was to take over an even larger network; the global network for voice communications. This second round is well underway and firms are now using their single powerful IP network for far more than computer communications, such as voice calls, video communications and networking. This has created a vast network of IP-enabled devices that extends from our pockets to outer space.

A single standard on every device – all using a common language – sounds pretty good compared with what might have been. But businesses are still left with some problems.

First, having a single network for all communications means that failure of that network can mean total communications failure. Fortunately IP networks are resilient and such events are rare. But a second problem is harder to mitigate – that is successfully managing the IP network to make sure it provides adequate performance and that the right priority is given to different applications.

It is not surprising then, that in a recent survey by Quocirca, in which 473 senior IT and network managers from EMEA enterprises were interviewed, they placed monitoring availability and performance as more important than user access when managing their IT networks.

Quocirca’s research also showed that there were gaps in the capability to manage IP networks over the importance placed on them. Respondents worried that their ability to integrate their network management with other activities was lacking.

Interestingly, smaller enterprises felt that they had better IP management capabilities than larger ones. This may be because the political issues around network convergence lessen in small organisations where there is more likely to be one group managing both the computer and voice communications requirement.

However, the survey also showed that senior IT management is more bullish about their organisation’s ability to overcome such concerns than those who report to them – the arguments need to be won at board level.

The complexity of managing a single IP network for so many different business critical applications is daunting, so many are turning to the channel for help.

The message is clear: IP is here, and seems to be here to stay. At the moment it is unrivalled as the emergent technology standard for all types of communications. Businesses accept this, but they face challenges in monitoring and managing their networks – they need third party help. For resellers the opportunity to add value is clear.

Quocirca’s Managing 21st Century Networks is free to CRN readers at www.quocirca.com/pages/analysis/reports/view/store250/item3609