Getting more from convergence
IP telephony is yet to result in a complete communications and collaboration revolution but progress is being made, according to Chris de Silva
Convergence in the communications world over the past 10 years has spanned IP telephony, unified communications (UC), fixed/mobile convergence and the merging of communications into IT. Some of these have even delivered on their promises.
While IP telephony has been broadly adopted, the overall benefit to the enterprise has been questionable. Two separate networks have become a single infrastructure. But often this has meant simply replacing one set of proprietary appliances with another.
Maintaining high-quality voice calls over a shared data network has also proved challenging, and communications application suites for IP telephony systems often have been no more sophisticated than those used with TDMs.
The prospect of communication and collaboration between two or more people from any application, using any device at any location, via the most appropriate route, with business-grade security is very attractive to many business users. Few, however, have actually achieved their desired effect.
Instead, an avalanche of vendor product announcements have hijacked and diluted the term “UC” - often to reflect the feature sets of their products.
Meanwhile, the phenomenal pace of convergence within the fixed and mobile technology markets offers advantages to the increasingly flexible and mobile workforce.
Some organisations have wanted to cut their costs by replacing the enterprise PBX with mobile phones. Others are exploiting more sophisticated ideas that allow seamless handover from mobile carrier networks to enterprise networks, using WLAN or femtocell technology.
Many vendors have become aware of the growing opportunity arising from the convergence of the IT and communications worlds. However, while communications-enabled apps are now emerging, especially at the desktop, the underlying technologies are still not well integrated.
The channel may struggle to escape the confines of traditional product sets and portfolios and achieve any market differentiation. One approach has been to promote communications-enabled business processes (CEBP), but scratch the surface and it becomes clear that most vendors are unable to explain what this means.
Businesses’ processes have always required communication and collaboration between people. CEBP suggests this should become more automated in some way. But where are the case studies?
If you ignore all the hype, you may note that organisations are now faced with a converged IT and communications zone that is flat and uninspiring.
Communications vendors have jumped on the virtualisation bandwagon and this is essential. All communications activity needs to be capable of being virtualised, just like any other IT application. Communications servers and applications need to be virtualised, and capable of being deployed on thin clients’ virtual desktops - enabling cost reduction and more flexible working.
In a centralised and virtualised environment, new cloud services can be provided quickly, supporting utility pricing and new deployment models. Reusing components facilitates the rapid adoption of rich functionality - ensuring innovative applications can be more rapidly brought to market.
For example, the user-friendly design of Web 2.0 applications promises new aggregated functionality, often built from a number of component parts, including some provided by third-party service-oriented applications and services. Components are combined to form “mash-ups” with an intuitive interface that appeals to many end users.
These apps may take an open-standards approach and are designed to be accessible from mobile as well as desktop devices. In my view, this embodies the concept of anywhere, any time computing, communications and collaboration.
In the business world many people have one mobile device that is always connected, and which can be linked to other devices such as centrally managed virtual desktops in different locations.
The need for cost reduction has accelerated the move towards virtualisation and cloud computing. At the same time communications convergence provides a platform for change, driving additional cost-reduction possibilities and potentially much more.
Providing workers with next-generation communications-enabled applications, delivered quickly and cost effectively, can improve the efficiency of business processes. And by developing applications inspired by Web 2.0, organisations can empower employees as well as gain critical buy-in.
Adopting cost-reduction strategies without considering how to improve efficiency is a missed strategic opportunity. Enterprises that understand this will have a competitive advantage.
Chris de Silva is vice president for IT solutions at NEC Europe