Cliconnect Blog2008-08-07T20:56:37ZjsantosCopyright 2008, jsantosSPHPBLOGMigration of cellular application for IP will be priority in companies São Paulo - Research of Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) heard 395 executives to understand the trends of investment in the next year.
In 2008, 72% of the companies intend to migrar its cellular applications of data and voice for a net IP (Internet protocol), second research of the Economist Intelligence Unit for AT&T.
The use of mobile communications for the companies is ample between 395 high heard executives e, in the Europe, this number arrives 91% of the interviewed ones, that they had reported the constant use of the equipment.
Up to 2010, the commercial use of cellular telephones and other devices for executives and other employees will practically be universal, according to research, and will have to extend for attendance areas the customer, technology of the information and marketing, as well as in the field.
The research sample that, in all the regions, the biggest productivity of the work force is seen as an important benefit of mobility. Moreover, the executives also recognize other advantages, including since the improvement of the service of attendance to the customer and the reduction of the operational costs and of infrastructure until the improvement of the promptitude to give continuity to the businesses.
To materialize the intended profits of productivity it is necessary that controlling they have in mind as to conceive the migration of the technologies and applications of mobility for IP. The companies of the Europe and the Asia-Pacific region could get North American advantages observing company, where 76% of the companies inform that its executives already had developed a strategy for integration of the technology of mobility in nets IP and more than 70% already had defined lines of direction for its employees who use this technology and work at a distance. ]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080726-0841222008-07-26T00:00:00Z2008-07-26T00:00:00ZOpen Patent Alliance Formed to Advance WiMAX 4G TechnologyWiMAX is a 4G, IP-based broadband wireless technology that provides low-cost, multi-megabit speed and greater throughput for the mobile Internet era of video-rich content and bandwidth-intensive applications. It is based on the IEEE 802.16e standard.
To accomplish its goals, the OPA will form a WiMAX patent pool to help participating companies obtain access to patent licenses from patent owners at a predictable cost.
The patent pool will aggregate essential patent rights needed to implement the WiMAX standard as defined by the WiMAX Forum and the IEEE 802.16e standard. To help ensure product differentiation and interoperability at a more predictable cost, this approach will focus on providing a more competitive royalty structure by charging only for the features required to develop WiMAX products. The patent pool will incorporate a variety of royalty licensing solutions, including accounting for cross-licensing among individual members within the pool.
In addition to the formation of a WiMAX patent pool, the OPA will educate the WiMAX ecosystem about, and serve as a central resource for WiMAX intellectual property rights topics.
The OPA will issue a call for WiMAX essential patents for inclusion in its patent pool. An independent third-party reviewer will serve as the “patent referee” and will evaluate submitted patents to determine how essential they are to the WiMAX standard and WiMAX Forum profiles. While the OPA initially will focus its efforts on the WiMAX standard, it may work with other industry groups in the future.
Made up of six founding companies at its inception, the OPA expects to secure participation of an additional six to nine investor companies to encompass the WiMAX value-chain and broad geographic representation. Each investor company will have a seat on the OPA board of directors. The OPA will have dedicated staff that is directed by and accountable to the OPA board, and the alliance will serve as the licensing agent for the WiMAX patent pool, representing the licensors who agree to participate in the pool.
OPA Founded With Broad, Cross-Industry Support
“As an early and consistent supporter of the WiMAX 802.16e ecosystem, Alcatel-Lucent believes that end-user experiences will drive the broadband wireless revolution,” said Philippe Keryer, president of Alcatel-Lucent’s mobile access business. “We are confident that the formation of the Open Patent Alliance, which is fully in line with Alcatel-Lucent's Open CPE Program, will ensure that a broad and diverse set of devices will be available to the consumer, enabling service providers to deliver an unparalleled selection of applications and optimized device form-factors that can unleash the huge potential of broadband wireless anywhere, anytime, that WiMAX enables.”
“Cisco supports the Open Patent Alliance and its charter to stimulate further adoption of WiMAX broadband wireless technologies and enhance the mobile experience around the world,” said Brett Galloway, senior vice president of Cisco wireless and security. “By driving the adoption of WiMAX, innovative technologies will help enable people to move freely throughout the world while maintaining continuous connectivity to cool new applications and services.”
“Clearwire fully supports the OPA as a vehicle that will ensure the rapid development of an open, worldwide WiMAX ecosystem,” said Scott Richardson, chief strategy officer of Clearwire. “We are committed to innovation in all aspects of WiMAX technology, from the network infrastructure to end-user devices. Just as mobile phones now connect to people rather than places, Clearwire is giving our customers the ability to access the Internet, at true broadband speeds, when they are on the go.”
“Intel's vision in driving the formation of the Open Patent Alliance is to bring the openness of the Internet and computing industries to the wireless industry and WiMAX” said Sriram Viswanathan, vice president, Intel Capital and general manager, Intel WiMAX program office. “By facilitating an open intellectual property rights model, we expect the alliance to in turn create a more competitive, innovative and broader WiMAX industry that ultimately benefits the consumer with more choice for WiMAX technology and services.”
“Samsung Electronics is very proud to join the OPA with industry-leaders in WiMAX technology,” said Hwan Chung, senior vice president of Samsung Telecommunications America. “We believe that this initiation can be a significant momentum to expand mobile WiMAX services. Thanks to a flexible and easily adoptable scheme for participants, we can accelerate the mobile WiMAX deployment and marketing so that people can enjoy the benefits of fast, revolutionarily new, and more cost-effective data communications.”
“We expect to unleash wireless innovation with this patent alliance,” said Barry West, president of Sprint’s XOHM business unit. “The open licensing program will help prompt pervasive WiMAX technology. This speeds the day when consumers can enjoy the convenience of WiMAX mobile broadband services on new devices in new places, and experience all the open Internet has to offer.”
For information regarding the submission of patents for testing, visit the OPA Web site at www.openpatentalliance.com. Information about and a replay of the OPA web cast held earlier today can be found at ]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080611-1238412008-06-11T00:00:00Z2008-06-11T00:00:00ZSIPGate Opens iPhone SIP Applications For VoIP.
If Apple, and Steve Jobs does not like VoIP applications on iPhone (old News, and I think it is mainly phone companies that does want it) it does not seem to have deterred any one. One of the first SIP based VoIP applications for iPhone has been has been released to match the time of new iPhone 3G. Since now the 3G speeds are higher, may be carriers want you to use their lines for everything, including web browsing and email. But it remains to see what the future holds for iPnone users. Now that the 3G is available and the prices have been halved, the number of users will multiply as well. The disappearing exclusive deals for carriers should also put users at ease. Then again, other phone manufacturers will also learn from the Apple moves and act accordingly. Here is the press release from SIPGate about their SIP application for iPhone.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - June 4, 2008 - sipgate Inc. today announces the immediate availability of a free application for the iPhone, which, for the first time allows consumers to natively use any VoIP service which uses the industry standard SIP. Consumers can now use their iPhones to make and receive VoIP calls from their devices over a Wi-Fi Internet connection using a wide variety of VoIP providers. The VoIP-enabling software is available from sipgate's website www.sipgate.com. With the sipgate service, users can dial any number without using minutes from a wireless plan. This is particularly useful when calling to or from other countries, as call costs can be as high as $3 per minute. However, when using a VoIP service, costs can be kept as low as $0.01 per minute. sipgate is giving new users 111 free minutes for domestic calls for users to test out VoIP usage on the device*. Another benefit of sipgate is that consumers can use any domestic or international number provided by their VoIP service on their iPhone. This means that they can make and receive calls from different domestic and international numbers, all on a single device. Thilo Salmon, CEO of sipgate commented: "We love VoIP and we love the iPhone so we are giving people like us who always wanted VoIP on the iPhone the ability to use any SIP-based VoIP service they want. We are thrilled that Apple is opening up the iPhone and we look forward to taking part in future application development.” Salmon continued: "As a company we strive to make useful services accessible to everyone. There will be more innovation for businesses and consumers coming from sipgate this year, so keep your eyes open for more news.” * charges from third parties for Wi-Fi or VoIP subscriptions may apply ]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080610-0909412008-06-10T00:00:00Z2008-06-10T00:00:00ZThe Ultimate Guide to VoIP on a Mac
Security Macs have a reputation for being more secure than Windows online when it comes to outside threats, and that may be true; but that’s no reason to get sloppy about securing your VoIP and taking additional steps to make sure you’re not vulnerable. As VoIP becomes ever more popular, the amount of predators who see it as an easy way to take advantage of unsuspecting users will increase. VoIP can be vulnerable to a number of threats, some allowing your calls to be eavesdropped on and some, like SPIT attacks, that can clog up your VoIP connection much like spam can clog up your inbox..
While there’s no such thing as bulletproof VoIP, there are a few steps you can take to protect yourself. Since VoIP calls travel over an Internet connection, sensitive calls, much like sensitive e-mails should be encrypted. Perhaps the simplest way of encrypting your information - one that requires no advanced technical knowledge - is to use a program called Zfone. Zfone is a free program that encrypts and decrypts your VoIP calls on the fly, ensuring that your confidential information will stay confidential. Mac users will be pleased by the program’s design, which features the sleek and simple silver design found in other Mac applications.
Aside from encryption, you’ll also want to protect your VoIP from SPIT attacks. Though these attacks exist only in theory thus far, the thought of getting flooded with hundreds of calls from telemarketers should drive you to prevent them in advance. Most SPIT can be filtered out through the use of a VoIP firewall like the one offered by Borderware or by using a program like VoIPSEAL. Some VoIP clients like Vonage and Skype have built in systems that can filter out a majority of the SPIT before it ever reaches your phone.
Hardware While a VoIP phone isn’t a necessity to make VoIP calls, if you’re Jonesing for another gadget, a VoIP phone can make a nice addition to your collection. A wide variety of VoIP phones exist, but finding one that actually works with a Mac and provides you with high-quality calls can be a challenge. Most phones seem to be tied to a particular provider, so make sure you really love your VoIP client before investing in a phone. There are a lot of pricey phones out there, but here are a few Mac compatible phones that won’t bust your budget.
The Keyspan VP-24A The Keyspan is a cordless phone made for Skype users. It can access your Skype contact list allowing you simple push button dialing to anyone on that list. Sound quality is similar to that of regular cordless phones, but the Keyspan has some advantages over your standard phone. Since your Mac recognizes this device as just another audio device, you can use it as a microphone for iChat as well as device for your Skype. The Cyberphone W Yet another Skype phone, the Cyberphone has the distinction of being the first Skype-certified device to be available in all Mac stores. The Cyberphone certainly incorporates the sleek design Mac users love. One feature that should impress is that when the phone is lifted from the cradle Skype is automatically started on your computer. It also provides easy access to your voicemail with single button access. The Ipevo Free-1 The Ipevo is perhaps the most lauded of the Skype phones for the Mac. It certaintly looks cool. The white or black phone is accented with green buttons and is ergonomically sculpted to fit the face. It’s full of features to impress even the most jaded of geeks. There are 10 ring tones, echo elimination and, most interestingly, the phone allows you listen to music while you make calls. Audio quality is top notch, and resembles that of a mobile connection. i2Telecom Voice Stick For those who want to make VoIP calls on the go, the Voice Stick is a great option. Tiny enough that it can be carried on a key chain or in a pocket, the phone is extremely portable and can eliminate those pesky roaming charges from cell phones by allowing you to effortlessly take your VoIP on the road. The phone works with the Voice Stick software, which is available for a range of fees from nothing (for extremely limited calling benefits) to $24.99 a month. The Linksys CIT310 The Linksys phone works with Yahoo! Messenger and it allows you to make calls using the free Mac-to-Mac feature, as well as Yahoo Out. While primarily made for VoIP calls, the phone also has a jack so that it can be hooked up to standard phone lines as well, doubling it’s usefulness. You can access many of the Yahoo features through the phone - enter your zip code and your weather report will automatically appear. The VTech IP8100 For Vonage users, the VTech IP8100 was engineered specifically to be the model of choice. Features include one-touch access to Vonage Voicemail, a fifty-entry phone book, and hands-free speakerphone. Mac users should be wary, however. While the phone itself is compatible with Macs, some of the features and accessories, like the portable V-Phone, have had compatibility issues. ]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080606-1449052008-06-06T00:00:00Z2008-06-06T00:00:00ZNASCAR is hot It’s really interesting to see how many industries are beginning to embrace the cutting edge technology. Whereas it once was a cheap way for college kids to call friends across the country with bad reception, it’s now as clear as a traditional phone call — just a lot cheaper.
According to TMC:
The NASCAR racing team reportedly purchased a complete IP-based phone system solution from VoIP Supply, which consists of equipment from manufacturers such as Aastra,Rhino Equipment ( News - Alert) and Sangoma Technologies. Benjamin P. Sayers, president and chief executive officer of VoIP Supply said that whether its client is a racing team, school or corporate headquarters, VoIP technology is allowing for the best telecommunications experience, and saving organizations plenty of valuable resources. He said he’s excited that VoIP technology use is expanding rapidly in all sorts of businesses and industries. ]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080606-1446462008-06-06T00:00:00Z2008-06-06T00:00:00ZWhy VoIP: it is the best Nowadays, there are numerous service providers, equipment, tools, machines, setups, and devices that make our conversation unforgettable and valuable. These contraptions and different ways are providing better quality and low-price communication not only to individuals but also to large organisations and corporations. These contraptions and methods include technologies such as PSTN line, Internet, Broadband, mobile networks, and the most useful technology named Voice over IP. Now, the question comes that if you have a phone line or mobile connection then why make a call using Internet and why choose VoIP?
The answer is simple and straightforward. Voice over Internet Protocol provides the facility to make a call using the Internet and that too in a very cost-effective manner than any other available medium. VoIP, the acronym for Voice over Internet Protocol, is a process of routing of a voice conversation over the Internet. After the launch of broadband in the Internet market, the phenomenon of Voice over IP has reached its top level and today it is being used by almost every person who uses the Internet. Nowadays, almost every corporation, whether it is large or small, is using IP telephony and Voice over IP solutions to facilitate their communication. This method brings down the expenses for the companies - particularly the infrastructural investment in their communication processes.
Some people may have a misconception about Voice over IP. There are those who might think that the VoIP service is a useless thing or service, as they often compare it with the basic PSTN Phone lines or mobile services. However, the process of routing your voice over the Internet networks is a much better option from any of the above mentioned services. The main advantages of VoIP include cost effectiveness and reliability. This telephony service costs far less than any other traditional phone lines or mobile connections, as it uses the medium of the Internet. On the other hand, if we talk about the reliability of this service, it provides completely encrypted base for people to exchange their views and ideas, and as a result, the chances of the users missing even a single bit of communication is very rare.
There are some other major advantages of VoIP. A user can avail this facility, wherever they want. This means that if a person is on a vacation, then he can take his VoIP device with him and connect it to Internet to make and accept calls on the regular phone numbers at the same rates that he was paying back home. Irrespective of the specific location of a particular person, the IP Telephony would never let him go out of reach. It also includes the facility of making the calls to any point of this world and that too at cheaper rates. In quite a few countries, the providers often provide the VoIP-to-VoIP calls for free. As the result, each user of this incredible service can make or receive calls for free. The user also has to pay lower bills in comparison with the normal PSTN phone or mobile services.
The VoIP providers sell some quantity of bandwidth to the wholesalers, and then the wholesaler transfers this service to retailers, and then the retailers provide us this service at their end. By providing greater facilities such as the capability to make Internet calls, the technology of VoIP, is delivering significant benefits to the users in terms of a decrease in call costs, an increase in call efficiency and the support of reliable broadband networks.
Source: tmcnet.com
]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080513-1843252008-05-14T00:00:00Z2008-05-14T00:00:00ZPresence: What is it, and why do you need it? Is presence just another buzzword used to sell UC products, or is it an important factor in making the most of integrated communications applications? Let’s take a look at how it works and discuss how it can help users take advantage of new technology more effectively.
Presence: More than just being thereWhen used in the context of communication applications and devices, presence refers to the ability to ascertain the status of your contacts at a given time. In other words, you can tell at a glance whether someone you want to call is available and, in some cases, the reason for and extent of unavailability.
For example, common presence indicators include Online (available for communications), Busy (currently engaged in other communications or activities), Away (not at the desk or in the office, otherwise unavailable), and Do Not Disturb (in but not available). Some options are more specific, such as Be Right Back or Out to Lunch, giving others an idea of how long you’ll be unavailable. Your presence indicator may also tell others whether you have a Webcam for video calling/conferencing.
Presence status indicators first became popular with instant messaging clients. With most IM clients, you can set your status, including making yourself appear to be offline when you’re actually online. You may also be able to enter a custom status message, such as “Be back at 3 P.M.” or “Gone to doctor’s appointment.”
You may be able to configure the software to change your status automatically. For example, you can configure Windows Live Messenger to set your status to Away if you’re inactive for a specified period of time or to automatically show you as Busy if you’re running a full-screen program or presentation.
Beyond instant messagingThe presence concept has moved beyond IM and chat programs. Unified communications ties together different modes of communication such as IM, e-mail, and voice and video calls. With this type of integration, a user’s status can help determine how to handle calls and messages. For example, if you’ve set your status to Busy, calls might go directly to voice mail, whereas if your status is Out of Office, the system could redirect those office calls to your cell phone or home phone.
In a truly integrated system, you could assign priority ratings to your contacts or even to particular subject lines. Then, for example, if you received an e-mail message with a high priority but were away from the computer, the system could ring your cell phone and notify you of the message — or even read the message to you.
The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is becoming the standard for VoIP telephony. Extensions to SIP can use “presence agent” software to store information about users’ status to make it available for other users.
You can even subscribe to a particular user’s status information and receive automatic notification when that user’s status changes (e.g., when the user comes online, goes out to lunch, etc.). The user still has control over his or her own presence information and can distribute that information not just from a computer but also from a PDA or cell phone.
Presence and privacyThe ability of others to know when we are and aren’t available inevitably brings up privacy issues. We may want some people to have this information but don’t necessarily want everyone to be able to monitor when we’re online or offline.
To address this, software makers build features into their programs that allow you to decide how you want your presence status displayed. You can select certain people whom you want to block from viewing your status, or you can select only certain people who will be able to see your status and block everyone else from viewing it.
This actually gives us more privacy than we would have without presence. In the “old days” when there were no presence indicators, if we were expecting a call, we would have to remain available to everyone so as not to miss that call. That meant someone we didn’t want to communicate with could call. Now we can represent ourselves as unavailable to all but the person whose call we’re expecting.
Problems with presenceIf presence indicators don’t actually pose a threat to privacy and, if properly used, give us more of it, what problems present obstacles to the adoption of presence technology? Perhaps the biggest problem is that currently, the user has to manually set his or her status indication.
As we discussed, some programs may have limited ability to detect what you’re doing and change your status automatically, but in most cases you have to remember to change it yourself. So if you go off to lunch and leave your status set to Online, people will be trying in vain to reach you while you’re gone. And if you do remember to indicate that you’re away but then forget to change it when you get back, others will think you aren’t available when you are.
As systems become more automated, the usefulness of presence information will grow. For example, there’s already software available for Windows Mobile phones that will check your calendar and automatically turn your phone off or set it to vibrate during the time that you have blocked out to be in a meeting. After the scheduled end of the meeting, the software turns the phone’s ringer back on. You could also use this type of technology to change your presence indicator status based on your calendar information.
SummaryPresence information can help business users communicate more efficiently by making calls or sending messages at a time when they know the recipient is available to receive them and by notifying users when another user’s status changes so they don’t have to play telephone tag or guessing games to try to get in touch. As communication modes become more unified and various communications devices become more integrated, presence information can become available across different platforms and in a more automated way to make it more accurate, transparent, and convenient for users.
Although “presence” may seem like just another industry buzzword, it has the potential to change the way we communicate in significant ways. Look for more and more products to feature “presence” as an integral part of the package, and look for vendors to gather, distribute, and use presence information in increasingly sophisticated ways. ]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080225-0739202008-02-25T00:00:00Z2008-02-25T00:00:00ZMarket research firm Frost & Sullivan is predicting that the industry will grow by 850% worldwide over the next five years, from $145 million in 2007 to $1.4 billion in 2013.
Telepresence is a combination of very high quality audio and videoconferencing technology integrated with management services and especially designed physical environments to create a simulation of in-person meetings. In high-end installations, users can book a telepresence meeting in Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes. Then they can walk into a telepresence room at the appointed time, and the meeting will be up and running without any need to dial in or turn on cameras.
It is that tight integration of telepresence technology and services that has analysts optimistic about this newest form of video-based communication, according to Dominic Dodd, Frost & Sullivan's senior industry analyst and program manager for conferencing and collaboration in Europe. Dodd said the service elements of telepresence produce an "immersive experience" that creates an illusion of being in the same room with someone hundreds or thousands of miles away. ]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080219-1143482008-02-19T00:00:00Z2008-02-19T00:00:00ZIP phones get more innovative in 2008
Despite the innovation in VoIP and unified communication (UC) platforms, the IP phone itself hasn't kept up with the rest of the VoIP ecosystem. Expect 2008 to be the year the IP phone undergoes a facelift as vendors create more functionality in the phone, allowing users to create a more custom experience.
When companies have deployed VoIP, I've asked many of the users what types of things they do with the phone now that they did not do before. Most of the time, the answer is they do nothing differently. Users make calls, they hang up and then they make another call. Exciting stuff! The reason is that the majority of IP phones available today don't provide the users much more functionality than those of the past. They may have full-color screens and better sound, but they don't add that much more functionality to the end user.
Contrast that with the innovation in mobile phones with touch-screens, full keyboards, MP3 players, Web browsers and many other features, and it's clear that innovation with consumer mobile phones has far outpaced that of corporate telephony. This is one of the main reasons workers are relying more on their mobile phones and less on their desktop phones. For example, when I miss a call on my mobile phone, I can normally return it with a few clicks. When I miss a call on a corporate IP phone, there's a missed call log, but it's buried a few menus down and much more complicated than it should be. I can give you plenty of other examples where the functionality of my mobile device is just better than that of my desk phone, but the net result is that I have my desk phone forwarded to my mobile phone most of the time. The innovation with mobile phones has also allowed me to easily create a totally customized user experience. I know it's possible to do some customization with high-end IP phones, but it's normally pretty complicated.
I expect this to change over the next 12 to 24 months as VoIP manufacturers look to appeal to more tech-savvy users with a broader range of phones that are most customizable. There are already a few examples of this on the market today. Avaya's One-X phone, which looks and acts very much like a consumer device, allows users to load their own MP3s for personal ringtones and has a USB jack on the back and a very friendly user interface. Mitel's Navigator "phone" is designed to integrate into desktop environments.
So what does this mean to you, the buyer? Understand that the phone will be a key point of innovation over the next couple of years, and expect more from your vendors. Press your vendor of choice into showing you a long-term roadmap of where its IP phones are headed, and get aggressive with the trade-up value of older phones.
Larger, more colorful screens are nice, but your end users will want to create a customized experience like the other pieces of technology in their personal and professional lives.
Zeus Kerravala manages Yankee Group's infrastructure research and consulting. His areas of expertise involve working with customers to solve their business issues through the deployment of infrastructure technology solutions, including switching, routing, network management, voice solutions and VPNs.
]]>http://www.cliconnect.com/Blog/index.php?entry=entry080208-0918372008-02-08T00:00:00Z2008-02-08T00:00:00ZHow to be future-ready for IP telephony12.09.2007
To quote a popular Virginia Slims ad from the 1960s, VoIP has definitely "come a long way, baby" from its roots in the late 1990s to its role today as a business-critical component within the unified communications (UC) market. Some technology pundits have questioned VoIP, however -- in terms of bandwidth, latency, security and, especially, reliability, among other factors. Cisco and Avaya have led the field of companies embracing VoIP and the concept of enterprise IP telephony.
The question becomes one of how an enterprise organization can deflect the pundits and truly gain confidence in an IP telephony environment, making it "future ready" to scale with changing market dynamics. The answer lies in integrated management and testing solutions that not only validate IP telephony devices on a one-off basis but continuously monitor on a large scale to maximize performance and ongoing operations.
In a distributed environment, integrated management and testing offers smoother end-user operation, integrity and functionality across all phases of an IP phone system from conception to deployment to optimization. The key to a successful IP telephony deployment lies in diagnosing the problems and vulnerabilities of the system, since this can be a complex and in-depth process. The management solution needs to automatically discover all components in the network related to IP telephony – this is similar to the Google model of crawling the Web, but applied to maintaining server and application health.
As a guide to gaining a future-ready IP telephony environment, the foundation is based on four pillars: 1) automated testing capabilities, 2) troubleshooting and diagnostics, 3) in-depth reporting and business intelligence (BI), and 4) continuous monitoring.
Automated testing equals better end-to-end IP telephony management. For automated testing to work, the solution must emulate the end user. Typically, an end user will pick up a phone, place a call, conduct conference calls, check voicemail and so on. Automated testing takes the typical calling experience one step further by emulating the entire environment under load, while simultaneously validating full feature availability to end users. It is important to remember that automated testing does not replace product quality assurance (QA) but serves instead as a complement by testing all components of the deployment. A comprehensive automated testing solution offers sophisticated resource selection using algorithms which ensure that all the features and capability of the IP telephony system are in full working order. It is rare for the IP hardware to break down, but issues tend to arise at the handset during deployment, configuration and administration of servers, applications, network components and so on.
The second pillar addresses the importance of troubleshooting and diagnostics. In addition to testing, the future-ready IP telephony environment should offer support staff a set of help-desk applications for enhanced productivity that improves user acceptance. Within larger enterprises, Tier-1/2 support staff may excel in their comfort zones related to typical computer or network issues but may be limited in their knowledge of voice deployment problems. Outside of a select few, there is a lack of tools for these staffers to effectively handle IP telephony-related issues without escalating it to seasoned voice professionals. The capability to offer a portal for tier-1/2 engineers with a consolidated view of a trouble phone and then remote control the phone across the globe via one central help-desk center can transform IT efficiency and drive up end-user satisfaction.
In-depth reporting and business intelligence constitute the third pillar. Dashboards are the rage these days and that applies to IP telephony. One snapshot can equal a thousand words by offering insight into detailed inventory reports. In the corporate world, senior management sometimes overlooks the fact that IT departments are business assets that help keep the company technically sound and running at optimal productivity. IT must be viewed as a strategic weapon in the corporate arsenal and not portrayed as a cost center. An efficient IP telephony management system provides deep reporting, analytics related to productivity, change management, asset management, performance and compliance, helping IT organizations provide significant business value for the enterprise.
Pillar number four is perhaps the most important of all – voice monitoring. Even if an organization refuses to commit to the first three pillars, this one is by far the most important to focus on in your IP telephony strategy. Besides continuous monitoring of end-user voice quality, a solution must monitor security and compliance issues and track fraudulent use of the system (inappropriate calls to 900 numbers, international long distance, toll fraud, etc.). In addition, it must monitor service availability, especially if a gateway is down, calls are blocked and IT needs to be alerted. In a highly classified environment, voice monitoring is crucial for catching any unencrypted calls and receiving notifications that a gateway is at, or out of, capacity.
In order that the four pillars should help an organization create a highly reliable and scalable future-ready IP telephony environment, each one must strategically address end user behavior, integrity and functionality. The future-ready IP telephony management system must also be applications focused to address the many complexities of unified communications applications, an evolving data network environment, frequent software updates and so on. Also, it must feature a solution that can scale with the enterprise and integrate into the IT infrastructure: enterprise directories, role-based authentication, open APIs to integrate with dashboards, email systems and SNMP for notification. Most importantly, it is critical to have it integrated with the enterprise network management system – regardless of the platform. In short, it must be designed from the ground up for IP telephony and UC – not simply as an extension of a hardware or packet sniffing-based solution.
Telephony is business-critical to a myriad of enterprises, large and medium sized, with unique characteristics that differentiate it from other applications on the data network. IT organizations that incorporate these four pillars into their management solutions will deliver superior confidence and will be well on their way to creating a future-ready IP telephony environment.