While it has been widely discussed over the past few years, the
convergence of voice, video and data over a single IP-based network
- also known as IP telephony - has recently gained mainstream
acceptance. In the UK, users such as the Football Association,
Surrey County Council and the RSPCA have put the technology at the
heart of their IT infrastructure.
Traditionally, companies have had two "networks". A data network
linking PCs to computers whereby staff communicated by e-mail,
Internet, intranet or extranet; and a voice network linking phone
to phone. Businesses are now considering merging the two to create
a common networking infrastructure to handle all corporate
communications. This new IP infrastructure would carry all voice
and data traffic - delivered to desktops anywhere in the world.
Now that IP telephony is a viable technology, many IT managers are
rethinking their network strategies. Research from Ovum predicts
that by 2006, 23% of Internet users worldwide will use their
computers to make phone calls compared to only 5% in 2000. Such
statistics, along with the decline in PBX sales, mean that
implementing an IP-based infrastructure is no longer a question of
"if we should do it" but "when we should do it".
By converging voice and data networks onto a single IP-based
network, an enterprise can lower its total cost of network
ownership by reducing expenditures associated with equipment and
maintenance, network administration and network carrier charges. A
converged network facilitates employee mobility and also provides a
solid foundation for a new generation of applications, based on IP
telephony and unified messaging.
Unified messaging solutions are a good example of an application
that leverages IP benefits; they deliver every message into a
single inbox, giving staff the ability to access and manage their
communications using any device. This is especially important for
people who spend much of their time away from the office, but still
need access to the same network capabilities.
Like unified messaging, videoconferencing has been in existence for
many years but never gained widespread adoption. The high cost
associated with acquiring and maintaining a separate network for
video meant that even when businesses did invest in the technology,
it was often reserved for use by a select group of individuals. A
converged network gives everybody access to videoconferencing by
providing companies with a cost-effective model, which is also easy
to deploy.
Convincing the board to invest in new technology in these lean
economic times can be daunting. IT initiatives must support core
business strategies, but also provide quick returns. IP telephony
can deliver both. But to prepare for migration to a converged
network, companies must understand all the relevant factors.
It is important to understand your PBX supplier's future
architectural plans for your voice network and how it plans to
provide viable migration paths to IP. Convergence can potentially
take many forms, but some supplier's strategies generate greater
return on investment than others. Finally, IT managers must begin
to evaluate IP telephony on its own terms rather than merely as a
replacement for the traditional PBX.
This will be a gradual process for some, but companies that
immediately grasp the benefits of IPT will create networks that
effect and facilitate change and innovation rather than impede
them.
Guy Tonti is director of systems engineering for Cisco Systems
in the UK and Ireland