The pace of users upgrading to converged networks is
increasing. A survey of 602 businesses conducted by Coleman Parkes
Research for BT has found that 37% of respondents moved to a
converged network in the past 12 months.
The research showed that 43% of those asked were using their
local area networks for voice calls, while 34% were sending voice
traffic over their wide area network. The main driver for rolling
out a converged network was lowering costs (57% of respondents),
47% said greater flexibility was an important factor.
The biggest barrier was uncertainty about cost benefits (28%).
Phil Mottram, vice-president marketing and channel operations at
BT, said part of the problem was that users have traditionally been
given a return on investment model based on intangible benefits. He
suggested users consider benefits that can be measured such as the
reduction on network maintenance charges from a converged network
and the savings arising from running a single network to multiple
sites.
Part of the problem is assessing how much work is required to
get the network voice-enabled. While most users believe their
networks are ready for IP telephony, research from the
Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) has shown that many
have not considered all aspects of running a converged network.
Tony Corlett, chairman of the TIA Convergence Forum, said,
"People tend to support VLan and Power over Ethernet [protocols]
but they need to look at all elements of the network together." In
particular, he said, users should consider how the network will run
with media gateways, Active Directory and Microsoft Exchange
servers.
Corlett recommended that businesses look at running small
converged networks for up to 25% of end-users and aim to provide
the remainder with some of the functionality of the new network. He
suggested users look at unified messaging and mobility to provide
users on the non-converged network with some of the benefits of
convergence.
For instance, applications can be developed with presence and
awareness built in or combine voice and instant messaging services
to speed up decision making within a team.