Converged voice and data networks are revolutionising IT
infrastructure. They offer IT directors the cost savings that come
from using a single network, and at the same time preparing
organisations for a new generation of applications.
According to industry estimates, 75% of worldwide voice traffic
will use the voice over IP (VoIP) protocol within just a few
years.
But many companies are asking whether it is worth abandoning
their separate voice and data networks and moving to a combined
one. Issues such as cost, quality, security and IT complexity still
concern many chief information officers.
A converged network can run voice as well as traditional
applications. It uses the internet protocol (IP) standard to send
voice as digitised packets - termed voice over IP.
The network can also carry video streams, images, transactional
data, e-mails, or any other information that can be digitised and
sent over the internet.
The user can prioritise different types of traffic to maintain a
high quality of transmission.
Eventually, such networks will allow applications to blend
various kinds of data to carry out more advanced communications
that pool, for example, voice calls with e-mails, instant messages,
video conferencing and online collaboration.
One aspect of this is universal messaging, which gives the user
a unified inbox. However, these applications are largely under
development.
Nevertheless, many organisations are deploying converged
networks for a wide range of applications. Organisations using
converged networks range from public sector organisations,
financial services institutions and other service firms, to
retailers and manufacturers.
Most of the adopters are using VoIP as their main IP tool, but
many are planning to use or piloting other emerging
applications.
Accountancy firm BDO Stoy Hayward moved to a converged network
earlier this year. It uses a network from service provider
Teleware, based on Mitel IP3300 Gateway equipment and a
multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) cloud-based network, to
centralise network communication.
This allows staff to use a single handset and access their
telephony-related applications from wherever they are. They can use
an IP enabled mobile phone, Blackberry device, home phone, office
phone or handset in another office to do this.
There are currently 700 staff using the converged network, which
will eventually extend to cover a further 3,000 staff across the
UK.
Graham Knight, the firm's head of technology, said, "The main
use of the network is for mobility, to allow our employees to get
their services wherever they are. We have in place access to your
phone from the staff portal, so you can see your voicemail and the
list of people who have called, as well as being able to set out
your out of office message.
"The firm is a heavy adopter of mobile working - we have a real
push to enable that flexibility across the business."
Knight added that there are drawbacks to supporting IP. The
model BDO Stoy Hayward adopted requires it to maintain legacy
analogue PBX equipment alongside the newer IP-based equipment.
"The main drawbacks are cost, integration and maintenance, as
you have more than one platform. You have to balance the business
benefits," he said.
Secondly, the costs of the new IP network are about the same as
the legacy PBX-based phone system the company used to run, said
Knight. However, he added that it is difficult to make a true
comparison, because staff now have telephony functions they did not
have before.
Fixed/mobile convergence has grown up alongside voice/data
convergence. This describes the way traditional "wireline"
telephones and mobile phones are coming onto the same datacentric
network.
Graham Finnie, senior analyst at researcher Heavy Reading, said
that by 2010-2012, "the boundaries between fixed and mobile
technologies will be largely dissolved".
One of the business benefits of fixed/mobile convergence is the
ability to give employees a handset that carries their office
extension both in and out of the office.
They can access their contacts database and calendar from one
handset, which reduces the cost of having systems for in and out of
the office.
Converged phones also mean that firms can reduce their telecoms
costs by routing fixed and mobile calls over an IP network when the
user is in or near the office.
Mark Blowers, senior analyst for IT infrastructure at Butler
Group, said, "When you go down to one network based on an IP
infrastructure, the cost of ownership is often lower and
organisations can make great savings on telecoms costs, because
they do not have to pay a fortune to telecoms service providers for
the calls.
"An IP-based infrastructure allows you to converge voice with
the applications themselves. You can start to look at your business
processes and transform those as well, integrating them with voice
and data and messaging."
Eric Goodness, Gartner research vice-president, said IP
telephony, IP contact centres and unified messaging were
"leading-edge transformation initiatives" for networks. "The
growing influence of IP convergence and the need to reduce
IT-related spending shows the network is ripe for re-architecture
and optimisation."
Leeds City Council
In March, Leeds City Council opened a multimedia IP-based
contact centre, which rolled nine call centres into one. It uses an
Avaya-based IP telephony system, which will allow residents to
contact the council via phone, e-mail, fax or the web, said Paul
Goode, the council's contact centre project manager.
The council is also looking into using video over IP to
communicate with deaf citizens via sign language. The new contact
centre will integrate into the existing Cisco local area network
and wide area network, and Siebel customer relationship management
and Blue Pumpkin call routing applications, and enable the
organisation to use IP voice across its corporate network, vastly
reducing its call costs.
Kent Police
Another user that has benefited from a converged network is Kent
Police. It finished migrating to a single converged network in the
spring, and implemented VoIP throughout the force.
It made financial sense for Kent Police to install one IP
network for voice and data, and treat telephony as another
application. It made cost savings from maintaining one network
instead of two, and from a vastly reduced telephony bill.
Kent Police has 55 county-wide stations plus a call centre, and
the phone remains the primary means of communication with the
community. Its ageing infrastructure had developed performance
problems, such as outages and incompatibility. The force decided to
upgrade the phone system over three years and move to VoIP by
implementing IP handsets at the small sites first.
Meanwhile, it retained its analogue Siemens PABXs and used
bridging software to link to the IP network. This created technical
difficulties at the larger legacy sites, but the force used Abridge
translation software to maintain functionality across the two
environments.
This shows that it is possible to buy IP-related equipment in an
ad-hoc manner, and move from a legacy network and telecoms
infrastructure to a converged network without replacing
everything.
On the other hand, news agency Reuters went for the big bang
approach when it moved headquarters. It chose to establish an IP
network in the new building that would support large amounts of
traffic.
It rolled out a VoIP network at its new Canary Wharf
headquarters in 2005. In doing so, it gained the ability to stream
TV to more than 250 displays and 2,500 desktops. The company
installed plug-and-play broadcast TV-to-IP network distribution
gateways, allowing it to stream digital satellite, terrestrial and
internally produced channels across its voice/data network.
Reuters found it was experiencing quality degradation issues
with its former, expensive coaxial system, said Matt Hassock,
Reuters' technical operations manager.
He said the start-up costs of the IP system were greater than
cable, but IP quickly becomes a much cheaper and more flexible
system.
Forrester Research said that in 2005, 43% of European
enterprises were evaluating, piloting or rolling out VoIP, IP PBXs
and other IP services. However, this year, that figure is expected
to rise to 54%.
Forrester vice-president, Elizabeth Herrell, said, "Enterprises
have traditionally taken a cautious approach to deploying IP
telephony and typically began deployments at smaller sites rather
than at headquarters. Although adoption of IP telephony has
continued to gain momentum each year, [2007] will see the most
activity yet based on enterprise purchase plans. Many companies are
now making enterprise-wide commitments to IP telephony."
Among the disadvantages that users and analysts have mentioned
about moving to IP networks is the cost of buying IP equipment and
IP-ready applications. The cost and complexity of integrating
legacy network and telephony equipment is also of concern to IT
managers.
The quality of service on an IP network has been the subject of
debate too, particularly when it comes to VoIP. However, there are
now many tools and technologies available to ensure that the
quality of voice traffic is acceptable.
The security of a converged network is also an issue, because it
carries all of an organisation's communication traffic, including
voice calls, e-mails and application data.
In addition, moving from multiple networks onto a single
converged network raises the risk of disruption to the business if
something happens to that network.
Finally, new IP-ready applications such as collaboration,
unified messaging and online interactive training require a change
in the business culture, and acceptance from the teams within an
organisation who will use them to work together.
Read article:
Converged networks: The VoIP revolution
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