Recently there's been a lot of discussion on how the enterprise
will manage its network to accommodate emerging convergence
applications. The increase in the mobility of enterprise users --
whose workplace often shifts from the office, road and home --
creates additional networking and management complexities. The
majority of an organisations' IT staff are well-versed on how to
manage separate voice and data infrastructures, but they do not
have the tools and training necessary to manage SIP-based VoIP and
multimedia applications.
Convergence, starting with the rapid adoption of IP PBX
solutions, is changing the landscape of enterprise networks. The
emergence of WiFi-capable mobile phones and new SIP-based
collaboration applications is accelerating the need for enterprise
networks to provide secure, flexible connectivity for users beyond
traditional networking boundaries. Session management technologies
provide enterprises with operational visibility into the quality
and integrity of their networks at the session level, while at the
same time adding the control needed to adjust to ever-changing
network conditions. To take advantage of this technology, a new
breed of IP expert must be trained to architect, implement and
troubleshoot the converged IT environment at the session layer.
Enterprises are rapidly adopting IP-enabled private brand
exchange (PBX) solutions as part of their IT strategy to reduce
operational costs. Infonetics Research reported that worldwide PBX
line shipments totaled 6.5 in million in Q2 2005, with nearly 70%
of the PBX line shipments for hybrid PBXs and pure IP PBX systems.
Hybrid PBX systems are typically legacy PBX platforms retrofitted
with a plug-in card that provides IP connectivity to packet-based
handsets.
The advent of the IP PBX is the catalyst for voice and data
convergence within the enterprise. IP PBX vendors, such as Cisco
and Avaya, are constantly enhancing their solutions to provide a
diverse set of collaboration tools that include desktop video and
instant messaging. They are being pushed by competitive pressures
from Microsoft and other vendors that are creating integrated
methods of real-time collaboration, including instant messaging and
user presence. While IT departments are adopting IP technology to
reduce PBX TOC, they are also embracing a wider strategy of IP
convergence that enables new methods of collaboration for their
employees.
 | | | | | Convergence is a departure from
basic telephony and IP data networking, it requires specially
trained IT engineers who understand the complexities of an IP to
support multiple apps.
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The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) infrastructure is also key
for the rapid and seamless introduction of new applications, which
increase employee collaboration. SIP is a signaling protocol
developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for
initiating, managing and terminating voice and video sessions
across packet networks. Borrowing from ubiquitous Internet
protocols, the flexibility of SIP enables it to accommodate
features and services such as call control services, mobility and
interoperability with hybrid and IP PBXs. More importantly, this
protocol helps the enterprise future-proof their networks.
Important vendor partners such as Microsoft, Alcatel, Avaya, and
Cisco have already incorporated SIP into their products for the
enterprise.
VoIP and collaboration applications, such as presence and
instant messaging, provide new ways for employees to share
information in highly distributed environment when coupled with
broadband services such as DSL, cable, and WiFi technology. Now
employees can communicate in real-time whether they are working in
the office, are traveling or are telecommuting from home. The use
of WiFI VoIP handsets enables enterprises to offer their employees
flexible mobile access over different forms of wireless networks;
early adopters of this technology can be found in the logistics and
healthcare industries where increased mobility is essential.
Widespread adoption of this technology is on the horizon, thus
enabling a larger community of enterprise users to have more
freedom to roam across wireless home networks, the corporate
wireless LAN, and public W-Fi hotspots.
The use of IP and other Internet technologies to provide VoIP
services and real-time methods of collaboration also provides the
enterprise with some new challenges. The openness and
programmability of this environment exposes voice and other
mission-critical applications to threats from the Internet.
Networking vendors are addressing these threats and other
deployment challenges with a new breed of networking device called
the Session Border Controller (SBC). This intelligent device
appears to be a VoIP firewall because it is deployed at the edge of
the enterprise network; however, it also provides session
management capabilities to regulate and oversee real-time traffic
flows within the enterprise IP networks. The SBC addresses a number
of critical issues such network security, signaling
interoperability, call admission control, service quality, and
session routing. In effect, it secures the enterprise VoIP network,
helps IT staffs manage VoIP traffic and other forms of real-time
traffic, and enables the easy addition of new services and
applications.
| | | | | Networking vendors are addressing
these threats and other deployment challenges with a new breed of
networking device called the Session Border Controller
(SBC).
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Intelligent network interconnects, powered and controlled by SBCs,
provide the enterprise with a secure facility to mesh their network
with other enterprises and service providers. VoIP peering
exchanges are creating a new networking economy with open
marketplaces that provide enterprises with flexible and direct
connectivity for toll bypass and easy access to application service
providers (ASPs) with new service offerings. This new peering
environment facilitates the outsourcing of collaboration
applications to service providers which can also provide new and
innovative solutions for traditional IT problems such as disaster
recovery and remote office support.
The use of IP and other Internet technologies to provide VoIP
services and real-time methods of collaboration is presenting IT
teams with new challenges. Session management technologies provide
the operational visibility and control needed to meet these
challenges head on, enabling the enterprise to leverage new
networking phenomenon such as VoIP peering for greater
collaboration inside and outside of their company. The
effectiveness of this strategy is not wholly dependent on
technology, but it is also rooted in technical know-how.
Enterprises need an integrated strategy that combines the
deployment of session management technology in their network with
an educational program that steeps their technical teams in the
nuances and complexities of IP convergence.
Because convergence is a major departure from basic telephony
and IP data networking, it requires specially trained IT engineers
who must address the complexities of using an IP network to support
multiple applications, which may be in-sourced or outsourced, to a
diverse set of mobile users. Furthermore, these complexities are
compounded by the fact that the IP network is a best-effort network
and users are utilising a wide variety of end-point IP devices to
communicate. Session management technology enables enterprises to
tackle these challenges, but it only provides half of the answer.
Engineers, specialising in the engineering of the session layer,
are needed to help design, build and maintain convergent networks.
To be effective, these engineers must understand the flexibility of
the new network technology and how it allows the enterprise to
provide a continually increasing spectrum of applications to
improve corporate productivity.
The accelerated adoption of VoIP, along with the emergence of
other multimedia applications, has caused the existing IT workforce
to be almost entirely void of VoIP and real-time services technical
experts. The majority of today's IT teams are focused on
router-based networks or PBX implementation. Their training has
provided them with a narrow expertise in either voice or data, but
has not prepared them for the complex needs associated with VoIP
and other converged IP applications. This emerging environment
dictates that IT engineers understand a broad spectrum of
technological concepts and applications; they must have the
background to focus on many aspects of the overlay network, latency
issues, quality of service, and other concerns specific to
real-time IP applications. The new breed of engineers must be
facilitators of the new generation of communications
technologies.
About the author:
Dearing joined NexTone in June 1999, bringing his extensive
knowledge of telecommunications to the company. Dearing's insight
into the challenges faced by NexTone's customers is the result of
his professional experience with General Electric Information
Services and Sprint International where he held positions in
product development and service implementation. Dearing earned his
Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Science from Ohio
State University in Columbus, Ohio. He also received a Master of
Science in Computer Science and Applications from Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Dearing is also a General Electric Advanced Course in Computers
graduate.