Fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) is hot. But, this week, one vendor
touted its idea of "mobile-to-mobile convergence," technology that
does not require fixed capabilities to mobilize the workforce.
DiVitas Networks this week unveiled its very first product, a
solution the vendor is labeling "mobile-to-mobile convergence"
(MMC) meaning it can converge mobile devices without the need for a
fixed capability, like a PBX or even a desk phone.
DiVitas, based in Mountain View, Calif., released its Mobile
Convergence Appliance (MCA), which is deployed inside the
enterprise, and the Mobile Convergence Client (MCC), which is
embedded in mobile devices and handsets. DiVitas founder, president
and CEO Vivek Khuller said the solution is network-, device- and
PBX-agnostic and brings total mobility under the complete control
of enterprise IT. He added that it breaks down several key mobility
barriers, including cost, control and complexity, while also
allowing enterprises to mobilize both road and corridor
warriors.
"No one is at their desk anymore," Khuller said. DiVitas'
solution mobilizes the desk phone to the existing cell phone, he
said, and can use both Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Essentially,
cell phone numbers and work phone numbers can coexist on the same
device, which can hand off seamlessly between Wi-Fi and cellular
networks.
"I've identified convergence as the most important trend in
wireless this year," said Farpoint Group's Craig Mathias. "This is
going to be gigantic."
Mathias said some carriers are starting to pick up on
convergence and have begun offering it, but in many cases, as with
DiVitas, an enterprise can deploy and manage convergence
itself.
"This is a very important direction," he said.
Yankee Group senior vice president Zeus Kerravala agreed that
being able to switch between cellular and Wi-Fi networks is a major
catalyst for the future of mobility.
"Carrying a device that roams seamlessly between cellular and
Wi-Fi networks, is manageable by internal IT staff, and integrates
with enterprise applications is key to increasing this phenomenon
of global mobile communications," Kerravala said.
He added that a solution like DiVitas' fills a productivity void
he refers to as "anywhere times," gaps in time where users can't be
reached at a fixed location.
"Most people think enterprise mobility is wireless LANs and cell
phones," he said. "To me, the real challenge for enterprises is to
improve user productivity when a user is neither at home, [in the]
office nor [at] any other fixed location. I call these 'anywhere
times' -- commuting, waiting in an airport, in line at the DMV …
walking to lunch. What DiVitas does in their solution closes the
productivity gap in these anywhere times. True enterprise anywhere
mobility really hasn't been addressed."
After completing a six-month DiVitas trial, David Sproul,
manager of emerging technologies and IT capital projects at the
University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center said that
the center is on its way to delivering a seamless mobile experience
to its staff.
"About 10 years ago, we started looking for a solution that
would bridge our cellular and internal Wi-Fi networks," Sproul
said. "We wanted to save mobile-communication costs; minimize the
number of devices our physicians, nurses and staff carry; and
provide seamless roaming from Wi-Fi to cellular without worrying
about dropping calls."
DiVitas works with existing PBX-based voice systems or in a
standalone configuration; interoperates with WAN infrastructure;
supports dual-mode devices, Wi-Fi-only phones, cellular-only phones
and softphones; provides seamless access to enterprise applications
such as email, presence, IM, and CRM over any network; and lets an
enterprise mobilize all workers while retaining complete
control.
"Today, more than 50% of enterprise workers lack a mobile
solution, and this has an impact on revenue, profits and
competitiveness," Sproul said. "DiVitas enables companies to
mobilize every worker with a unified communications solution that
works over any network -- internal Wi-Fi, cellular or hot spot --
at costs comparable to a traditional desk-phone system. Every
minute spent calling or messaging over a Wi-Fi network is one less
minute spent on cellular service, which can be 10 times the cost of
landline service. Enterprises can quickly save tens of thousands of
dollars by going with the DiVitas solution."
The DiVitas MCA is installed on-premises and allows enterprises
to control and manage mobile devices as they roam among disparate
wireless networks. The MCC is a software client on the mobile
devices that communicates with the MCA. It provides a multi-mode
communications interface for ease of use with applications such as
voice, video, IM, voicemail and presence. The MCC client can be
downloaded over the air.
Khuller said seamless mobile communications should be available
to all enterprise workers, not just road warriors like salespeople
or executives. There is a new breed of so-called corridor warriors
who can benefit from -- and become more productive with -- mobile
capabilities. Office assistants, engineers and other employees who
are on the go within the building and never at a desk can remain
connected.
Mathias took that one step further and said convergence could
eventually lead to the elimination of desk phones altogether. Where
FMC takes the fixed capabilities of a PBX and mobilizes it, MMC
brings those capabilities to a device without the need of a PBX.
"You do not need a traditional telephone system in your building
anymore," he said. "The desktop phone is doomed."
Kerravala added: "In theory, the user doesn't need a desk
phone."
Right now, the DiVitas client runs on certain Windows Mobile
devices, and DiVitas is planning to add Symbian and Linux running
devices into the mix. The DiVitas model puts the power back into
the enterprise's hands by eliminating the use of personal cell
phones for business-related communications, Khuller said.
"Cellular phones are becoming a corporate buy, not a personal
buy," Mathias said, adding that a company that pays for cellular
plans for employees will see quick cost-savings when devices can
also operate on the Wi-Fi network either in the office or at a hot
spot.
Along with ROI that companies can achieve through boosted
productivity, decreasing the use of cellular minutes can also
realize cost savings, Kerravala said.
"Cell minutes are an issue," he said. "Not that big here, but in
Europe, where country-by-country roaming is pricey, it can have a
significant impact."