At the Catalyst Conference 2007, a
Burton Group analyst has
warned that firms adopting
fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) communications may encounter
hidden extra costs.
Senior analyst Paul DeBeasi commented that many think FMC is
simply being able to use a device on both a fixed or mobile network
using a dual-mode handset.
On the surface, FMC brings
PBX or Wi-Fi functionality to a company's deployed mobile
devices. But, DeBeasi said, "[FMC] is actually more than that. The
voice convergence is just the beginning."
FMC now not only incorporates dual-mode voice capabilities but
must also include text messaging, video messaging and presence
technologies.
According to DeBeasi, fixed-mobile convergence addresses the
newly increased demand for mobility and "anywhere" access. In many
cases, however, using a mobile phone more than the desk phone can
introduce added costs. FMC, DeBeasi said, can reduce the number of
cellular minutes used because it uses existing infrastructure when
it bounces between cellular and enterprise networks.
There are many ways to approach FMC, DeBeasi said. It can be
done in-house or provided by a mobile operator as a service. On the
enterprise side, the IP-PBX provides call control.
DeBeasi said it's important for enterprises to determine whether
they want to outsource FMC to an operator or own and manage their
own FMC equipment. Enterprises must also ask what phones and client
software they need to use for an FMC solution and whether the WLAN
is ready to handle voice traffic.
Major components for fixed-mobile convergence include client
software that provides the GUI and links the phone to servers; a
VoIP gateway that establishes and transfers calls; application
servers to provide FMC services and presence, voicemail and instant
messaging; and protocols to establish and control calls for
messaging and for application-specific control.
David Sproul, manager of emerging technologies and IT capital
projects at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Medical Center, has been implementing a convergence plan for about
five years. UCSF, ranked among the top 10 medical centers in the
country by U.S. News & World Report, has three campuses
and 10 locations within the city, and more than 7,000
employees.
Convergence, including FMC, should be viewed from two
perspectives, according to Sproul.
First, it should be seen as a strategic business concept
addressing the business needs for "anytime, anywhere" access to
critical information and decision tools in order to facilitate
better, faster and timelier decision making.
It should also be looked at as an enabling technology to address
mobility as an extension of the IT environment. At the same time,
companies should examine the mobile computing and wireless
technologies comprising architecture, infrastructure and IT
organisational considerations that will enable the integration of
people, information, processes and location in a transparent and
seamless manner.
Sproul said that devising a convergence strategy requires a
great deal of planning and the consideration of many factors. He
said executive sponsorship is essential to successful,
cross-organisation collaboration of converged mobile initiatives.
He advised companies to establish a governance structure between
business units and IT for enterprise-wide architecture and
technology.
Companies must also identify the business drivers for a
convergence plan, Sproul added, along with defining a high-level IT
blueprint to guide converged mobile initiatives. Lastly, he said,
companies must assess the organisation's capabilities to lead,
implement and support these initiatives.
From there, companies must define a path to convergence, Sproul
advised. He said companies should:
- Identify existing technologies that enable convergence in the
existing enterprise environment.
- Monitor emerging technologies that are appearing on the horizon
and evaluate how they could integrate if adopted.
- Manage convergence and maintain control from within.
- Embrace open standards-based architecture and technology, such
as SIP.
- Initiate pilot converged and mobile initiatives that can
provide evidence based on successful production operations and ROI,
which will not always come easily or early.
At UCSF Medical Center, convergence was eyed as a solution to
overcome several challenges. UCSF needed to comply with regulatory
requirements while achieving greater standardisation and
improvements balanced against the needs of the business. And
increasing costs had placed stronger focus on cost management and
operational productivity and efficiency using new and emerging
technologies.
Being a medical center, UCSF was always considering patient
safety and wanted to improve safety by using technologies to reduce
medical error rates through the improvement of business processes,
Sproul said. All the while, UCSF had to accommodate continuous
deployment of new applications, platforms and organisational
changes.
Sproul said he evaluated the network and corrected any
infrastructure deficiencies from the core to the desktop before any
converged platforms were deployed. He also deployed and implemented
enterprise-wide security protocols and layered security schemes and
built out a complete 802.11 wireless infrastructure throughout the
medical center's facilities. From there, he implemented QoS across
the network and established a cross-organisational group to
identify and prioritise deployment and support of emerging
technologies.
With those stepping stones in place, Sproul implemented a VoIP
pilot to validate the deployment of a standards-based,
multi-channel IP contact center application and both wired and
wireless IP phones. Then a soft-client pilot was implemented,
followed by a controlled production deployment.
UCSF is now piloting an FMC platform that enables seamless
roaming from carrier wireless to internal Wi-Fi communication
platforms and has deployed mobile wireless devices like computers
on wheels, laptops, handsets and tablets. Essentially, an end user
can walk into the building using a carrier cellular network,
seamlessly switch to the UCSF Wi-Fi network once in range, and then
transfer calls to the desktop VoIP phones using a button on the
mobile handset without losing the call.
Sproul said UCSF is also testing solutions from DiVitas Networks
to bridge cellular and internal Wi-Fi without dropped 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 mobilise all workers while retaining complete
control.
The ultimate goal, Sproul said, is to get doctors, nurses and
other staff down to carrying just one device in order to boost
productivity, communications and availability.
"A converged infrastructure has to be viewed as a utility," he
said. "If you don't, don't go forward with convergence."
Burton Group's DeBeasi recommended that companies planning for
FMC should deploy WLAN systems first -- a controller-based
architecture that provides management focal point and scalability.
He said companies should deploy VoIP and VoWLAN, gaining experience
first with VoIP and then VoWLAN. Companies should also trial Wi-Fi
phones before going with dual-mode phones, focus on Java-based
phones, and buy unlocked GSM phones.
Lastly, DeBeasi said, as part of a fixed-mobile convergence
plan, enterprises should evaluate PBX/mobile integration solutions
for greater control over mobile phones, develop an FMC policy, and
evaluate a strategy for voice, mobility and unified
communications.