R ecent developments in enterprise convergence architecture offer business-to-business and business- to-consumer communications that allow a company’s existing voice and data applications to globally interoperate over all kinds of diverse networks and merge the historically separate worlds of voice and data communications. 

The separation of transport, switching and application levels provides a flexible, low-cost, phased and consistent migration path to the emerging new world of highly integrated multimedia IP-based communications and applications.

What Users Should Demand
Users should now ask for a solution that provides the framework to integrate voice and data applications worldwide and across all network types. It should support all infrastructures based on IP, ISDN, or TDM network technologies, DECT and corporate GSM, and combinations of these. The solution should offer a single open communications and application platform, paving the way for expanding many of today’s solutions for business process optimization including customer relationship management, web-based call centers, e-business, collaboration, internal cooperation, virtual teams and mobile working.

Market researchers such as London-based Frost & Sullivan are predicting an explosive expansion of voice-over-IP marketshare over the next three years. Worldwide sales are expected to grow from 1.2 billion dollars in 1999 to over ten billion dollars by 2005. IP telephony is currently popular as a way to avoid telephone charges, since companies routing their telephone calls via their own data networks use the intranet free of charge. According to the market researchers, other long-term forces driving economic growth include lower implementation costs for complex applications in fields such as Customer Relationship Management, e-business, collaboration and mobile working.

What does convergence means to the user?
Business users today want a long-term solution platform to support their individual workflow processes in the enterprise arena. Solutions that operate via data networks, voice networks or both, and do not necessarily require the infrastructure of a voice network. Legacy communications and IT infrastructures can thus be integrated in a complete solution that offers product ranges for various levels.

Typical workpoint clients include PBX and IP telephones, mobile terminals for different standards (DECT, GSM, wireless LAN, corporate GSM, Bluetooth) and PC and teleworking workstations. All of these should have access to their respective communications server via the PBX networks, LAB/WAN, intranet, Internet used in the company, regardless of the components used in the infrastructure or who supplied them.

Solutions being offered have a joint application platform are inserted between the communications platforms and the applications. ‘Downward’ interfaces to the communications systems and ‘upward’ APIs such as TAPI, JTAPI, MAPI, HTTP/FTP, S100, LDAP, etc to the applications ensure that all networks and their work point clients (terminals) are supported and can be incorporated in interservice communication. These solutions have a library for developing customized applications facilitating integration of voice communications, fax, e-mail, Internet, intranet and the company’s existing IT equipment. In addition, it can be flexibly adapted to the growth of the business while allowing the workflow-oriented design of workplaces. They also offer uniform user interface for all forms of communications and easy-to-operate, user-friendly functions. The platform can be used, for example, to set up a call center with all the functionality of a telephone exchange with traditional equipment, while offering other innovative features as well.

Solutions which offer enterprise users integrated communications applications will streamline business processes, leverage their knowledge capital, improve customer relations, increase efficiency and take a forward-looking approach to network infrastructure investments. It will allow them the freedom to choose their own solutions, network topography and rate of implementation.

Peter Gartenberg
executive V-P and head, (ICN EN division), Siemens Ltd