VOIP Adoption Will Lead To Highly Integrated Enterprise Communication Services, New Report FindsBut a wide range of issues must still be overcome before unified communications become a reality, according to Light Reading's Enterprise VOIP InsiderPRNewswire Widespread adoption of voice over IP (VOIP) by enterprises will help drive deployment of tightly integrated unified communications services, but organizations will have to solve a wide range of interdepartmental and technology issues before reaching that next-gen service goal, according to the latest report published by Light Reading's Enterprise VOIP Insider (www.lightreading.com/insider), a paid research subscription service of Light Reading Inc. (www.lightreading.com). Unified Communications and VOIP: IT and Telecom Worlds Collide presents a detailed accounting of the various components that make up unified communications, how this trend is affected by enterprise deployment of VOIP, and how it can be deployed by enterprises to improve information flow within the organization. Key benefits of unified communications deployment are assessed, as are the main technology and business obstacles to full deployment. The report analyzes the roles that some of the world's largest technology suppliers are playing as main influencers in enterprise deployment of unified communications, including Alcatel, Cisco Systems, IBM, Microsoft, Nortel Networks, and Siemens. "While enterprise telecom and IT departments are working together more closely than ever, unified communications requires an even higher level of cooperation," notes Christine Hartman, research analyst for Light Reading's Enterprise VOIP Insider and author of the report. "Rather than simply using the same network resources, telecom and IT must be willing to share access to applications and databases." Turf issues aside, the transition to unified communications will not be easy because it affects so many systems, Hartman says. "Given the need to lower barriers to entry in ways that invite experimentation, the move to unified communications cannot require forklift upgrades," she explains. "Solutions must incorporate existing components from a variety of cross- industry players, which means standards such as SIP [Session Initiation Protocol] and Simple [SIP for IM and Presence Leveraging Extensions] become extremely critical." Other key findings of the report include:
* Adoption of unified communications will be slow unless the benefits are
sufficient to overcome natural user resistance to change.
* Session control inherent within VOIP and SIP are essential to
facilitating seamless user experiences.
* Microsoft's dominant role in the computing world is clearly reflected in
the current lineup of unified communications offerings.
Unified Communications and VOIP: IT and Telecom Worlds Collide, a 20-page report, is available as part of an annual subscription (six issues) to Light Reading's Enterprise VOIP Insider, priced at $1,295. Individual reports are available for $900. Launched in December 2005, Light Reading's Enterprise VOIP Insider offers deep insight and hard-to-get market data and intelligence on the core issues facing enterprise network managers, VOIP service providers, technology suppliers, and systems integrators as they set out to reengineer network architectures to center on packet-based voice and related applications. Along with competitive product and strategic analyses, Light Reading's Enterprise VOIP Insider delivers essential information not available from any other source, including: * Full results of exclusive, worldwide surveys of enterprise users
regarding spending and deployment plans for emerging VOIP products and
services.
* Up-to-the-minute details on technology and standards developments,
including the latest information on commercial availability of new
products.
* Independent and unbiased assessments of vendor market positions and
strategies.
* Advance intelligence on product and standards developments that will
have a direct impact on enterprise VOIP deployments.
To subscribe, or for more information, please visit: www.lightreading.com/entvoip. To request a free executive summary of the report, or for details of multi-user licensing options, please contact: Jeff Claudino Director of Sales, Insider Research Services 619-229-9940 claudino@lightreading.com Press/analyst contact: Dennis Mendyk Managing Director, Heavy Reading 201-587-2154 mendyk@heavyreading.com About Light Reading Reaching a core audience of more than 917,000 enterprise IT managers and executives, Light Reading Inc. publishes www.lightreading.com, the leading global content site for the telecom industry; www.byteandswitch.com, a storage networking site; www.unstrung.com, dedicated to wireless networking; and coming May 2006, Dark Reading, a data security site. Light Reading is also affiliated with www.heavyreading.com. Light Reading was acquired by United Business Media in August 2005, and operates as a unit of CMP Media LLC. About CMP Media Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands in the technology, healthcare, and lifestyles industries, CMP (www.cmp.com) has earned the confidence of more professionals and enthusiasts in these fields than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight, and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in each of these industries in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP is a subsidiary of United Business Media (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. SOURCE: Light Reading Inc. CONTACT: Jeff Claudino, Director of Sales, Insider Research Services, Web site: http://www.lightreading.com/ |