Ready For the New ICT?

Hank’s Kwik-Service Drive-Thru Checklist We’ve all heard it dozens of times: you can’t succeed in the new world of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) without a converged and harmonized voice-data environment. And we’re headed that way. Suppliers are doing almost all their development in a converged Voice over IP framework, and we have to prepare our organizations for this technology. But are we ready?You can spend tens of thousands getting an answer to that question, and for some buyers, it’s worth the price. Still, it’s helpful to start by getting an overview…how big is the job? So here’s a checklist of 30 questions. If you can tick off 25 as "done" or at least "understood" then pat yourself on the back. If not, you need to set up a plan and a schedule to get ready for the opportunities of converged ICT.(This is my second "Hank’s Kwik-Service Drive-Thru" checklist. If you’d like to read the first one, "Telecom Tune-Up Time," write me at dortmans@angusdortmans.ca.) AlignmentHas your organization developed and adopted a practical strategic plan for converged ICT? Are controls in place to ensure that all current ICT-related purchases are consistent with your plan? Have you taken steps to align the relevant service contract expiration dates? Is your organization ready to make the necessary decisions about establishing priority levels for voice and other types of real-time and mission-critical data traffic? TeamworkDo your voice and data people report to the same executive? Have your voice and data people worked on common projects, or even jointly managed a pilot? Have you done any cross-training, so people gain a better understanding of each other’s skills, knowledge, talents? Is everyone confident that their expertise will be used and enhanced in a converged voice-data environment? QualityDo you know what level of voice quality your organization needs? Is toll quality mandatory or could you make do with less? Do you know what level of reliability is engineered into your voice system – how many "nines" – and how it compares with the reliability of your data network? If data reliability is lower, do you have a plan in place to fix this? Do you know the status of uninterruptible power? If standards are lower for the data network, do you have a plan in place to upgrade it? Voice Readiness Have you ensured that your core and edge data switches will support Quality of Service? Have you checked out Power over Ethernet requirements? Can your edge switches deliver it? Have you checked whether your equipment closets have adequate power supply for the increased demands of IP telephony? Will equipment closet air conditioning be enough for the increased power consumption? Datanet ReadinessIs your LAN running smoothly, without contention, and with lots of spare capacity? Is your WAN running smoothly, without contention, and with lots of spare capacity? Do you monitor your data network on a 24/7 basis, or at least during the hours when you need reliable IP telephony service? SecurityDo you have well-documented, workable disaster recovery and business continuity plans? Does your network security plan include protection against denial of service, viruses, other hacker attacks? Have you discussed IP telephony security issues with your current PBX supplier(s)? PBX EvolutionDo you have a plan in place to evolve toward a single-vendor environment? Or toward a multi-vendor environment? If you plan to stick with a combination of PBX suppliers, have you looked into the options to network these systems? Have you examined the implications of IP telephony for your existing set of key systems and smaller remote-office PBXs? OpportunitiesHave you assessed what advantages a converged voice-data system might bring to your organization? Have you asked for input on this from your supplier(s)? Have you asked for input from departments that might be affected by new functionality, e.g., customer service, operations, human resources? MoneyHave you got an estimate of the likely costs of upgrading the data network to support voice? Has everyone agreed on how these costs will be allocated, by which budget(s), so that they won’t pose an insurmountable barrier to IP telephony implementation? So…how does it look? "On the Line" is based on the consulting experience of Angus Dortmans Associates. Henry Dortmans, president, welcomes comments and suggestions. Send an email to dortmans@angusdortmans.ca or call him at (416) 849-2896. For information on the firm’s advisory services, seminars and speeches, visit www.angusdortmans.ca.

Ready For the New ICT?

News | 03/01/2006 5:00 am EST

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