Fuzzy Future for Voice Pros

Are Netheads winning the battle for IP control? "How many of you can do an erlang?" David Stein, principal of PlanNet Consulting, a technology advisory firm, asked the 200-odd IT professionals gathered to hear his talk at VoiceCon in Orlando last month. He was looking for a show of hands; he received only a slight response. "OK, three of you," he noted. The erlang is a formula for calculating telephone network traffic loads. It used to be a key tool in the telecom manager’s arsenal, but it seems to have fallen out of fashion. As the number of TDM-based phone systems slips, communications-technology experts increasingly turn to jitter, delay and other aspects of IP telephony to scrutinize network performance. Agner Krarup Erlang’s brainchild, meanwhile, seems less useful. The measurement’s decline might be a fitting metaphor for the current state of telecom management. No longer just a matter of bill reckoning and service provider relationships, this job title increasingly requires data-network know-how: VLAN configuration, prioritization, local routers and switches are the name of the game. Metrics from the bygone era of separate voice and data plants seem quaint. But what does it all mean for the voice manager? Does modern IT infrastructure need such a person, or is he destined to join the erlang on the industry ’s once-was list? Certainly there are fewer voice managers around these days, noted Ken Agress, PlanNet’s senior consultant. The last economic recession shook many a middle manager out of the workforce, and corporate voice overseers were among the casualties. If voice-data convergence – the nexus of IP telephony – places voice and data pros in a tug of war for communications control, anecdotal evidence suggests the data side might be winning. Witness the erlang’s demise. It’s a foreign concept to data-commers, and perhaps less popular as a result. Consider as well the notion that in IP, voice is just an application riding atop the data network. Why shouldn’t control go to the data folks? One VoiceCon attendee, who requested anonymity, pointed out that the IP phone system his organization installed was a data initiative, not a voice-side project. "I think the voice guys will have a little bit more of a challenge finding their way learning data," he said. "Data people are used to the notion of fast packet and TCP/IP – getting packets from point A to point B – and designing networks to do that." So is the voice manager out? No. He still has a role to play. Data folks may know IP, but they don’t know voice. They need voice experts for guidance. "The challenge that the data guys face are the voice terminology, finding our way through new standards, and vendors that are new to us," our anonymous source said. "I don’t know an Avaya from a Nortel, and I have no way of distinguishing how one is better than the other." Genelle Armstrong, manager, voice communications and telecommunications at OhioHealth in Columbus, pointed out that voice may well be an application in IP set-ups, but it’s an important app that deserves special attention. Users count on the phones. At her firm the voice folks still have reasons to come to work, she said. "The network people aren’t going to cross over," and manage voice. Nonetheless, it’s getting harder and harder to find voice-only managers and easier to find data people manning voice. Agress from PlanNet said enterprise voice people maintain much of the intellectual property associated with solid corporate connectivity, and businesses should continue to employ them. "Please keep your voice people," he said. "They have knowledge…no one else in the organization is likely to have." RIM Moves OnAfter settling its patent dispute with NTP Inc., Waterloo ON-based wireless equipment maker Research In Motion Ltd. made three product announcements. The firm said it had acquired Ascendent Systems. Ascendent’s Voice Mobility Suite helps push voice calls from an enterprise phone system out to mobile devices. The acquisition makes RIM a player in the emerging fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) space, which spells closer ties for wired and wireless technologies. RIM also unveiled the BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1, which provides group-based administration and enterprise instant messaging (IM). And RIM said its BlackBerry Enterprise Wireless LAN system interoperates with Cisco Systems Inc.’s new CallManager 5.0. RIM settled its five-year patent dispute in March, agreeing to pay NTP $612.5 million. History Researchers Tap MitelThe University of Ottawa and other schools involved in the Canadian Century Research Infrastructure (CCRI) project have tapped Mitel Networks Corp. for a telework system to support the endeavour. The CCRI builds databases from census reports to scrutinize the making of modern Canada. Researchers from the University of Ottawa, York University and Memorial University of Newfoundland, among others, will be able to set up conference calls connecting all involved – a step up from the email exchanges the group used to use. The University of Ottawa’s Mitel hardware will host the telework application. Toronto Goes Wi-FiToronto Hydro Telecom Inc. (THT) plans to blanket downtown T.O. with a municipal Wi-Fi network. The firm will install access points on hydro poles throughout a six-kilometre area in the heart of the city. Rolled out in stages, the network will be done by the end of the year, THT says. Users will have access to the network for free for the first six months, after which THT will assess the market and offer packages at "competitive rates." Salaries UpStarting salaries for Canadian IT workers are expected to increase 1.7% in 2006 compared to 2005, according to Robert Half Technology’s 2006 Salary Guide. High-profile titles such as IT auditor, business systems analyst and business continuity analyst will come with better salaries compared to more basic jobs. As the IT talent pool shrinks, companies are changing their compensation packages to ensure existing employees stay with employers, said Sandra Levoy, a Robert Half VP. Lead application developers will see their salaries increase about 5% to between $64,250 and $84,250. Data security analysts will see salaries rise 4.6% to between $68,250 and $96,250. Data analysts will witness raises of 4.2% to between $56,750 and $78,750. Nortel Restates AgainNortel Networks plans to restate its financials from 2003, 2004 and 2005, as well as certain periods prior to 2003, the Toronto-based network equipment provider said last month. Nortel said it has to restate because it categorized some revenue too soon, before the firm delivered the goods. "Our priority is to have accurate financial information," said CEO Mike Zafirovski. "Although the need to restate certain financial statements is unfortunate, it’s the right thing to do." This is the third time in three years for a Nortel restatement. Nortel also announced its Q4 2005 numbers: revenue, US$2.9 billion; loss, $2.2 billion. The company’s Carrier Packet Networks division’s revenue increased 17% year over year, and the CDMA Networks division increased 23%, but the Enterprise Networks division increased just 3%. Q4 2005 included a $2.5 million charge to settle a shareholder class-action lawsuit. In March Nortel said it would combine its enterprise and carrier divisions. Bad Phone MannersPoor customer service has given rise to a Web site that helps people bypass wonky IVRs and speak to actual human beings at various companies. Get Human (www.gethuman.com) is the brainchild of Paul English, a technologist who started collecting bypass methods after a painful customer service experience. "I’m not anti-computer," English told The New York Times. "I’ve been a programmer for more than 20 years. I’m not anti-capitalist. I’m on my fifth start-up. But I am anti-arrogance. Why do the executives who run these call centres think they can decide when I deserve to speak to a human being and when I don’t?" Big Businesses Buy More WirelessEnterprises south of the border are spending more money on wireless bills these days, say researchers at In-Stat. The Scottsdale, Arizona tech consultancy interviewed 600 people in charge of wireless service purchases, and learned that while big businesses spend more, small- and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are spending less. Flexible service packages are the most important aspects of the purchase decision, according to In-Stat’s study, and wireless data usage is increasing. Avotus Adds Mobile ManagementAvotus Corp. has added mobile and wireless management capabilities to its Intelligent Communications Management (ICM) service, which companies can use to corral telecom costs. The Mississauga ON-based application service provider said in a press release that the new ICM features mobile device inventory control, RFP analysis, contract management to ensure prices are as promised, and device lifecycle management. Teleworking Needed, Clothing OptionalWhile respondents to a SonicWall Inc. survey seem to think teleworking boosts productivity, they also seem to think data security and clothing are optional. The network security provider said 76% of survey respondents believe working remotely boosts productivity, but 88% said they store passwords in easily discovered locations and only 12% encrypt files. Meanwhile 12% of men and 7% of women said they wear no clothes at all while working from home. In other productivity news, Microsoft Canada Co. and Ipsos Reid learned that most business people see wireless devices as productivity boosters. In a survey, 59% of respondents said so and 84% said such connectivity drives corporate profitability. As well, nine out of every 10 respondents said they would like the opportunity to work from home. Developers Turn to AsteriskNetwork software makers are turning their attention to Asterisk, the open-source IP-PBX. India-based Adiance Technologies Ltd. says it’s the first to offer native video support for the phone system. Meanwhile Richmond Hill ON-based Esnatech Technologies Inc. says its Unified Communications system now interoperates with Asterisk so the IP-PBX can support wireless messaging, location-based routing and presence. Bringing DECT to AmericaSpectraLink Corp. is bringing its Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) equipment to North America. The Boulder CO-based company said the move results from its December 2005 acquisition of Denmark’s Kirk Telecom. Although DECT is not as popular in North America as it is in Asia and Europe, SpectraLink said the wireless in-building network technology would suit well the small- and mid-sized business sector here. SpectraLink’s DECT system includes a wireless server, base stations and handsets operating at 1920 to 1930 MHz. Prices will range from US$500 to US$800 per user, depending on configuration. Ericsson Opens GatewayEricsson has announced its Mobility Gateway software, which lets businesses turn their PBXs into mobile communications platforms. Ericsson said Mobility Gateway is part of its "One Phone" effort to integrate wireless with existing business wireline infrastructure. The firm said that by bringing mobile connectivity under corporate control, businesses could reduce the number of communication devices per user. Ericsson said long-term cost savings could run as high as 30%. Motorola Offers VPNMotorola Inc. announced its latest take on business wireless communication, Multi-Net Mobility, a wireless VPN that provides data encryption for text, image and video applications arriving at the user’s mobile handset. The VPN affords seamless roaming so users can maintain their connections even as they move from one kind of network to another – from Wi-Fi to cellular, for instance. Multi-Net Mobility provides application-priority settings for quality of service, and it interoperates with a number of handheld devices and IP applications. Motorola said Multi-Net Mobility addresses the wireless communications requirements of public safety and government organizations. How to Hire a ConsultantSo you’ve decided to hire a consultant for that next big communications-tech project, perhaps a new call centre installation or a customer-relationship management (CRM) program. How do you make sure your company gets the best from this external expert?At the Telemanagement Live conference last fall, three consultants offered their experiences, to help conference-goers make the most of employing outside aids.Betty Hodkinson runs Hodkinson & Associates, a consultancy in Mississauga ON. She said the person in charge of the project must open up for the endeavour to go smoothly. In one case she witnessed, the project manager refused to disseminate the undertaking’s details, afraid that stakeholders would go wild with feedback and send the project off the rails. But reticence didn’t so much corral unnecessary input as slow the entire process. "It’s not going to work unless people know what’s in the plan," she said.Robert Pachal of Paccom Consulting Inc. in Whitby ON said consultant-seekers should do their homework. Interview potential candidates. What have they done in the past? Do their experiences suggest that they can help with your project? With a strong cadre of associates, many consultants can access expertise that the consultancy’s head honcho might lack, so scrutinize the consultant’s "associates" list too.You’ll have to come to an agreement with the consultant on the project goals and scope, Pachal said, adding that payment should be tied to milestones. "You can use it as a sort of traffic signal." But you’ll also have to allow for changes, which result from unexpected developments – inevitable in project progress. But changes can also stem from poor planning. Avoid that by documenting exactly what needs to be done when – set the milestones – and by staying close to the consultant so scope creep has much less of an opportunity to affect the endeavour, said David Hollingsworth of DRH & Associates Ltd. in Toronto.Consultants battle an ever-present statistic about project management: the old saw that only 30% of business projects succeed. But these three were skeptical about the measurement, which has been around for years."I would say outright failures are rare," Pachal said, noting that "failure" is subjective. Is the project a failure if it doesn’t meet its original goal? Or is it a success if it meets some interim watermark identified not at the start, but later, when something unexpected occurred? And who came up with the 30% number in the first place? It must be speculative, because few people will admit to failing, Hollingsworth pointed out.Hodkinson mentioned that the nature of consulting is changing. "We’re all doing smaller projects now," she said, suggesting that the massive enterprise resource planning endeavours of the past have been replaced with tasks that are easier to control.Where to hire a consultant? Visit the Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association (CTCA) website, www.ctca.ca.Canadians Connect with ‘Digital Home’The line between business technology and residential technology is blurring. More often than ever, employees bring gadgets like cell phones, PDAs and personal data-storage devices to the office and use them for business purposes. In light of this, information from Decima Research Inc. about new technology for homes could impact corporations.Decima Research surveyed 1,094 Canadians for opinions about the "digital home," which refers to in-house networks that connect the myriad electronic devices, home-management systems and appliances that the average family uses today. So connected, the devices can speak to each other – an icon flashing on your TV set might indicate that the laundry’s done, for instance.The digital home concept is not completely foreign to Canadians, but there is room for improvement. In Decima Research’s survey 46% of respondents were "somewhat familiar" with the digital home. But just 11% were "very familiar" and 43% were "not familiar." As well, just 6% of respondents said they would purchase a digital home system today. But 65% said they might acquire a digital home system down the road. "Canadians are intrigued by the concept," said Rick Nadeau, Decima Research’s VP. "They can see themselves adopting it in the future."Decima Research also asked people what sort of company they would turn to for digital home services. In the end, 21% said they would prefer to use an ISP, 16% said they would prefer a home energy provider, 15% said they would prefer a telephone company, 14% said they preferred a homebuilder and 11% said they preferred a cable TV provider. With no clear winner there, Nadeau figures the field is wide open. "Canadians have given service providers an equal chance," he said.The most popular digital home service seems to be safety and security, with 64% of respondents saying they might purchase such a system. Energy-management systems were the next most popular, followed by stereo connections to the home network and TV connections to the network.For more information, contact Nadeau directly at (613) 230-2200 ext. 3013, or by email: rnadeau@decima.com.

Fuzzy Future for Voice Pros

News | April 1, 2006

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