Telecom User Groups Tackle Upgrades, Vendor Changes

User groups associated with three of the biggest names in corporate telecommunications equipment say new gear and business decisions among the vendors generate the most buzz at meetings. Telemanagement asked representatives of Avaya Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Nortel Networks user groups what the hottest topics at meetings were these days. The spokespeople said users are trying to wrap their heads around new applications and features, while also deciphering how the sellers’ business decisions will affect them.AvayaAccording to Patti McDougall, head of the Western Canada Avaya Users Group Association and telecom services manager at Voxcom Security Systems, an Edmonton-based security system seller, one of the problems users are tackling has to do with daylight savings time (DST) changes. Starting in 2007, DST will begin two weeks earlier and end two weeks later than it did in previous years. Some telecom equipment, including some Avaya gear, must be upgraded to stay in line with the clocks. The user group is also discussing changes in Avaya’s business structure. "We have a new western regional director of sales," McDougall said. "He oversees the three or four sales channels. I may have an Avaya sales rep, but he now reports to the western Canada regional rep." She added that it’s not clear how the new structure will affect buyers, but the user group is watching for disruptions and improvements. The user group is also eyeing eastern expansion. McDougall is head of the western Canada unit because that’s where her company is headquartered. But recently she was transferred to Voxcom’s Mississauga ON bureau, and is now considering how to activate an Avaya user group for the eastern half of the country. She’s also looking for help in the endeavour. Contact her via patti.mcdougall@voxcom.com if you would like to participate.CiscoKathy Tarkington is head of chapter membership at the Cisco IP Telecommunications Users Group (CIPTUG), and telecommunications and user services manager at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, a law firm in Atlanta GA. She said the Cisco users she talks to are largely concerned with making their new IP phone systems perform all of the tricks that their previous systems did. For the most part, this is a matter of education. "It’s just finding the work-arounds," Tarkington said. "It’s not that the features aren’t there. They may be termed differently. I think you’ll find that with any new phone system."Some users are also dealing with the perennial telecom-versus-datacom expertise balance. "Voice over IP is such a new concept, something I’ve noticed is the old-time telecom guys really struggle with it, simply because they’re used to traditional phone systems. Now they’re dealing with data networks as well as phone networks – things they knew nothing about."She also said users talk about Cisco’s big network-tech concepts, such as application-oriented networking and service-oriented network architectures. They can be confusing; the user group sometimes calls on Cisco representatives to help explain things. "We’ve even had sessions where the discussion is nothing but surfing the Cisco website, and how to best use it." The Cisco website is notoriously difficult to navigate for sheer volume of information.NortelJay Riekenberg is the voice services manager at the University of Texas at Austin, and president of Insight 100 Inc., a user group for Nortel SL-100 and CS2100 phone system owners. These switches support 10,000-plus lines. He said members are talking about the right path out of TDM equipment and into IP, which isn’t simple for large organizations. "There’s been pressure within individual organizations to look at this VoIP stuff very seriously. "But I have this thing that’s been sitting here for X-number of years," Riekenberg explained. "It’s paid for and it works just fine. Why do I want to rip it out?"That TDM is waning certainly urges the migration to IP. "We don’t really have much of a choice. The support for the TDM stuff will eventually go away," Riekenberg said.At the same time, organizations are reluctant to change simply because they have to – they seek a business case for the move. Some have discovered that IP-enabling their SL-100s has certain benefits. For instance, it distributes functions that used to reside in one place and distribution usually means improved reliability. "If you can split them so you have duplicate functions in more than one location, now you have disaster recovery," Riekenberg said. "If you lose a site, you lose a line but the rest of the switch stays up."Riekenberg said users are also watching Nortel’s business prospects closely. The company announced in February that it would cut 2,900 jobs and shift another 1,000 jobs from high-cost areas to low-cost locations."We’re particularly concerned if it hits the enterprise group," he said. "That affects the people we work with frequently."But Insight 100 members are used to bad news out of Nortel, so the latest announcement won’t faze them too much."We’ve been through this with this company a lot over the last seven to 10 years," Riekenberg noted.

Telecom User Groups Tackle Upgrades, Vendor Changes

News | March 1, 2007

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