From the Editor’s Desk: Business integration gets talking

In the old days, integration was only about computers, and was often as simple - or as frustrating - as making sure that peripheral devices worked with a Mac or a PC.Client server environments pushed the debate from hardware to software, so much so that hardware has become almost completely commodified. And while the same push has been on in the application space for many years, getting software to work together is a far more complex task. Added to this is the fact that the PSTN used to be untouchable, and now IP-based networks have created a world where telecommunications can be integrated with business applications and practices.It's an exciting time, and also a demanding one. Vendors like to talk up the capabilities of their technology and will tell you they are really interested in your business (as in your profitability, not theirs). They'll also tell the market, but perhaps not you, that they aren't interested in "over-enabling" their clients.The truth is, there are many options out there, and it's hard to know which technology - or which vendor - has the right answers. In this issue of Telemanagement we set out to clarify a few issues for you, specifically in areas that have some buzz, and some use, but that need to be assessed from a practical business perspective.We launch with Radio Frequency ID (RFID) (see Get ready: RFID is coming, page 1), a technology that many think belongs in the warehouse, on a truck or - at most - on a shelf; however, RFID will soon be pervasive, and integrated into a host of applications.Then we take a look at how the rapid growth in mobile devices is changing how things are done in the field and back at the office, and at how the struggle for device dominance is intensifying (The battle for the small screen, page 8).Next Telemanagement turns its attention to speaker verification technology, and how this is set to transform the security landscape (Security gets a new voice, page 11). Then we set our eyes - and our ears - on one of the more promising technologies to leverage off of IP-based networks: click-to-call (Click-to-call comes of age, page 13), something that is becoming very popular on Web-sites, but that could revolutionize the desktop and even back office applications.We hope this issue cuts through the chatter and gets the message!

From the Editor’s Desk: Business integration gets talking

News | 09/02/2008 8:05 pm EDT

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