FMC = Fixed Mobile Costs
The downturn is forcing many businesses to take yet another look at reducing their costs. Mobile phones have become the defacto business tool with Gartner predicting that mobile connections will exceed fixed connections by a ratio of 4:1 by 2012. However, mobile phones continue to be a growing element of cost in many organisations.
It is estimated that 40-80% of all mobile device usage occurs when employees are stationary and inside their place of work or their home. Subsequently, this has led to many organisations having an under-utilised, but cost-effective fixed telephony system and an over-utilised, but expensive mobile service. With many employees now travelling overseas or dialling foreign numbers, businesses are also faced with expensive roaming charges which are increasing mobile costs even further.
As such, many businesses are revisiting the idea of Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) as a way to get their communications costs under control. Strategy Analytics predicts that the market for enterprise FMC will grow to an estimated worth exceeding $50 billion by 2012. Furthermore, the economic climate is pushing the market towards a tipping point at which organisations can see the business benefits of FMC. The growth in WiFi and proliferation of smartphones is now enabling many businesses to reduce the costs of their communications infrastructure. This is because FMC enables them to make calls over WiFi or in some cases even replace office desk phones completely.
In addition, businesses can also use FMC to support flexible and mobile working initiatives. Employees are demanding increased flexible working and FMC can give them greater agility but at the same time give the business the cost control they desire.
How businesses deploy FMC is also an important consideration. As an IT manager what level of control and functionality do you require? There are a number of approaches that you can take. These range from a network-centric approach whereby mobiles simply operate as extensions of the enterprise PBX, right through to a fully integrated approach that gives the enterprise full control over its call routing, and involves seamless call handover between GSM and WiFi networks.
FMC is now very much a reality and Damovo can help you take full advantage of the technology to make immediate cost savings and help realise the productivity benefits of enhanced workforce mobility.
For our latest FMC brochure – click to download
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