Communications evolution or revolution - what will 2010 bring?
The topic of convergence has been talked about for years, with a whole host of different predictions on how it will affect day-to-day business, with some arguing that it has not happened yet! However, it is clear that in today’s enterprise voice and data are bedfellows as far as the transport network is concerned and that a new form of convergence is now becoming increasingly prevalent on the desktop and indeed the mobile.
Today, IP networks are the norm and the common backbone for carrying all traffic in many organisations. Where we are seeing the changes is with the devices that people are using to communicate with as part of their day-to-day job. In many cases, the (IP) desk phone has now been subsumed by the desktop or laptop PC thanks to solutions such as Microsoft OCS, giving users the same, if not enhanced, telephony functionality.
However, the greatest illustration of change is with the growth of mobile devices, which are now supplanting the network and taking over the desktop. Thanks to the likes of Apple and Google, smartphones are moving beyond being simply a device for the senior executive. They are quickly becoming mass-market personal productivity devices enabling anyone to access voice, data, messaging and other business applications easily whether they be in the office, home office or on the move.
Convergence has morphed and we now have mobile unified communications, with fixed to mobile substitution a first stage. Just think how many people never leave their desk without taking their smartphone. Therefore there are several issues that enterprises need to consider. Firstly, they need to ensure that they have the appropriate wireless network connectivity in place in order to properly support the current and next-generation of mobile devices. Smartphones working in WiFi mode as mobile extensions of the enterprise IP-PBX, effectively avoid any call charges when in WiFi range yet have access to all the benefits of the IP-PBX including recording, voice mail and call logging. It is therefore, important that organisations look at approaching planning their future networks in a far more strategic way.
Secondly, and equally as important, is the management of the growing number of mobile devices accessing the network. Without proper provisioning of mobile device management, organisations risk losing the visibility and security they had created in the fixed desktop environment. So it is clear that organisations do need to be able to strike the right balance between security and enabling greater mobility.
Whether we are seeing either a communications evolution or revolution, it is apparent that work is increasingly becoming a process rather than a location and technology will play an integral role.
If you would like to find out more about how Damovo can help your organisation take advantage of the mobile future then please visit Damovo Mobility.
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