FEATURES
The
Bliss Of Mellifluous Power
Kevin Mayer, Editorial Director
Convergence doesn't just
impact voice and data networking, it also influences
power control priorities. As voice and data approach
consolidation on a common infrastructure, power
control expectations associated with telco-oriented
operations combine with those associated with
IT-oriented operations. Overall, converged operations
emphasize continuous uptime, not just equipment
protection, as well as more finely scaled and more
elaborately managed power protection.
Best
Of Communications Solutions™ EXPO Spring 2001
Browse through the best of
our spring show.
For
A Compelling ROI, Outsource
Melissa Prusher, blue-silicon
In a slow economy,
corporations are looking for as many ways to save
money as they can find. In this article, Melissa
Prusher explains how choosing to outsource your
company's unified messaging capabilities can save your
company time, money, and frustration.
Rebel
By (Open) Design
Alan Deikman, ZNYX Networks
This month's cover refers
to a "rebel shell" -- what could be more rebellious in
the software world than hacking the Linux shell to
quickly solve software development problems? Or using
Ethernet -- the nearly ubiquitous LAN protocol -- in
telecom backplanes and the PSTN? When it's all about
time-to-market, savvy developers look to cut design
time by utilizing open standards.
Beyond
Service Creation Stalemate
Emre Önder, Pelago Networks
If service providers are
to survive and thrive, they must have the opportunity
to launch compellingly differentiated services. That
is, service providers need a way to deploy unique
services. Substitutes, we've seen, won't suffice.
Intricate pricing schemes won't redeem basic or easily
commodified services, nor will subscriber
self-provisioning. What matters is the service that is
being sold or provisioned, not how the service is sold
or provisioned. Hence the all-important distinction
between service creation and service provisioning, and
-- more subtly and even more important -- between
service creation and service customization.
Big
Returns For (Professional) Services Rendered
Mark McKersie, First Telecommunications Corporation
and the TIA's Voice/MultiMedia Working Group
It's a truism the channel
knows all too well: margins for telephony equipment
exceed those for datacom equipment. But, as
convergence proceeds, the channel cannot afford to be
complacent, since a greater percentage of revenues
will come from services, and datacom specialists are
already adapted to deriving a large share of their
revenues from services.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Breaking News
Letters
To The Editor
Interactive
Commerce
Dan Callahan, Associate Editor
Remember how amazed
we once were with what the Web could do for contact
centers? Now that the novelty has worn off, we realize
that we can take the Web-enabled contact center much
further than anticipated.
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PUBLISHER'S OUTLOOK
Rebel
Shell: How To Win In A Slow Economy
Rich Tehrani, Publisher
During an economic
downturn, the natural tendency is to retract, to
retreat, to take shelter. All that is well and good.
However, while such a tendency is only natural, there
is no reason investors shouldn't also be discriminating. If a
retraction is executed thoughtfully and strategically,
informed by business priorities and plans for
long-term growth, it may be possible for a company to
steal a march on competitors who accomplish their
retractions reflexively, thoughtlessly, without regard
for opportunities to take the offensive.
TOM KEATING'S CC:
Open
Standards For Better Communication
Tom Keating, Executive Technology Editor
In this month's
column, Tom discusses how a variety of standards,
including SIP, H.323, Enum, and iMAP can further the
cause for open communications by allowing new and
interesting technical innovations.
REVIEWS
PictureTel's
600 Series PT 680 QBR-N
Tellme's
Voice Application Network
Net
To Net Technologies' Voice Over G.SHDSL Network
Extender
DEPARTMENTS
Analytical Views: The
Creature Comforts Of Speech Rec
Brian Strachman, Cahners In-Stat Group
How can
you get your information quicker: via a WAP phone, or
a speech rec interface? Brian Strachman puts his bets
on speech rec. Find out which one comes out the
winner.
Inside Networking:
Bringing
Ethernet And Optics Together
Tony Rybczynski, Nortel Networks
Resilient Packet
Rings enable enterprise Optical Ethernets built by
enterprises or procured as managed Virtual Private
Ethernet services. Tony Rybczynski explains how
enterprise Optical Ethernets simplify the networking
environment and open up new opportunities.
Compass: Processing
Models For The NGN
Jeff Lawrence, Intel
The next-gen
network will not be limited to text and graphics. It
will also be voice, audio, and video, which require
new classes of devices. Getting services and content
to these devices quickly will place new strains on the
storage, transport, and processing capabilities of the
network.
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