IP
A few weeks ago I noted that we’re seeing an uptick in interest from IT managers wanting to integrate mobile phones into their telephony systems. Much of this demand is a result of IT revisiting plans to migrate TDM systems to IP, replacing digital phones with IP handsets. The recent recession led to many organizations reducing their IT budget. Add to that the increasing reliance on mobile phones as a primary communications device, and IT architects began to investigate ways to integrate mobile phones with back-end PBXs and UC applications. This would eliminate the need for an expensive desktop phone and all the infrastructure upgrades required to support it (e.g., Power over Ethernet, Cat5 cabling). So what are the key features to evaluate in a Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solution? In our consulting engagements we’ve focused on the following: • Handset support. Most vendors offer some level of support for Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia, and Windows Mobile, but available features widely vary. • Integration with existing IP and non-IP systems. IP connectivity via SIP is pretty much standard, but alternatives for TDM include SIP-to-PRI gateways or session management platforms. • Ability to support WiFi roaming. This enables mobile phone users to move between cellular and WiFi roaming, ideally with no user intervention required. • Architecture. Most independent vendors support a client-server approach whereas telephony vendors tend to integrate mobile clients directly into their IP-PBXs or into their session management products. APIs for interfacing with third-party applications vary as well. • Unified Communications. Vendors widely vary in their ability to support conferencing, instant messaging, and presence sharing, especially with Microsoft Office Communications Server. • Service provider integration. We see this area growing, especially as IMS enables service provider platforms to directly interface with enterprise IP-PBXs. For example, a service provider could recognize a call made to a cell phone on its network and ring not only the cell phone, but the customer’s desktop number that it has mapped to their cell phone. This is just a short list of key evaluation criteria for a FMC solution, but consider this a starting point as you embark on your own FMC evaluation journey.
