Convergence: Not hip, still happening

Definitions are fun. Melanie Turek, a specialist in collaboration technologies, likes to remind folks that one of Webster’s dictionary meanings of collaboration is, “to cooperate with the enemy.” So what do you call the quiet but very real shift that’s underway as companies integrate mobile technologies, voice, data, video and collaboration tools?

Definitions are fun. Melanie Turek, a specialist in collaboration technologies, likes to remind folks that one of Webster’s dictionary meanings of collaboration is, “to cooperate with the enemy.” (Open sourcers say that’s only if you’re using Microsoft products.)

So what do you call the quiet but very real shift that’s underway as companies integrate mobile technologies, voice, data, video and collaboration tools? The best term I’ve got is yesterday’s oh-so-tired buzzword, “convergence.” The dictionary definition for convergence is “to come together or unite,” based on the Latin terms “con,” meaning “with,” and “vergere,” meaning “to bend or incline.” It’s still an outstanding way to describe the “coming together” of voice, data, video, wireless and collaboration on enterprise networks today.

Is convergence really happening? By all indications, yes. For example, 45% of IT executives I’ve spoken with recently say they plan to transport voice over their Wi-Fi LANs, with another 29% saying they’ll consider it. In a recent benchmark, nearly 90% of IT executives told us they’re using, assessing or planning to use VoIP. I’m seeing a huge level of interest in what you could call an “integrated communications device” – a single IP phone that replaces the desktop phone and the cell phone, and works seamlessly between 802.11 WLANs and WAN wireless services. Motorola and several partners are successfully demonstrating a product that hands off communications between 802.11x and cellular technologies, such as 3G and Code Division Multiple Access. Finally, when it comes to building in collaboration technologies, today’s current crop of cellular data phones include instant messaging capabilities. Avaya, Nortel, Shoreline, Siemens are building integrated collaboration tools into their IP phones.

A lot of this seems like old news. In a sense, it is. Cellular data phones, Wi-Fi, collaboration and VoIP have been around for several years. But here’s what has changed:

Infrastructure. The ability to converge voice, data and often video onto one network is driving interest in Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based WAN services. Many IT executives have told us they’re moving to, or considering, MPLS-based services for precisely this reason. As true convergence picks up steam, MPLS and other quality of service-enabled networks will become increasingly popular.

Endstations. Here’s a sobering thought: 87% of employees work in remote offices. Today’s communications paradigm assumes that a remote device is a laptop. But what if it’s not? Increasingly, the combination of mobile connectivity and lightweight Web-enabled applications makes it feasible for remote and traveling users to rely on a palmtop or PDA as their primary computing device.

Presence. One of the corollaries of convergence is the emergence of multiple communications channels. Today, you receive instant messages (IM), e-mail, voice or video calls. With presence, you’ll be able to forward incoming “calls” to IM, e-mail or voice mail as appropriate.

The bottom line is stay tuned. Convergence might not be hip, but it is happening.