Here's what Ferris Research thinks will be the main projects/issues that messaging managers will be concerned with in 2006. They are in rough order of priority for the typical organization. Ferris Research is an analyst firm specializing in messaging and collaboration--see www.ferris.com for details. This is a summary of the report, "Key Messaging & Collaboration Issues, 2006"
Implementing Email Archiving & Retention. The main issues are determining regulatory requirements, defining policies to implement, product selection, ensuring compliance, records management and disaster 
recovery.
Dealing With Email Overload. Many people are out of control of their mix of tasks, and are frustrated. We haven't worked out how to live well with email, and the tools from vendors are still poor
Mobile Messaging Deployment. Implementing a cost-effective, secure method of doing this, while controlling support efforts
"Zero Hour" Virus Control. Viruses that arrive before their corresponding signatures have been developed and deployed will become a larger problem
Spam Control. This continues to be a problem, and organizations will continue to move to different spam control solutions
Phishing Control. These are fraudulent attempts to get you to part with sensitive information, often via a website but also through email and instant messages. Messaging staff will have to find hardware and software solutions
Instant Messaging Implementation. Enterprises will need to decide whether to use secure, in-house, IM deployments or continue to use free, public instant messaging services. Common concerns will be containing the growth of public solutions, capturing content for regulatory compliance, and protection from viruses and spam
Teamspaces: Learning and Planning. SharePoint is stimulating a lot of interest in this area as an 
alternative to simple file servers. 2006 will be an important year in that many people will experiment with the technology, and get familiar with the concepts
Consumer Messaging Functionality & Cost. CIOs are asking why their "enterprise" collaboration systems seem so much more restrictive, cost so much more to operate and seem to be so much less reliable than "consumer" collaboration systems. This is a question that messaging managers will need to begin answering in 2006.
Upgrades & Migrations. Migrating between email systems takes a lot of resources. So do upgrades to major new versions of an email system
Other Major Issues
There are other topics they felt are likely to be important issues for messaging managers in 2006, but which didn't quite make it into the Top Ten. Here they are:
Email management
Search
Handling Larger Attachments
VoIP
Wikis
RSS/Atom
December 2005 Archives
The famous NTP vs. RIM blackberry case really brought the
Now it seems the NTP case isn't a slam dunk like many thought it was. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently rejected two NTP wireless e-mail patents a second time. One of these patents is at the center of the NTP Vs RIM case. A final ruling will come from the USPTO in about 6 weeks. Story.
Thanks to TechDirt I decided to poke around in the actual RTI Patents that have caused the web outcry since RTI sued Google. Jerry Weinberger the man behind RTI patented least cost routing back in the late 1970s and this is basis along with another patent for the lawsuits against the various companies he sues and collects money from.
Least cost routing was the leading edge of technologies in the early 1980s as competition finally was allowed in the phone business. During those early days the rates for various phone calls to various destinations varied widely and it would make sense to use AT&T for calls to
The above is just a hypothetical case of course and it should be noted that rates use to vary by time of day as well. A human could not keep track of who was the best carrier per call but a computer could.
Remember now, these were the dark ages of telecom and technology where a box of index cards was the best contact management system and entry level computer cost hundreds of thousands of dollars!
Here are the abstracts of the two patents:
Patent 1
Least cost routing device for separate connection into phone line
Abstract
A device interconnects within the phone line coming from a first phone and routes telephone calls along a least cost route originating from the first telephone to a second telephone via the network. A housing forms an enclosure and has a first jack for interconnection to the phone side of the phone line and a second jack for interconnection to the network side of the phone line. The housing forms an enclosure which includes a switch for disconnecting the first phone from the network. The device generates a source of current through the switch to the first phone corresponding to the amount of current provided by the phone network. A database stores billing rate parameters for determining various communication paths of different carriers based on parameters such as the time and date of the call. Phone calls from the first phone are detected and stored. The database is addressed and a plurality of communication switch paths are identified as well as the cost rate of each path. The cost rates for each identified path are compared to determine a least cost route for the call. The device generates a number sequence corresponding to a desired carrier so that the dialed call is routed through the second jack and phone line to the selected communication path and carrier so as to establish a switched connection between the first and second phones.
Patent 2
Method and system for updating a call rating database
Abstract
A method and system for updating a database stores billing rate parameters for call rating devices associated with a calling station. The calling station calls at a predetermined date and time a rate provider, which includes billing rate parameters for a plurality of calling stations. The call rating device transmits over the telephone network to the rate provider the phone number of the calling station, and the date and time of the last updated database. The rate provider verifies that the billing rate parameters of the calling station should be updated, then transmits back over the telephone network to the calling station the updated database. The rate provider also sends data as to the new date and time for the call rating device to place a call to the rate provider.
Tom Keating finally got around to making his Top VoIP predictions for 2006. That’s Tom for you… Always waiting till the last second :-)They aren’t all VoIP related so let’s just call them predictions. He also went back to last year’s predictions and was honest enough to say where he was right and wrong.
In his predictions there are some real gems and perhaps my favorite one is as follows:
6) Microsoft buys Level3 - Ok, you're probably thinking this prediction is from way out in Left field, but hear me out. Level3 has been burning cash for awhile, had to restructure debt, etc. While many won't touch Level3 with a 10-foot pole due to their outstanding debt, Microsoft has the deep pockets to be Level3's knight in shining armor. Level3 is one of the largest termination providers if not the largest in the world. Microsoft has been itching to break into the VoIP space for years. If Microsoft owns Level3 they can offer free worldwide long-distance (or heavily discounted) to anyone that uses their Windows Live Messenger client to entice people away from Skype or the impending Google Gtalk threat. Microsoft needs to do something drastic if they are going to get into the VoIP game. Remember General Norman Schwarzkopf's famous "left hook" into
Further, Microsoft can leverage Windows Mobile 5.0 smart phones install a Windows
As Tom says, this would take the entire industry by surprise and would allow Microsoft to do lots of nifty things that competitors would be hard pressed to match. Another option of course is Google buying Level3. Google is really trying to build out its own network and it may realize at some point it is better to acquire than build. At least it’s faster and may be cheaper.
Here are my recent VoIP Predicitons.
I am getting more and more comments about my prediction that 2006 will be the year of VoIP peering. There is just more more day in 2005 after all. That is why I am so excited that CableLabs recently reported that over 30 companies responded to their VoIP peering RFI.
The following is what CableLabs sent me today:
Approximately 30 technology companies responded to the CableLabs®-issued request for information (RFI) for technologies to enable cable operators to share Voice-over-IP (VoIP) traffic directly over their IP networks. This ability is called VoIP Peering.
CableLabs was seeking to collect information from manufacturers and third-party service providers regarding the technologies, products and service solutions which could enable the development of a production-grade VoIP Peering infrastructure to allow this VoIP traffic exchange among MSOs, and between MSOs and other service providers.
Information was sought in several areas, including the architecture(s) for VoIP peering services, the set of Internet specifications and standards that can enable a scalable platform for interconnecting voice and other real-time communication services, and the associated operations and management requirements to develop a production-grade environment.
I can’t wait for the world’s third ever VoIP Peering Summit in
Last night I blogged that today we would hear about RTI suing Google for 5 billion dollars in the mainstream press. Here is that article from Sam Gustin at the New York Post. Sam did an excellent job on the article and has lots of new information to share. He was nice enough to quote me as well:
Currently, RTI has patent infringement lawsuits pending against Alcatel, Vonage and Cablevision seeking billions of dollars in damages.
"It looks like RTI goes after every VoIP company that comes across its radar screen," said Rich Tehrani, of Internet Telephony magazine. "And if they don't pay, RTI sues them."
Weinberger said that virtually every company moving into the VoIP space utilizes technology protected by RTI's patents.
I saw a story from another news source implying Google is only be asked to pay 5 million dollars by RTI. That is definitely incorrect. The way the system works is the higher your earnings, the more you pay. Alcatel is being sued for over a billion dollars. Google wouldn’t pay less than Alcatel.
Alex Tew the founder of Milliondollarhomepage.com is getting job offers because many companies are impressed with his novel idea to make money online via the selling of pixel ads. The news of his job offers has spiked even more interest in his site.
Amazingly, even though web traffic was on a downward slope, it has recently turned around and today was ranked by Alexa as one of the top 440 site on the entire Internet. Alexa rank is a combination of unique visitors and page views and the lower the number, the better.
Traffic Rank for milliondollarhomepage.com (what's this)
Today | 1 wk. Avg. | 3 mos. Avg. | 3 mos. Change |
440 | 1,784 | 1,480 |
The Million dollar page has a million dollar rank which is close to the country’s major newspaper sites such as the Wall Street Journal whose 3 month average is actually worse than Milliondollarhomepage one-day number!
Traffic Rank for wsj.com (what's this)
Today | 1 wk. Avg. | 3 mos. Avg. | 3 mos. Change |
323 | 417 | 463 |
See Pixel Ads for my previous thoughts on the future of the pixel advertising market.
Other news that might break soon is that RTI is suing eBay and Vonage for over a billion dollars each!
These are staggering sums. RTI went from a company that was unknown to an entity that may change the landscape of the VoIP industry. Stay tuned.
I am about to order dinner in Manhattan now and have to put the gadgets away for the moment.
Blogged via Blackberry
My blog entry on Rates Technology has been getting a great deal of traction. As you may recall the company is suing Google over the VoIP portion of its Google Talk program. I noticed Playfuls.com a site out of
The National Business Review also had a great article where they talk about patent trolling, referencing my interview with the company. This article is very complete and is worth reading.
I have a few other reporters who want to discuss the story with me as well.
And I thought this would be a slow week.
I hate to sound like a broken record but I am concerned with VoIP service providers who are competing on price alone. Let me tell you right now that if your strategy is to compete almost exclusively on price your lifespan will not be very long. Free ATA, free months, free this, free that… Enough already.
The reason for my concern is that we are educating consumers that they should expect VoIP to be more and more inexpensive. The question worth asking is why? Mr. or Mrs. Service Provider, are you making money? Can you afford a long-term strategy of dirt cheap calling?
There are hundreds if not thousands of VoIP providers and many of them do charge and if the only way to get customers is to give away free or close to free minutes, we are all doomed.
Remember there will always be someone with deeper pockets giving away more than you!
My solution has always been the same. Come up with new services that woo customers and get them to pay more. Have the best quality. Support video. Have a snazzy WiFi phone. Have one-click conference calling where your customers can simply press a single button on your site and they are rapidly connected to their family or friends.
Stop with all this free, free, free stuff. You will kill your own company and the industry at the same time. Focus on providing customers with something new and exciting.
Here is another idea. Approach a company like Kodak and try to integrate your phone service into their Kodak EasyShare Gallery (formerly ofoto) so that Kodak customers can rapidly connect to friends and family through their EasyShare address book.
Service providers are thinking short term. You can’t all be bought out by Verizon if that is your plan. Start focusing on getting high-value customers that generate profit and stop being blinded by the lure of providing free VoIP service.
Thank you readers of my blog as well as those who read TMC’s print and online offerings for making ITEXPO in
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INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO East 2006 Registrations Up 200% over 2005
First VoIP Conference of 2006 in
Norwalk, CT, [December 27, 2005] - Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) today released pre-registered attendance figures for next month’s INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida showing 200% growth year-over-year from 2005. (www.itexpo.com)
The conference will be held January 24-27, 2006 at the Ft. Lauderdale/Broward Convention Center in
According to TMC president and INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference Chairman, the growth in registrations for the educational programs at this year’s event proves that this the event people serious about deploying VoIP are choosing.
“It is now official... We are 200% higher in pre-registered attendance on a year-over-year basis, and on pace to set yet another attendance record,” confirmed Tehrani.
“Judging by a truly remarkable jump in registrations for conference session passes over 2005, it is clear that this is the event the most serious attendees are choosing. As budgets turn over to 2006, these attendees are choosing to attend the first VoIP event of the year because they realize INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO offers the most comprehensive educational program. Thousands of service providers, enterprises and government agencies seeking to deploy VoIP solutions in 2006 are coming to gather the data they need to make smart choices,” added Tehrani.
According to TMC, total attendance at last year's INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO in
“No VoIP show comes anywhere near INTERNET TELEPHONY in terms of attendance. However, in the TMC tradition of under-promising and over-delivering we would rather be conservative and predict we will have as many as 8,500 attendees at this show,” explained TMC’s VP of Marketing, Michael Genaro.
Genaro continued, “INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO is still the only VoIP industry marketplace where buyers and sellers come together. The focus of the conference is educating enterprises, government, service providers, developers and resellers about how to select, deploy, build and market VoIP solutions. People come to this show because this is where the sellers are and many of our exhibitors will not be found at any other event.”
Registration for the show is now open. Anyone interested may register by visiting http://www.itexpo.com. Very limited booth space remains as well. Vendors interested in exhibiting at the show should contact Dave Rodriguez right away at (203) 852-6800, ext. 146. Or send e-mail to drodriguez@tmcnet.com.
Press inquiries regarding INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO East 2006 can be directed to Mostafa Razzak of 23-31 Communications: 646.442.3361 or m.razzak@23-31.com.
If the
Here is a really interesting blog called Corporate Rat and the Elusive Cheese. Here is the “About Us” section:
Random opinions of two guys who started their careers as engineers with coffee stained t-shirts and today wear suits and ramble on about 'synergy, harmony and vision'. 'Corporate Rat' works in a software company in the East Coast and 'Elusive Cheese' in another software company in the Bay Area. There used to be a time when we used to discuss hacking protocols. These days we talk about pivot tables and excel sheets.
The blog has lots of good telecom opinion and is worth reading. Here is their take on IMS for example.
Microsoft Co. Ltd., SOFTBANK BB Corp., and JAPAN TELECOM CO. LTD., announced that they are developing a security-enhanced, integrated communications service that combines VoIP, e-mail, Internet access, groupware, presence, instant messaging and desktop services with network infrastructure, and that they have formed a strategic business alliance to provide this service as a business-oriented solution.
I get the feeling this just may be the first step towards my dream of Just in Time Communications or JiTC. SOFTBANK is the largest VoIP provider in
Microsoft has impressed me as of late with their JiTC initiatives. At the last ITEXPO, Microsoft demoed something very close to the perfect JiTC solution. Well they showed a video of how it would work. They 
call it real-time communications.
The
Hats off to theses three companies for leading the corporate charge into JiTC. Good luck to all of you. Release.
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