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Level 3 Communications
August 20, 2007
Level 3 Communications, Inc., an international communications company, operates one of the largest Internet backbones in the world, connecting 180 markets in 18 countries. The company serves a broad range of wholesale, enterprise and content customers with a comprehensive suite of services including: Internet Protocol (IP) services, broadband transport and infrastructure services, co-location services, voice and voice over IP services, content delivery and media distribution services.
Recently the company announced that it has been selected by Joost to support its Internet television service, providing Joost with network solutions including high-speed Internet access and co-location services in North America and Europe.
I had the chance to catch up with Cary Tengler, Level 3’s director of partner development who told me about the company’s latest initiatives and a bold prediction for where the industry will be in five years.
RT: Please outline your new corporate initiatives
CT: As it relates to the Internet Telephony audience, most notable are a couple of initiatives in our Business Markets group. Through a series of acquisitions, we’ve built a robust enterprise services business. With a corporate commitment to continue to develop that business, we’re building a suite of solutions and targeting a number of vertical markets, including financial services and health care that truly leverages our extensive metro network assets. In addition, we’re reaching out to a number of existing and new technology partners and their channel partners to extend our reach in these markets.
RT: How is IP communications changing your company’s strategy?
CT: Level 3’s was founded in 1998 to build an IP-based network that would provide the basis for IP communications. So I guess you could say that the realization of IP communications as the emerging industry standard validates — rather than changes — our strategy. IP communications are why we built the company.
RT: How has SIP changed communications?
CT: SIP provides the foundation that is enabling the integration of voice and data on an industry-wide level and making the integration tools available to a vast number of service providers, programmers, and even end-users. Historically, voice and data convergence was done in a single vendor environment due to a lack of standard protocols and integration challenges. The combination of SIP and Web services is making convergence a reality today and several of Level 3’s Technology Alliance Program partners have seen a lot of recent success here.
RT: What is the biggest request coming from your customer base?
CT: We’re seeing enormous demand for basic network services like MPLS, high-speed IP, and Ethernet-based services. We’re also seeing lots of interest in video, streaming and content delivery services from both wholesale and enterprise customers. On the voice front, SIP trunking and contact center solutions are very much in demand.
RT: How are you answering their demands?
CT: The industry is moving so fast and change is so constant that we realize we can’t meet all of our customer demands organically. To that end, we’ve been aggressively building, buying and partnering to bring the right services and solutions to market. Over the past 18 months, Level 3 has acquired eight companies or parts of companies and invested heavily in our three partner programs, Master Resellers, TAP, and the Business Partner Program.
RT: What do you think the future of the market is?
CT: We are optimistic about the market. Global demand for bandwidth is increasing, video-centric consumer behaviors will drive even more demand, and we’re now beginning to see business-oriented UC solutions that are affordable and provide a solid ROI to organizations from SMBs to the Fortune 500 enterprises.
RT: How about Microsoft?
CT: In the communications arena, they’ve articulated a software-centric vision for both VoIP and unified communications which is gaining traction with both SPs and end-users. And Gartner recently rated Microsoft very highly in the UC Magic Quadrant. They will be a factor in UC.
RT: How will wireless technologies change our market?
CT: I believe we’ll see mobile phones continue to take market share from landlines due to continued price erosion and convenience. In the enterprise, we’ll see fixed mobile convergence that takes advantage of feature-rich handsets that will enable presence, messaging, video, and collaboration services to be integrated into a wide variety of enterprise applications.
RT: What sorts of things will we be hearing about during your presentation at ITEXPO?
CT: I’m participating in a panel discussion called Streamline and Integrate Your Business Processes, and we’ll be focusing on how companies are deploying unified communications to improve their business results.
RT: What do you want the industry to know about your company?
CT: That Level 3 has moved beyond its historic “carrier’s carrier” business and is now an innovative industry leader in wholesale, content and enterprise IP communications services.
RT: How will communications evolve over the next five years?
CT: We’ll see continued development in unified communications, in particular a much tighter integration with various productivity and business applications. Peer-to-peer technologies will also play an increasingly important role.
RT: Please make one surprising prediction we will see in 5 years?
CT: I believe that three of the top five PBX vendors will no longer be in business — or they’ll be operating a substantially different business than today.
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Arlinx
August 20, 2007
I recently had the opportunity to ask Patrick Young of Arlinx about the company’s customer base, its IP communications strategy and the direction his company is taking.
The Arlinx IP Elite Security and Media Processing Platforms provide opportunities for developers, integrators, and resellers to offer an alternative to mainstream x86 appliances.
RT: Please outline your new corporate initiatives.
PY: Our initiative is to produce an open IP communications application and specific hardware platform with strong authentication, encryption acceleration, a voice optimized media processor and very high energy efficiency. With open hardware API and Linux, this platform is very flexible and adaptable to evolving standards.
RT: How is IP communications changing your company’s strategy?
PY: As a telecom manufacturer we have found many deficiencies in using a standard x86 PC as an IP PBX. We are addressing these deficiencies by producing an IP PBX platform specifically designed for the IP communications market. By using a Linux open hardware platform and open source, it is much easier to manage than a proprietary solution and has the necessary flexibility to adapt to a rapidly evolving market. The management functions are standardized and expansion though high speed USB 2.0 ports, PCI, and a local bus expansion connector with an open API. A proprietary solution lacks all these advantages.
RT: How has SIP changed communications?
PY: SIP is still an evolving standard that is much too vague and has led to products with interoperability and security issues. In its attempt to address a large variety of IP communication applications, it has grown out of control at the risk of not being able to create a workable standard. The SIP RFC 3261 document uses the word “should” 344 times and the word “may” 381 times. It has become more of a guideline than a standard allowing too many different interpretations and product implementations that are not interoperable.
RT: What is the biggest request coming from your customer base?
PY: Support for open source communications and AAA server software, with Asterisk and freeRADIUS being the top open source applications requested. The high energy efficiency (six Watts) is popular with data centers and managed service providers such as hosted PBXs because of the greatly reduced cost for battery backup.
RT: How are you answering their demands?
PY: We have designed, from the ground up, an application-specific platform for open source IP communication and security products.
RT: What do you think the future of the market is?
PY: Eventually the issues of poor security, interoperability, and reliable IP bandwidth in IP communications will be resolved and the market will explode. Currently it is too much of a security risk to connect a PBX to the Internet. Until the security risks are brought under control, TDM will continue to be the wise choice for trunking. VoIP is not the money saver as it was originally touted. Reliable Internet bandwidth with guarantied availability, low latency and reliable real time packet delivery is still very expensive.
RT: How does the growth rate in the U.S. compare to the rest of the world?
PY: The U.S. has a very reliable and affordable TDM network. Other countries have more incentive to switch to open IP communications especially where there is low quality TDM networks and monopolistic pricing.
RT: What do you think of Google and Apple entering the telecom market?
PY: Apple has an amazing ability to create products that can quickly dominate a fairly mature market and is a force to be watched; although it is unlikely they will step out of consumer electronics and enter enterprise applications or IP communications. Google has too much money, immature management, and too much pressure from stockholders which sets them up for failure in the new markets they tend to dabble in. Google needs to understand they are in the advertising business not sales or product development.
RT: How about Microsoft?
PY: Microsoft rarely produces technological innovation. They have a track record of premature, unreliable and insecure product releases. In communications Microsoft has previously left the telecom industry in a quandary with their poor implementation and then abandonment of TAPI. Do you really want to bet your future with a company that lacks ethics, is notorious for lack of security, and could with a single decision wipe out your company?
RT: How will wireless technologies change our market?
PY: Wireless has many limiting factors and I don’t see it having a major impact on IP telephony. There is limited airspace bandwidth which caps its ability to expand. Wireless will never be impervious to interference which limits reliability and security. If you become dependent on wireless technology it would be very easy to take you to your knees by launching a denial of service attack by blasting you with RF interference.
RT: How will communications evolve over the next five years?
PY: Slowly. Traditionally the telecom industry has moved very slowly with the market dominated by large corporations which are very slow to adapt to new technology. The lack of interoperable standards will impede the market from evolving and adopting VoIP industry wide. Security vulnerabilities must be addressed and remedied, which will be another slow process.
RT: What sorts of things will we be hearing about during your presentation at ITEXPO?
PY: The large number and diverse nature of VoIP vulnerabilities, and how most of these vulnerabilities can ruin careers and put enterprises at great risk.
RT: Why is your presentation a “Can’t Miss?”
PY: It is crucial that anyone involved in VoIP — product developers, integrators, resellers, and users —be wary of VoIP vulnerabilities. Most businesses are unaware of the plethora of VoIP vulnerabilities they face. Awareness is the first step necessary to implementing a defense to minimize the risk associated with VoIP deployment. One security mistake in deployment can demolish a business with financial loss from regulatory penalties, civil damages, and breach of customer trust.
RT: What do you want the industry to know about your company?
PY: We have the best of breed IP communications platform designed by the brightest engineers. The platform has certified bulletproof cryptographic storage supporting strong multi-factor authentication, encryption acceleration and the lowest total cost of ownership. Ultra high reliability, no moving parts, low heat generation, long life cycle, low maintenance, and phenomenal performance per watt. Our motherboard is supplied by only six watts from a single 5VDC power source. It will easily pay for itself in saving though greatly reduced cost of electricity, battery backup, air conditioning, and eliminating the need for expensive cooled server racks and cabinets.
RT: Please make one surprising prediction we will see in five years.
PY: Most businesses will be overwhelmed and unable to protect themselves against Internet security threats. Viruses will become so advanced that current anti-virus methods will be obsolete. It will be required that Internet Service Providers take on the role of IP security. This will be imposed either by customer requirement or government regulation.
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What We Learned From the Skype Outage
August 20, 2007
As organizations move to VoIP and other forms of IP communications it is imperative they realize the world of IP is far different from the PSTN and circuit-switched networks of yesterday. While Internet Protocol is the protocol of the Internet which was designed to be resilient enough to withstand a nuclear attack, IP networks need proper management to be able to continue operating under a variety of circumstances.
The concept of the always up IP communications network was certainly in the spotlight recently as TMCnet’s Tom Keating broke the story of Skype, the world’s most popular IP communications software company having a major network outage. He surmised that a recent Microsoft upgrade to its operating systems was responsible for the outage.
A few days later, Skype explained that indeed, Microsoft’s operating system update coupled with a bug in the eBay division’s software was responsible for leaving millions without IP communications.
While some journalists have come to the conclusion that VoIP is no longer reliable because of this outage the reality is that a software bug stopped the network from functioning properly and this had nothing to do with the inherent reliability of VoIP.
Still, when you leverage the benefits of IP communications you must also be aware of the responsibilities that come with the technology. Yes, you now have some responsibilities you may not have been aware of. Much the same way you now know to but a UPS on your e-mail server, you need to ensure you have adequate network management and security in place when you use VoIP on a regular basis basis.
In other words, take this outage as a learning experience. Learn to test you VoIP network. Learn to monitor your IP communications network. Learn to have redundancy in your IP telephony network. It is far better to be prepared than to be left without your vital communications systems.
For example, do you have redundant broadband connections coming onto your company? Even the smallest of the small SMB can afford to have a cable modem and DSL line to ensure they are always connected and taking customer calls.
But even a network designed to handle myriad conditions cannot solve the problems of a service such as Skype being nonfunctional. After all, what do companies do if their primary IM software dies in the middle of a crucial trading day? Or in the middle of an important meeting or conference call? What is your company’s backup plan?
Typically, companies have not used a backup plan for IM and VoIP services because frankly they didn’t see the need.
The recent incidents involving Skype show how perilous it can be to rely on a single service provider for anything. If redundancy exists you should be aware of it and ensure your organization is prepared to switch IP communications providers in case one goes out.
This strategy may not even cost any money but it will cost you some time. But the time you spend to ensure IP communications is working is critical. After all, if you are tasked with ensuring your company’s communications is working, can you afford not to be prepared? Even if you don’t use Skype you need to be covered in case a similar problem happens to other companies.
One way to stay on top of the happenings in the world of IP communications is to ensure you read influential blogs such as Tom Keating’s VoIP Blog, Andy Abramson’s VoIP Watch and On Malik’s GigaOm. In addition, be sure to check in daily on TMCnet and be at the IP communications industry event, Internet Telephony Conference & Expo September 10-12 in Los Angeles, CA where over 7,000 IP communications decision-makers will be in attendance from around the world.
The communications revolution continues and there is no substitute for a stellar education which can help your company get all the benefits of IP communications with little or none of the pitfalls.
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Tissot High-T Discontinued
August 20, 2007
Sadly, the Tissot High-T has been discontinued. This is terrible news as when the watch worked, it worked very well. It connected with the Microsoft Spot network which is now called MSN Direct. It had a touch screen and vibrate function which made it an exceptional watch as it could remind you of appointments without any sound. This was useful when you were in a meeting you would know 15 minutes ahead of time that another meeting is about to begin soon.
You may recall my original Tissot High-T review and more recently my post blasting Tissot customer service. I should mention the company had a local jeweler call me and tell me to call the main Tissot office. When I called they told me the watch will no longer be repaired or sold and I am able to get any other watch they have instead.
This is sad news as I really liked the High-T. I am looking for a new MSN Direct watch now. Wish me luck. Until then, expect me to be late for every meeting. ;)
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IP Communications Education
August 20, 2007
Listen, I don’t want to overdo discussion of ITEXPO in my blog but the fact of the matter is this recent e-mail sent by my marketing team is a great document discussing what is important at the show. It is a good guide for you. What to see, where to go, where to be, etc.
You can see below the various aspects of Internet Telephony Conference & Expo which make it unique and the most imitated event in IP communications. And yes, I am aware that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Thanks for the complement.
----
WHAT: Workshops at ITEXPO
WHEN: September 10-12, 2007
WHERE: Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California
WEB: www.itexpo.com
Free Workshops for Resellers, Service Providers, Enterprises, SMBs
Dear Colleague,
At most conferences, you can register for a free pass that grants access to exhibits, and perhaps even keynote speeches. But only at ITEXPO can you attend free workshops created specifically to help you stay abreast of the important developments in IP communications solutions.
This is why show after show, ITEXPO is the conference where enterprises, SMBs, resellers and service providers gather to learn and develop partnerships.
Here is a look at the workshops planned for you at ITEXPO in Los Angeles next month. Admission to all workshops except trixbox training is free with your VIP Pass or Reseller Pass Registration.
Ingate's SIP Trunking Workshop - September 10 – 11, 2007
================================================
Free workshop presented by Ingate and their partners. Details here.
Learn how SIP trunking can maximize the ROI from your IP PBX investment in these informative seminars with Ingate Systems. SIP trunking rapidly reduces costs by leveraging SIP, eliminating redundant network connections and by allowing the Internet telephony service provider (ITSP) to handle PSTN termination.
Join Ingate, leading IP PBX vendors, and SIP trunking service providers at INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO. You'll learn:
• SIP trunking: benefits, issues, and opportunities
• How SIP trunking can maximize the Return on Investment for your IP PBX
• Installation roadmap, solutions for interoperability, etc.
• An introduction to SIP Trunking service providers, their plans, and requirements
• A complete tool kit to ease the installation of SIP trunks
NEW SESSIONS -- Tracks have been expanded to include topics on SIP architecture and security, issues critical to successful deployments of realtime communications, including VoIP. SIP trunks reduce costs, as they eliminate the need to purchase local PSTN gateways, costly ISDN BRIs (Basic Rate Interfaces) or PRIs (Primary Rate Interfaces).
Disaster Preparedness Forum -- Monday, September 10th
================================================
Free workshop presented by the Disaster Preparedness Communication Forum
9:00am - 11:00am
National disasters - hurricanes, tornados, winter storms, - have demonstrated repeatedly that too many companies do not have an effective plan in place to ensure business continuity. However, although major disasters command a lot of attention from the media, they are rare and generally affect a small percentage of the total population. It's the smaller calamities, such as power outages, fire, or local floods that are far more common and affect ill-prepared businesses every single day.
Today's technologies allow organizations to plan and implement solutions that are safe, solid, and affordable to ensure continuity of business in the case of a disaster of any size. This 2-hour workshop will focus on the use of converged IP solutions to seamlessly transfer vital functions and back up critical data, preventing loss and minimizing downtime during a business interruption whether caused by nature or man.
Reseller Solutions Day -- Monday, September 10th
==================================
Free workshops presented by Interactive Intelligence
9:00am -- Learn How To Make Money Selling VoIP
Brit Vickner, Strategic Business Development Manager, Interactive Intelligence, along with TMC president Rich Tehrani and ABP president Robert Messer will draw on over 25 years of experience in the telecom market to help you take advantage of the IP communications market explosion. Learn how to “talk-the-talk,” how to bundle services to create more attractive offerings, and how to sell VoIP as an add-on to existing infrastructure.
Speakers:
Rich Tehrani, President and Conference Chairman, TMC
Brit Vickner, Strategic Business Development Manager, Interactive Intelligence
Robert Messer, President, ABP
10:00am -- Say Yes! To Unified Communications: It’s Not A Fad!
Speaker: Brit Vickner, Strategic Business Development Manager, Interactive Intelligence
11:00am -- The Success Story of How Partners Can Make Money Selling VoIP Using Unified Communications
Speaker: Jeff Devries, Channel Sales Manager, Interactive Intelligence
Reseller Live! -- Monday, September 10th
==================================
Free workshop presented by The Enterprise Communications Association
12:30 - 3:15pm -- Reseller Live
This session was first introduced at ITEXPO in 2005. Topics cover all aspects of converged IP sales including security, FoIP, hosted services, Software as a Service (SaaS), IP contact center operations and other key subject matter. The session is designed to maximize reseller participation so come prepared with questions for the panelists.
Also covered will be the panelist's consensus of the Top 5 Reasons to Implement VoIP and the Top 5 Reasons customers may hesitate to implement immediately.
How to Profit from Selling Hosted VoIP in the SMB Market-- Tuesday, September 11th
==================================
Free workshop presented by Vocalocity
9:30 - 11:00 am
The session will be led by NetZip and Vocalocity co-founder, Phil Hill, who will speak about the skills and techniques needed to effectively close deals in this competitive marketplace.
More businesses than ever are outsourcing their technology purchasing decisions to trusted resellers and solutions providers who can help them take advantage of the global migration to Voice over IP. Offering small businesses an enterprise grade voice solution allows you to enter new market segments, differentiate your product offerings, and stay ahead of the competition in the rapidly moving world of broadband communications.
It is unmistakable that Voice over IP and the hosted model are the future of business telephony. Maximize cash flow with upfront payments and residual commissions paid out for the life of an account. Learn how to choose a total solution partner who provides local, long distance, and toll free networks, a competitive feature set, web-based administration, and marketing and billing support.
Voice Peering Workshop -- Wednesday, September 12th
==================================
Free for Enterprises and Service Providers - Presented by the Voice Peering Fabric
The Voice Peering Fabric (VPF), the preferred marketplace for carriers and enterprises to exchange voice, video and telephony services, is pleased to organize another distinctive Voice Peering Workshop at ITEXPO West 2007. This workshop brings to ITEXPO attendees a team of experts from the telecom, hardware and software industries. Their business strategies and technical insight will be the answer to your questions and concerns relating to voice/video routing and interconnections. The workshop panel discussions present the state of direct peering, putting you on track to harness the full potential of IP communications.
8:15 am - 9:00 am - Voice Peering 101
Speaker: Hunter Newby, Chief Strategy Officer, The telx Group
9:15 am - 10:00 am - Inside the Voice Peering Fabric (VPF)
Speaker: Shrihari Pandit, President & CEO, Stealth Communications
More then 130 billion minutes of VoIP traffic are flowing through peering arrangements on the VPF annually, bypassing legacy switched networks and correspondent relationships. Discover the elements within that have attracted leading organizations worldwide to participate in this new marketplace:
* What lies within the core of the peering fabric
* Where the peering fabric reaches
* Why the shift of VoIP to a private voice Internet
* How bi-lateral and multi-lateral (ENUM/SRV) peering relationships function
10:15 am - 11:00 am - Peering and Transcoding with Asterisk on the VPF
Speaker: Kevin Fleming, Director of Software Technologies, Digium
Asterisk is being deployed more often as critical infrastructure in enterprise and carrier networks. This session will focus on how Asterisk can be used to facilitate VoIP peering using industry standards (and Asterisk-specific) protocols including ENUM, SRV, ITAD and DUNDi. In addition, we will also discuss how Asterisk can be deployed as a high-performance 'transcoding appliance'. Transcoding is often required when connecting calls between peering networks that use common (and not-so-common) voice codec's.
Fonality trixbox Open Communication Certification (FtOCC)
==================================
(FtOCC, pronounced "F-talk") is a 3-day course teaching you the basics of trixbox administration. Designed for those who wish to install trixbox systems for their company or clients, persons tasked with maintaining a trixbox installation, or users relatively new to trixbox that want a better understanding of it’s capabilities. FtOCC focuses on the core operations that an administrator would need to handle on a regular basis.
Who Should Attend?
- IT Engineers tasked with supporting or implementing an IP PBX
- System integrators and VARs who want to sell IP PBX systems
- Phone system resellers looking to move into the IP PBX market
Register Now (fee required).
---------------------------------------------------------------
Informative Keynotes; Invaluable Networking
---------------------------------------------------------------
Besides a great educational experience in the workshops, you can expect first rate keynotes and networking opportunities that are unrivaled. As the IP communications landscape gets more sophisticated, it is imperative you come to industry conferences to experience everything there is to learn. In addition you are able to network with all the key players and your peers at once, ensuring your education is balanced. The worst thing you can do is make a decision without knowing all of your choices up front.
Sincerely,
INTERNET TELEPHONY Team
P.S. Don't forget that while at the show you could win a new 'Tricked Out' Toyota FJ Cruiser or a suite of Apple products, including an iPhone, iMac and Apple TV. Details are posted on the event Web site.
While at the show, please visit the booths of all sponsors:
Diamond Sponsors:
----------------------------
Aculab... www.aculab.com
Atacomm... http://voipstore.atacomm.com
Cisco... www.cisco.com
Platinum Sponsors:
------------------------------
8x8, Inc... www.8x8.com
ABP... www.abptech.com
AudioCodes... www.audiocodes.com
Comverse... www.comverse.com
Dialogic... www.dialogic.com
Fonality... www.fonality.com
Interactive Intelligence... www.inin.com
Inter-Tel... www.inter-tel.com
Iwatsu... www.iwatsu.com
NETXUSA... www.netxusa.com
Nuvio... www.nuvio.com
Samsung... www.samsung.com
Sphere... www.spherecom.com
TechData... www.techdata.com
Gold Sponsors:
-----------------------
911Enable... www.911enable.com
AdTran... www.adtran.com
Border Ware... www.borderware.com
Cylogistics... www.cylogistics.com
Dash911... www.dash911.com
Dice... www.dice.com
Dirigisoft... www.dirigisoft.com
Genband... www.genband.com
Global Touch Telecom... www.globaltouchtelecom.com
Grandstream Networks... www.grandstream.com
HBF/911 Services... www.hbfgroup.com
IPGear... www.ipgear.net
IPitomy... www.ipitomy.com
IXIA... www.ixia.com.com
NetSapiens... www.netsapiens.com
Quintum... www.quintum.com
Sangoma Technologies... www.sangoma.com
Sansay... www.sansay.com
SyncVoice... www.syncvoice.com
Vocalocity... www.vocalocitypbx.com
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Skype P2P Problems
August 20, 2007
By now it seems the whole world is aware Skype had major problems last week. For most people, Skype was down. Tom Keating speculated the cause was a Microsoft patch which rebooted massive numbers of machines. He has a point as my machine coincidentally rebooted just before the Skype problem hit.
Many people thought Tom was incorrect but it turns out Tom nailed the problem.
Phil Wolf has an excellent recap of the problem with his thoughts and questions interlaced within.
For example, when commenting on the following from Skype:
Normally Skype’s peer-to-peer network has an inbuilt ability to self-heal, however, this event revealed a previously unseen software bug within the network resource allocation algorithm which prevented the self-healing function from working quickly.
Wolf wonders:
If the bug was within the algorithm, in the Skype client, was the bug ever repaired?If it was repaired, how was the fix propagated?
Brough Turner who has been a TMC columnist for about a decade also has some great thoughts on the matter.
One final point... Skype did not blame Microsoft directly but it seems circumstantially they are saying a Microsoft forced reboot brought the p2p IP communications network to its knees. The point is that for all the resiliency inherent in p2p networks, they too are not perfect as they rely on software and systems not necessarily in a company’s control.
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