Yesterday, I did something I rarely do. I forgot to write the blog and for that I apologize. As ANPI approaches the launch of its first major new product for SMBs and enterprises, I got tied up in meetings and, well, forgot. I even have a couple of things worth sharing.

First, RTIME (Rural Telecom Industry Meeting and Expo), proved to be a very interesting conference. I had the opportunity to meet with leaders in the RLEC community, key vendors and several of our customers. The event was very well attended with approximately 2500 participants. I was impressed by the discussions regarding the development of new business areas and partnerships. While the changes in rules by the FCC towards the industry caused some consternation and pause last year, many rural telcos are beginning to understand the need to evolve their businesses and products. I was particularly impressed with Ironton’s Chairman, David George. His understanding of the industry, aggressive nature regarding the development of new business opportunities and adoption of SEO and SMO (social media optimization) was intriguing and insightful. I look forward to ANPI’s continued relationship with him and Ironton.

Second, the news of Oracle’s bid for Acme Packet was a little surprising. Granted Acme Packet experienced a bit of a drop in their stock price last year, it was recovering during a difficult time for enterprise and carrier infrastructure investment. Both companies used the phrase “all-IP networks” in discussing their vision for bringing the two companies together. The Acme Packet session border controller achieved great success with carriers but penetrating enterprise markets has proven to be more competitive. Perhaps, Oracle’s software presence will remove some of the resistance to enterprises embracing Acme Packet but there are a number of entrenched competitors and quite a few upstarts. The list includes Cisco, Metaswitch, Sonus, Avaya, AudioCodes, Ingate and many others.

Mike Hurd, co-President Oracle, during his explanation of the acquisition said “…"integrated best-in-class products that address critical customer requirements in key industries." To which Motley Fool responded with “buzzwords”. If Oracle thinks they should enter the network equipment fray, perhaps a little more time should have been spent looking at the financial and stock performance of companies in the space. However, as one always enthusiastic about the members of the IP community and ecosystem, “all IP, all the time”, has a nice ring to it.

See you on Monday!