Erik Linask
writer
June 2009
You are browsing the archive for June 2009.
CDW Snags Awards for Converged IT Solutions Expertise
June 23, 2009
Convergence is a term that, in the communications space, was used to describe the layering of voice traffic onto data networks. But what it has really come to mean is the confluence of networking and communications infrastructures, products, services, and management on single platforms. 
Indeed, networking and communications are the core of any business, and with the growth of IP Communications, can no longer be separated. As such, it's also important to understand that resellers and partners that have positioned themselves as complete solution providers, like CDW.
For its efforts in delivering complete cost effective, efficiency enhancing converged solutions to its customers, CDW was named a winner of five separate awards at Cisco's annual channel partner conference in Boston earlier this month. The awards include:
· Global Small Business Partner of the Year;
· U.S. and Canada National Small Business Partner of the Year;
· U.S. and Canada Theater Small Business Partner of the Year;
· Public Sector Mobility Partner of the Year; and
· Central Region Enterprise Partner of the Year.
As evidenced by the scope of the awards, CDW's expertise extends from small businesses to large enterprises, and includes mobility solutions as well -- clearly showing its breadth of capabilities as a reseller of not only Cisco solutions, but a host of other high quality networking, computing, and communications solutions for any business of any size.
CDW's vice president of product and partner management Matt Troka noted that CDW prides itself on its "dedication to supporting customers and their technology needs across all market segments -- public and private, large and small."
Part of becoming a valued partner to both vendors and customers is the ability to leverage quality products to lower capital and operational costs, which is among the key areas of focus for CDW today, as it looks to solve networking and communications challenges for its budget conscious customers, with access to certified IT experts who are ready to help understand and address current and future business networking needs.
For more on CDW's approach to delivering enhanced value to small, mid-sized, and large businesses, check out the IT Cost Reduction community on TMCnet.
Communications and Automation, a Match Made in Indianapolis
June 22, 2009
Have you ever wondered why it sometimes can take several weeks for your insurance agent, hospital, or some other service provider to respond to your needs? Most of you probably think it's because they are intentionally putting you off, especially if they owe you something. Or perhaps it's merely a question of being too busy. Probably not.
There's a very high probability that the delay is a result of poor workflow management. More specifically, there is more than likely a high degree of manual processing involved, where much of it could be automated. In fact, many customer facing processes could be -- and should be -- automated from their outset, regardless of how contact is initiated.
For instance, if a customer is filing an insurance claim, they might call their agent to start the process, or they might email the provider's claim desk, or they might even fax in their claim if they have had to the foresight to download the form from their Web site. Instead of relying on a manual end-to-end process that relies on the agent delivering a file to the appropriate office, where it gets processed (hopefully correctly), then passed on down the line, with several stops left before a check actually makes it into the outbound mail.
Yes, that may be oversimplifying the process, at least in some cases. But a standard process, or deviations from it, can largely be made exponentially more efficient through automation. In fact, it's safe to say that any multi-step, people-centric process can be made more efficient be leveraging communications systems to create automated processes.
That's what Indianapolis, Indiana-based Interactive Intelligence figures to deliver with its new IPA (Interaction Process Automation), the latest add-on to its popular unified communications solution, Customer Interaction Center.
You've all heard the term CEBP -- Communications Enabled Business Process --which injects multi-channel communications into the business process. IPA is the next step, CBPA (Communications Based Process Automation), which takes the same unified communications features and functions, and adapts them into business workflows.
For instance, going back to the insurance carrier, if a new policy request comes in from Arizona, the software seeks out the most appropriate agent to handle an Arizona policy. If that person is out, it knows to route the request to the next most appropriate agent. Or, if the task sits idle for more than a predetermined period, it does the same. In other words, IPA uses the same routing technology used for inbound calls for non-voice-based communications and tasks.
In other words, it places business processes onto the IP Communications system, not only creating a more efficient business, but also increasing the value of the communications solution.
Does it make sense? According to 87 percent of executives questioned, there is a relationship between communications and automation that can be exploited to create an operationally more efficient business, allowing companies to much more with their existing resources.
The next obvious step, since many of these processes that are being automated still rely on paper documents, is to integrate an electronic document management system into IPA. In fact, that is likely to happen within the next year, according to Interactive Intelligence's SVP of Worldwide Marketing --a reasonable expectation after the company acquired a 15-year-old document and content management business recently.
Nokia Siemens Networks' Chief Welcomes Nortel Employees
June 19, 2009
Since January, the Nortel bankruptcy details emerged, the question has been not so much what will happen with Nortel, but who will buy its valuable businesses and when. It was a foregone conclusion that its key assets would find new owners, which would shake up the communications landscape. Rich Tehrani noted back in April that a slew of competitors in both the carrier and enterprise markets could be -- even should be -- looking to profit from the struggles of what was once the largest telecom equipment manufacturer in North America, and Canada's largest company in terms of stock value. Rich predicted at the end of April the Nortel might soon be gone a standalone business. "The news is sad but true. It looks like Avaya or Siemens could pick up the enterprise pieces. The optical division could go to Fujitsu, Huawei, Alcatel-Lucent or potentially a private equity firm. The wireless unit could go to NSN," he wrote. That's just what we may now be seeing, as NSN and Nortel have agreed to a $650 million deal for Nortel's CDMA business, along with a research group focused on LTE. It's common knowledge that Nokia Siemens Networks has been looking for a way into the North American market -- this is its move to make that happen. "It is no secret that Nokia Siemens Networks has a lower market share in North America than we do in other parts of the world -- and adding all of you from the CDMA team would help us gain scale in the region," wrote NSN's CEO Simon Beresford-Wylie in a letter addressed to the Nortel employees that will be impacted by the acquisition. "Critically, it would also help us build stronger, deeper relationships with key customers." In addition to providing access to a tremendous CDMA user base, the move strategically positions NSN in the growing LTE market, which could potentially include being added as a third infrastructure vendor for Verizon Wireless' LTE development. It's believed that the wireless carrier is open to adding a third partner, with the caveat that that third vendor must first take over Nortel's CDMA business. Enter Nokia Siemens Networks, which already has an LTE presence in Europe. "We'd like to have Ottawa become a long-term wireless center of excellence within Nokia Siemens Networks, complementing our other global sites," said Beresford-Wylie.
Avaya and IBM, A Formidable UC and Security Alliance
June 11, 2009
As more and more devices are introduced onto networks, we're seeing a proportionate increase in the focus on security of the network resources accessed by those devices and the traffic that flows across them -- at least we should be.
Research tends to be somewhat cloudy, with most IT personnel and C-level executives claiming to understand they need to make security a top priority, yet additional reports suggest few have actually followed through on this.
Adding to the challenge is the fact that most users have extremely limited knowledge of network and device security, assuming that their network is protected at the core, and that what they do on their edge devices presents little risk. If the IT department is vigilant in securing the network, that is true. However, knowing that many IT administrators simply don't know enough about current threats, or don't have the time to deal with protecting against them, it's a safe (pardon the pun) assumption that there are many networks with unrealized security flaws.
Certainly, there are a number of companies in the communications space touting the need for increased security measures, especially as more and more businesses are adopting VoIP and Unified Communications systems. But, the message seems to come across louder and clearer when two industry giants come together to drive the message home.
That's exactly what Avaya and IBM have done now. As TMCnet's Amy Tierney reported today, the two companies have not only extended their relationship to further the growth of Unified Communications, but have included integrated security into their combined solution.
Specifically, Avaya Aura, the company's new UC architecture, has been integrated into IBM's converged communications offerings. In addition -- and this is where the security element comes into play -- Avaya has certified IBM Security Systems' Proventia GX 5208 and Proventia Management SiteProtector SP1001 for interoperability with Avaya Aura.
"As more and more companies move toward unified communications, it's important that they take a holistic approach to security that encompasses multi-vendor applications in mobile and virtual environments," said Dan Powers, vice president of brand, strategy, marketing and business development at IBM ISS.
In a multi-vendor communications environment, which is becoming the norm these days, the availability of a certified security solution becomes critical, not only to protect critical business data, but also to ease implementation and management of the entire communications network. The use of open standards only gets you half way there, but even standards-based systems have proprietary elements, so proven interoperability and certified integration is a must, with IT managers strapped for time as it is.
This strategy stands to further Avaya's -- and, consequently IBM's -- position among UC market leaders. Synergy CEO Jeremy Duke noted that Avaya, among others, is well placed to "weather the present business environment and provide a strong UC migration story."
