29 March 2007
Convergence! One of the new hype words at the moment, with promises of simplifying IT, but to date it seems more complex. Enterprises have yet to fully understand the benefits, and though convergence implies the coming together to technology, vendors it seems are often not singing from the same hymn sheet. While vendors strive for convergence, they each have their own focus areas. Cellular providers base their delivery on their mobile offerings, fixed network vendors focus on infrastructure and network appliances, and so on for application vendors and the likes.
Fortunately, because IS is accustomed to providing clients with end to end solutions they have taken a similar approach to converged communications services. The key to providing converged solutions that work, now, is to develop networks that are agnostic to the connection medium, can reliably and predictably carry multiple forms of traffic, to applications regardless of type. While this may seem obvious, it requires time and effort to understand the technologies and build correctly, making them seamless to the users. IS has been listening to the demands of its clients and has evolved their solutions to deliver practical, quality, stable and reliable solutions.
Let’s start with the network.
The MPLS network provides the platform to deliver all subsequent solutions. MPLS is the global standard for the most cost-effective and efficient delivery of data, voice and video and IS engineers have arguably the most experience in the country in MPLS. Access through converged communications mediums needs to include wireless, satellite, fixed cable, ADSL, Diginet, fibre, or GSM technologies. This has been available for some time.
The next step is the converged client.
Already is use by many IS customers, access is available through multiple entries – PCs, PDAs, laptops, cellular phones, etc. To achieve true convergence end users must be able to gain access to the VPN regardless of where they are or what they are using. Convergence MPLS and mobility go hand in hand as mobility is core to the converged client.
Last, but not least, is the converged applications layer.
True convergence only begins to be a reality when the application the user needs can be accessed seamlessly from his device. The stumbling block has been the middleware agent that many ISVs are building. Up to now customers have had to go to the application vendor and ask for the development of this vital piece of the puzzle.
IS have anticipated this need and are working with the applications vendors to customize the middleware agents to allow hand-held devices such as PDAs and scanners, cellular devices and other mobile entry points to get access to the SAP, Oracle, Microsoft, Sybase or any other business critical application on these devices in a readable and easy to use format.
Working in partnership with Sybase and using their M-Commerce gateway, Sybase is the first major application to be field tested and working.
Another example of true convergence is that of a major courier organisation. Previously the delivery vans were sent out from a depot each day with their deliveries and a hand-held device. All consignments were signed for manually and the courier had to return to depot to download the delivery information into the central system. Contact with the drivers, to divert them for a new collection, was always via telephone or cell phone. Now their devices are connected via GSM, any new instructions are pushed to the driver closest to the collection address, and deliveries are confirmed real-time. This means better customer service, proof of delivery via triggered SMS, and lower transport costs. A true converged solution.
IS has used its expanding African and global footprint to bring these benefits home to our local customers. The way forward is clear – it’s a converged world from end to end.
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