The Internet channel is now critical to the success of most companies, providing the basis for a plethora of services. Variable demand and time sensitivity place huge demands on the infrastructure, meaning that maintaining high-performance, reliable, and secure web servers is vital. The effectiveness of web-facing applications directly affects the experience for those users situated both internally and externally, so network managers need to consider and evaluate the various acceleration and security sol…
Technology Audits - published 27/05/2010 - Mark Blowers
With many point communication solutions in use by an enterprise, it is difficult for a single service provider to meet all the communications requirements of an organization all of the time. This is where an integrated communications solution can offer a better approach, such as provided by Azzurri. The solution comprises an overarching framework that integrates different technologies from several providers, allowing for a consistent communications experience and enabling organizations to have visibility…
Technology Audits - published 27/05/2010 - Mark Blowers, Nishant Singh
The various components of communications can no longer be dealt with in isolation. Unified communications can assist in improving productivity by improving interaction and collaboration, as well as simplifying communications to provide a single identity across office, mobile, and email environments. Damovo offers a range of communication solutions aimed at securing enterprise exchanges, maximizing returns from existing infrastructure, improving workforce efficiency, and creating better customer interacti…
Technology Audits - published 12/05/2010 - Mark Blowers, Nishant Singh
Communications play an important role in ensuring enterprises function efficiently and it is therefore vital for the technology to be effective and easy to use. Enterprises are concerned with both employee and customer satisfaction when deploying communication technologies and are looking to improve productivity through their communications investments. The main driver for investment must be the end-user and the relevant business case, not a particular technology. The integration of the mobile phone and …
Technology Audits - published 08/04/2010 - Mark Blowers
Many organisations are confronted by a number of issues such as continuous change, including the shift to an agile eBusiness, increasingly mobile workers, and the unremitting demands to increase productivity and to lower costs. The requirement for communications capability to support all of an organisation’s interaction needs has never been more evident. It is becoming increasingly important for IT management to lay the foundations for making possible integrated communication services.
Technology Evaluation and Comparison Reports - published 08/02/2010 - Mark Blowers
Akamai provides a distributed computing platform for global Internet content and Web application delivery. The company uses its EdgePlatform, a globally distributed network of 50,000 servers across 1,500 locations and 70 countries, and a set of patented software tools, to provide what it calls an Application Delivery Network (ADN). Akamai argues (and Ovum agrees) that the majority of performance degradation while delivering rich and/or dynamic Web content over the Internet occurs as a result of problems …
Technology Audits - published 01/02/2010 - Balachandar Ganesh, Mark Blowers
Cisco’s Unified Communications (UC) portfolio, which comprises various communication technologies, TelePresence, and WebEx solutions, can be delivered on-premise, on-demand, managed, or hosted, all of which are supported by a service-aware architectural foundation, presence capabilities, and infrastructure-management solutions. In addition, Cisco provides a development environment that helps organisations and a network of partners to build enterprise applications with integrated communication capabilitie…
Technology Audits - published 14/12/2009 - Mark Blowers
The Avaya Unified Communications (UC) portfolio brings together real-time and near-time communication mechanisms in a secure, intuitive, reliable environment that enables employees to communicate more effectively using speech, IM, video, e-mail, voicemail, mobile, and portal. Ovum particularly likes the industry-standard approach, session-management capabilities, and the abstraction of applications from the network layer. These are important attributes that enable the solution to exploit the existing IT …
Technology Audits - published 14/12/2009 - Mark Blowers
Alcatel-Lucent has a series of IP telephony solutions and a Unified Communications (UC) portfolio comprising unified messaging, conferencing (audio, Web, and video), and single-number reach. There is also instant messaging, integration with desktop platforms, mobile access to the UC features, Web services that enable the embedding of communication capabilities into enterprise applications, and a contact-centre solution with a comprehensive feature set. These UC features are coupled with telephony and mul…
Technology Audits - published 14/12/2009 - Mark Blowers, Mark Clark, Mark Egan, Mark Fullbrook, Mark Kusionowicz, Mark Morris, Mark Strauch, Martin Butler, Martin Gandar, Martin Maters, Martin Read, Martin Richmond-Coggan, Martin White, Matt Peachey, Matthew Hopkins, Maxine Holt, Menno Van Doorn, Merlijn Gillissen, Michael Azoff, Michael Callahan, Michael Cross, Michael Gough, Michael Kenward, Mike Adami-Sampson, Mike Barwise, Mike Davis, Mike Hill, Mike Lenette, Mike Lynch, Mike Small, Mike Thompson, Mychelle Mollot, Neil Chaney, Neil Meddick, Nick Kalisperas, Nick Sears, Nicola Byers, Nigel Hawthorn, Nobby Akiha, Owen Cole, Paul Brown, Paul Grossman, Paul Hollingsworth, Paul Lavin, Paul Strassmann, Peter Dorrington, Peter Gandy, Peter Mitteregger, Peter Woollacott, Peyman Mestchian, Philip Padfield, Phillipe Reynier, Professor Fred Piper, Professor Leslie Wilcocks, Professor Margaret Ross, Raj Lotey, Ray Woabank, Richard Blanford, Richard Brierton, Richard Edwards, Richard Sheppard, Richard Sprong, Rick Cudworth, Rick Marshall, Rob Hailstone, Rob Rachwald, Robert Coles, Robin Wilson, Rod Perry, Roddy Adams, Rodrigo Fernando Torres, Roger James, Ronan Lavelle, Rory Nolan, Roy Illsley, Roy Lee, Russ Thornton, Sally Flood, Sally Whittle, Sara Cullen, Sarah Burnett, Sarim Khan, Sheila Childs, Shuna Kennedy, Simon Edwards, Simon Forge, Simon Stevens, Simon Wardley, Somak Roy
Nortel has an extensive Unified Communications (UC) portfolio, available both as functionality native to its IP telephony platforms, and as capabilities integrated with the company’s IP telephony solutions and data networking portfolio. The portfolio includes unified messaging, conferencing, Instant Messaging (IM), presence, single number, contact centre solutions, and capabilities that enable the embedding of communications technology within enterprise applications. Nortel has an important partnership w…
Technology Audits - published 08/12/2009 - Mark Blowers, Somak Roy
Siemens Enterprise Communications Group (SEN Group) is a joint venture between The Gores Group, a private equity company, and Siemens AG. The company provides a set of user-oriented Unified Communications (UC) solutions including OpenScape Voice, which is a software-based solution that enables voice traffic over IP networks, and OpenScape UC, an application that comprises a single-number and device-transfer capability, unified messaging, and presence. SEN Group has handled its transition to a software-ce…
Technology Audits - published 08/12/2009 - Mark Blowers, Somak Roy
BT can build and manage corporate Unified Communications and Collaboration (UCC) solutions for customers worldwide. The solution is used by two main groups of customers: those which are very much on the Service Oriented Communications (SOC) journey and those requiring a Communications-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering. In both scenarios, integrating multimodal communications – such as IP Telephony (IPT), e-mail, unified messaging, conferencing, Instant Messaging (IM), and mobility – and presence with collabor…
Technology Audits - published 29/06/2009 - Mark Blowers
F5 Networks’ BIG-IP is an application delivery optimisation appliance, comprising WAN optimisation, load balancing, and application layer firewall capabilities. The solution is based on F5’s TMOS platform, which is a purpose-built, real-time OS for traffic inspection and manipulation that provides a number of core cryptographic and acceleration functions. BIG-IP solutions are deployed as a proxy between servers and the users, and all the services can be managed through the same console and by using iRule…
Technology Audits - published 12/06/2009 - Mark Blowers, Somak Roy
Aruba Networks, a wireless networking and mobility solutions provider, has recently announced a new Virtual Branch Network (VBN) solution and new wired and wireless Remote Access Points (RAPs) that are claimed to reduce the costs of branch office networking.
OpinionWire Articles - published 04/06/2009 - Mark Blowers
PhoneFactor, a provider of security products and services, recently announced that a transaction verification capability has been added to its phone-based authentication solution. For high-risk and high-value transactions the functionality prevents fraudulent activity by authenticating the actual transaction.
OpinionWire Articles - published 14/05/2009 - Mark Blowers
In many ways India is a natural market for videoconferencing technologies; the whole range from inexpensive consumer grade tools to the newest and prohibitively expensive TelePresence solutions.
Butler Group Review Articles - published 27/04/2009 - Somak Roy
The need for a new network architecture paradigm is apparent. Inefficiencies, high overhead, and network complexity can no longer be sustained in the current economic climate. A network platform must be capable of supporting networked sustainability and green IT services, collaboration, mobility, and network virtualisation. To do this, it must be flexible, efficient, and optimised to enable seamless and efficient interaction at any time and from anywhere.
White Papers - published 26/03/2009 - Mark Blowers
The iTrinegy range of Network Emulators (INE) is made up of software and appliance-based products that simulate a WAN or wireless network environment by replicating a variety of network conditions like latency, available bandwidth, jitter, and packet loss over a WAN or LAN. The network emulator family comprises the INE Compact, INE LCD, INE Enterprise, INE Ultra (all of which are appliance based) and the software-based INE for Windows. An optional module, the INE Companion can be deployed either alongsid…
Technology Audits - published 16/03/2009 - Balachandar Ganesh, Mike Thompson
Blue Coat’s Application Delivery Network (ADN) infrastructure enables the flow of information to users across the network structure of corporate headquarters, branch offices, and mobile users to be accelerated, optimised, and secured. A range of capabilities for WAN optimisation, application visibility, bandwidth management, URL filtering, and Web-borne malware protection is provided, primarily through two product lines – ProxySG (which combines Web security and WAN optimisation) and PacketShaper (which …
Technology Audits - published 26/02/2009 - Aanchal Sabharwal, Alan Rodger, Somak Roy
The TeleWare intelligent Office solution provides software for location-independent working, and improved telephony productivity. The solution is based on an open architecture and can be deployed either on-premise or as a hosted service, enabling unified communications for enterprises, improving collaboration between individuals and teams, and supporting new working practices. TeleWare uses a software-based approach which enables organisations to continue to exploit existing equipment and interoperate wi…
Technology Audits - published 24/02/2009 - Mark Blowers
The expectation is that the current challenging economic environment will continue throughout 2009. Enterprise communications has a leading role to play in the inevitable focus on IT and enterprise costs.
Butler Group Review Articles - published 27/01/2009 - Mark Blowers
I decided to prepare for this article by posting a question on the “Africa ICT Network” community Web site. I asked (not unsurprisingly): “What are the ICT trends for Africa in 2009?”
Butler Group Review Articles - published 27/01/2009 - Terry White
Whilst stories on the slowdown in the Chinese economy, and associated global implications, are commonplace, China’s performance against a different ‘prosperity measure’ has gone almost unnoticed. The ‘statistic’ in question is that of Internet usage, with China surpassing the US to achieve the mantle of the ‘world’s biggest Internet user’ during the first half of 2008 – not bad considering that all we generally hear about is what Chinese Internet users cannot do, rather than what they can do.
OpinionWire Articles - published 23/01/2009 - Stephen Mann
With much ado Virgin Media launched its new super-fast broadband services this week, offering speeds of up to 50Mb to some of its home customers, with the promise that it will be rolled out in stages across the UK over the next few months. The Virgin Media Web site is full of benefits such as simultaneous downloads, streaming video, online gaming, and so on, offering the opportunity of a great Christmas present for some, but will it increase the incidence of home working during 2009?
OpinionWire Articles - published 02/01/2009 - Maxine Holt
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