| The third and final phase of an enterprise
IP telephony deployment—system networking—will leverage
the capabilities achieved in the first two phases to provide
a virtual communications system distributed over IP. When
implementing a WAN communication infrastructure you really
need to consider multiple new technologies while being mindful
of your existing investment
in network infrastructure. Instead of being implemented individually
in independent, disconnected offices, applications such as
multimedia contact center, PBX, voice mail and unified messaging
will now be integrated into a single system that provides
network-wide services to multiple sites. A user will be able
to dial by name or leave a voice mail for another user at
another site as easily as he or she communicates with someone
at the same site. Similarly, from a management perspective
the administrator will be able to perform moves, adds, and
changes, or other configuration operations across multiple
sites as easily as a at single site.
In today's global business environment networking among
systems will enable a seamless user experience and better
access to information when and where it is needed. This
phase will provide more intelligent networking among remote
offices—as well as tighter integration with the communication
system at headquarters—to improve and enhance interoffice
communications.
ICPs with system networking will allow voice networks to
become more like router networks, complete with local control,
distributed intelligence, and centralized management. The
ICP will be able to automatically discover the network topology
and will dynamically configure itself to participate in
the network. Even though a networked system will contain
many geographically dispersed devices, it will behave as
a single, cohesive system. In the event of a node failure,
the system will be able to adjust, adapt, and self-heal.
Network managers will be able to control failure modes to
mitigate their impact on end users. Furthermore, when network
managers add and remove capacity, the system will be able
to self-organize and utilize the available resources.
The goal is to have information and control when and where
they are needed. As with router networks, this means hosting
information and call control locally to ensure performance
and reliability. Otherwise, municipalities will not be able
to guarantee control of call flows or leverage the availability
of multiple trunk connections and alternative carrier services.
For example, if a company has a networked environment with
a centralized call manager architecture, it will suffer
a major service interruption if a WAN failure prevents connection
to the centralized call manager. This failure could be especially
critical in a distributed or small call center environment.
Therefore, on-premise equipment must provide full call control
capabilities.
Unlike the critical call control functions, network management
and information storage and dissemination are best centralized.
IP lets system administrators centrally manage all aspects
of a large, distributed voice communications network. IP
also allows integration with centralized directory services,
enabling tighter integration with a company's internal resources
and business processes.
|
IP
Trunking
Phase
3 -
Capabilities
