CORPORATE NETWORKS: One World, One Network

There

are corporate networks for data communications and others for

voice communications. Examples of new applications that have

been introduced in recent years are videoconferencing and the

Internet. Ever since it became possible to switch and transmit

speech in a digital form, it has basically been conceivable to

transmit everything over a single network. The technological

developments in both the worlds exhibit interesting parallels,

and there is a clear path towards convergence of the PBX and LAN

worlds.

For many suppliers of PBXs

this is a completely new concept: Telephone calls within a

company will no longer (carefully separated from all other types

of communication) be switched via a Private Branch Exchange

(PBX) but rather will be passed via the "equally taken for

granted" LAN platform. This convergence of voice and data

communications which has long been a topic for discussion is now

knocking at the door, as vendors escort their customers in

carefully considered steps from the PBX over the IP-enabled PBX

through to the LAN PBX.

Two with Much

in Common

Convergence

of the networks does not mean the fusion of the existing

infrastructures but rather the evolution of a new, unified, and

integrated network platform. The lowest common denominator that

can be found for the LAN and the PBX for this convergence is

packet switching and IP technology. This means the more

intelligent voice networks must adapt themselves to the,

figuratively speaking, weaker or simpler data networks. Some

elementary disadvantages of telephone networks for the new

integrated Internet applications justify this: Inefficient use

of the resources, insufficient bandwidth for multimedia in ISDN

networks as well as limited flexibility in the event of a rapid

increase in the network load.

Additionally, the

advantages of data networks also play a part: Packet-or

cell-oriented technologies permit better use of the resources,

and transmission rates of up to some 1,000 times faster than

those possible in voice networks can be implemented.

Also for SMEs

The

driving force behind the trend towards convergence is

undoubtedly the Internet and the growing requirement of business

and private users for communications capacity. The technical

press is continuously reporting record figures in the

development of e-business. E-business and other Web applications

demand a uniform network platform, after all the Internet does

not exclude voice communication from the wealth of other types

of communication. For instance, videos and music clips are no

problem. Why then should telephony be a problem? Further impetus

for the convergence of the networks is the development of the

VPN market. In the period from 1998 to 2003, Virtual Private

Networks (VPNs) will experience a growth rate of 100 percent

(according to "Infonetics Research"). This will mean

that integrated voice and data communications solutions such as

voice over IP and IP will receive a massive drive forward over

the coming years.

For large companies the

path to a uniform network platform is clearly traced out. But

the migration path is also open for small and medium-sized

enterprises (SME). Vendors are trying to ensure this with a

large selection of products, which encourage the convergence of

the networks. With an IP router integrated in the PBX, SMEs get

a simple and cost effective access door into the Internet, and

in such a way as to provide an investment-protecting fusion of

the telephone and data world. An IP router gives all the

employees of a company access to the Internet and in the reverse

direction, authorized external partners have access to the

company’s Internet. This will become the central

communications platform in the company since it can also be used

to make telephone calls (VoIP). The interconnection of two LANs

over ISDN to form a WAN is also possible, as is networking over

IP for the economic internetworking via ISDN.

With the migration of the

networks, vendors argue that they will permit the co-existence

of traditional products and IP-based products. This co-existence

will give customers decisive economic advantages because

investments in existing equipment are secure thanks to the

compatibility with the IP world. Thanks to the PBX-LAN migration

a widely usable platform will be created which will fuse the

best features of the traditional PBX with "converged

technologies".

Courtesy:

Ascom