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By Rich Tehrani
Enterprise Mobility Featured Article
January 03, 2008
Enterprise Mobility Set to Take Off
By Rich TehraniRich Watson is Director of Technical Marketing at DiVitas Networks, an innovator in the converged mobile market. DiVitas has developed an open, enterprise solution that is designed to allow mobile devices to automatically roam seamlessly – back and forth – across disparate cellular and WiFi (News - Alert) networks.
The DiVitas mobile to mobile convergence (MMC) solution creates a network-agnostic, VoIP-based system, unifying voice, data, and applications on a single handset, extending the reach of the enterprise to create a more mobilized workforce.
I had the opportunity to catch up with Rich and ask him to highlight some of the trends he sees playing an important role in the industry today.
RT: What trends are you noticing in the communications market?
RW: There are several trends as I see it:
- Adoption of VoIP
as a telephony solution continues to grow; - Commitment of support for dual-mode (WiFi/cellular) handsets is becoming prevalent (Nokia (News - Alert), HTC, Motorola, Ericsson, and so on);
- Home and Corporate WLAN deployments continue to rise. For example, France Telecom launched an FMC program and has almost 1/2 million subscribers in less than 12 months. T-Mobile’s @Home program has over 200K subscribers in just a few pilot cities. Commercial WiFi hotspots continue to grow although municipal hotspot deployments have stagnated.
RT: Did 2007 finish the way your company expected?
RW: Yes. Growth in the key technological areas key to DiVitas’s success were met as well as general awareness of the need for general mobility solutions in the market. Building the sales and service channels are the focus for DiVitas in 2008.
RT: Is 2008 going to be a better year than 2007?
RW: Yes. We see broad interest in piloting and deploying enterprise mobility solutions throughout the world. Business leaders are keenly aware of the value of mobile communication solutions to raise associate productivity and responsiveness and the necessity to implement cost controls to a growing segment of the corporate budget (communications is >25% of corporate budgets).
RT: What technologies have altered the market the most?
RW: Availability of FMC-ready dual-mode handsets on a variety of operating systems (Symbian, Windows Mobile, Linux) as well as broader adoption of WLANs as a standard business technology. Those are two examples.
RT: How has Skype changed the telecom market?
RW: Skype has educated (raised awareness) the worldwide market to the reality and viability of VoIP and the scope of Internet connectivity. However, Skype is not positioned to be a business communication service as it doesn’t support FMC functionality nor is it integrated into a business communication fabric (PBX, Instant Messaging, Presence, etc...).
, Instant Messaging, Presence, etc...).RW: The introduction of the Apple iPhone has set a new bar on usability for the end user, setting new expectations for follow-on generations of competitive handsets and smartphones. Google and Microsoft will impact the market to bring more intelligence to subsequent generations of handsets raising the usability of these devices. The question that has not been answered is how will these vendors address the demand for seamless roaming across WiFi and cellular networks? Neither has made any announcements as to support this key functionality. Seamless network roaming and integration to business communication systems will remain the domain of companies like DiVitas for the time being.
RT: Do you have predictions about the 700 MHz auction?
RW: No. This would be a cellular provider opportunity that might be reflected in future 700 MHz handsets — another expression of today’s cellular phones.
RT: What are the brightest spots in your business going forward?
RW: One thing we’re excited about is the expansion of the enterprise and SMB mobility market segment — this market is virtually untapped. Also, the increased availability of dual-mode handsets and smartphones.
RT: What are the biggest threats you see to your company’s success?
RW: Competition from major system and network providers moving into the enterprise FMC space (Microsoft, Cisco (News - Alert), Avaya, Siemens...). Although these vendors may not offer an exact competitive product, they do compete for the enterprise communication dollars. Likewise, CAPEX and OPEX barriers for smaller business for our solution (i.e., making no decision at all).
RT: What will conferees learn from your ITEXPO conference session this month?
RW: Business mobile communications is available today. DiVitas offers carrier, WLAN, and PBX agnostic solutions that are cost effective in meeting the mobile communications requirements of large and small businesses. Enterprises and SMB owners can leverage existing infrastructure with mobile FMC as an overlay, minimizing any additional costs — no requirement for wholesale “forklift” replacement of communication systems.
RT: Who should attend?
RW: CIOs, CFOs, and IT managers responsible for communication solutions in their companies.
RT: What unique perspectives will you offer?
RW: DiVitas solutions are priced to meet entry level evaluation requirements that can scale to meet most enterprise and SMB mobile communication requirements. Also, DiVitas has the broadest selection of supported handsets and smartphones that affords the greatest flexibility in deploying the DiVitas solution.
RT: What is the most exciting market change we can expect in communications in technology in 2008 and beyond?
RW: Here are several changes we expect to see:
- Maturing of the dual-mode handset market — larger numbers of WiFi/cellular handsets will become available from multiple vendors.
- Commercial availability of a broader set of enterprise FMC solutions to more fully address the low end and high end of the business communication market.
- Expanded availability of public WiFi hotspots to extend the connectivity options for enterprise FMC users.
RT: Please make one surprising prediction for 2008.
RW: More consolidation (convergence) of the enterprise FMC market — key vendor purchasing critical technology partners; and delay of general IMS deployment — early predictions stated that 2008 would be the year of IMS.
deployment — early predictions stated that 2008 would be the year of IMS. Rich Tehrani is President and Group Editor in Chief at TMC (News - Alert). In addition he is the Chairman of the world’s best attended IP Communications event, Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO.
Communications event, Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO.Mark your calendars! Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO — the first major IP communications event of the year — is just days away. It’s not too late to register for the event, which takes place in Miami Beach, FL, January 23–25, 2008. The EXPO will feature three valuable days of exhibits, conferences and networking that you won’t want to miss. So what are you waiting for? Sign up now!
