Johannesburg, 30 Mar 2005
The recent alliance agreement, signed in the US between 3Com Corp and Research In Motion (RIM), a manufacturer of wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market, will deliver a "new wave" of mobility in enterprise communications.
This is the view of Wolfgang Held, a business technologist at 3Com SA, who says it is a signal that instant access to voice and data communications - as well as time-sensitive information - from a single handheld device has become a "must have" for companies looking to improve employee productivity.
He says the combination of 3Com`s Internet Protocol (IP)-private branch exchange (PBX) and wireless local area network (WLAN) switch with RIM`s BlackBerry wireless network offerings will result in a rich set of mobile voice and data applications for campus-type network users.
"This jointly engineered solution will enable employees to use always-on BlackBerry applications such as e-mail, VOIP, browser and organiser functions in conjunction with the BlackBerry platform`s connectivity features.
"These include push-based services, security and back-end integration. They are geared to enhance productivity for employees at head office, branch and home offices - thus increasing overall organisational effectiveness," he says.
"From a technical perspective, it delivers the flexibility of a session initiation protocol [SIP]-based BlackBerry handheld device that is tied into an existing PBX telephony system," he adds.
The benefits to enterprises are:
* Open standards and architecture. The 3Com IP Mobility module is based on SIP, which significantly reduces the cost of owning a reliable, customisable next-generation IP communications platform that enables employees to work more freely and productively. 3Com`s new wireless switch conforms to IEEE 802.11 standards and the BlackBerry 7270 is based on IEEE 802.11 standards for wireless and SIP for telephony application. The BlackBerry platform also supports open industry standards such as Java.
* Low cost of ownership. The 3Com IP Mobility module supports a variety of investment and deployment strategies, including traditional PBX preservation or replacement, and use of standard computing platforms.
* Increase user productivity. The 3Com IP Mobility module allows "campus warrior" associates to have greater access to their voice and data communications resulting in improved productivity gains and higher organisational effectiveness.
* Increased wireless security. The BlackBerry platform sets the standard for secure wireless data access with its advanced security architecture and support for Triple DES, AES and S/MIME. Intelligent WiFi also helps communication using AAA servers reduce network bandwidth stress and allows for security profiling by user and group. Rogue detection and isolation also help ensure only authorised users access the network.
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