Open source IP cuts costs

Johannesburg, 28 Apr 2009

Telepresence and videoconferencing services provider Polycom says the global adoption of open source protocols is gaining momentum.

Chris Wortt, VOIP sales manager at Polycom UK, says: "Open standards protocol removes the need to pay expensive royalties for proprietary software and applications, which immediately brings costs well down. In a time when IT budgets are constantly being trimmed, cut and even slashed drastically, this kind of saving cannot be overstated."

Wortt adds: "Besides the various ways that open standards can save businesses money, perhaps the most exciting benefit of the technology is its ability to provide a stable, reliable and above all, independent platform for the building and development of applications. On open source IP platforms, the application protocol interface is based on XML coding, meaning that anybody with knowledge of XML can become an application developer."

He notes that a VOIP or IP telephony system can be integrated with core business applications ensuring users have faster, more detailed access to business information on their own business contacts. “These applications can be pushed right down to the handsets themselves, enabling the entire IP telephony network to be customised right through to the endpoints," says Wortt.

An IP telephony system, based on open session initiation protocol (SIP), is interoperable. According to Polycom, this is critical at a time where companies are trying to avoid being locked into contracts with a specific vendor and brand.

Fiona Mclean-Banks, Polycom business development manager at official local distributor Zycko, says an open standards system allows technology to be customised to meet the individual needs of any customer.

“With open source devices, functionality can be tailored for specific demands, streamlining systems and saving money for companies by not forcing them to buy systems and processes that are redundant.”

According to a statement from Polycom, an open standards system sits on standardised technology, meaning it is scalable and can grow with the organisation without costly upgrades.

Polycom released it fiscal earnings for the first quarter of 2009 this month, reporting revenue of $225.4 million (R1.98 billion), compared to $258.9 million (R2.275 billion) for the first quarter of 2008.