The emergence of the Internet, new emphasis on e-business and e-commerce solutions as well as looming deregulation in the South African telephony arena are creating a strong demand for computer networks that provide end-to-end integration of voice, data and video services.
The DNS Group, in partnership with Nortel Networks, is one of the key players in this "unified networks" arena.
DNS, appointed as one of the first Nortel Unified Networks partners in South Africa, has thrown its weight behind Nortel`s unified networks strategy geared to deliver increased profitability and higher service levels to enterprise-wide networks of all types.
"Nortel has the products to address complete end-to-end voice-data solutions, including LAN telephony," says Denis Hodgson, Nortel products executive (DiData Networking Services).
"The partnership with Nortel marks the first time DNS has joined forces with one supplier to deliver both voice and data solutions," he says. "We see it as a very positive move for the marketplace as we can now offer our customers a range of solutions on one platform."
DNS and Nortel will effectively meld IP and ATM technologies to offer voice/data applications such as those that allow end-users to receive voice messages from the company switchboard via e-mail.
"Using the Nortel platform we will also be looking to integrate voice, video and data within e-mail packages such as Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Outlook."
Hodgson says this level and scope of integration will have a significant and profound impact on emerging dot.com companies that rely on personalised communication services to interact with the growing corps of on-line shoppers world-wide.
"For these companies, the concept of unified networks will drive down the cost of networking, effectively creating greater value for them," he says.
"Significantly, it is in line with Dimension Data`s global strategy which encompasses Nortel as one of its key partners for the delivery of new economies in networking."
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