There is pent up demand for new network services, guaranteed service availability, and a multi-disciplined, telco-class approach to corporate network design today. The integration of various network platforms is central to these issues.
Graham Vorster, chief technology officer at Duxbury Networking, maintains that the current management hierarchy, with its elements of vested interests, will be unable to manage the process successfully.
He predicts that a new class of manager will emerge to guide corporates to converged networking nirvana: Enter the convergence manager.
There is a strong business case for the convergence and integration of voice, data, the Internet and other platforms within today`s organisations.
It includes standard business items such as significantly reduced capital expenditures and reduced operating expenses.
And there are others. Bandwidth savings may or may not be a factor in SA, but straightforward installation and maintenance savings certainly are. If a new voice system replacement or data network installation is being planned, then cost savings could be substantial. Think in terms of architecture, security mechanisms, traffic management, network management and more.
Some cost savings elements may be difficult to calculate, such as end-user productivity gains. But they are nevertheless significant. For example, a simple "click to conference" facility within a local area network environment, or over the WAN (legislation permitting) will save many hours of planning - and even travel.
There are also productivity gains to be had from the convergence of network attached storage (NAS) and storage area networks (SANs), as archived and near online information will be readily available and become more of a viable resource that can be leveraged by network users.
But the most significant cost saving will be in staffing. The management and maintenance of one converged network is significantly less than separate voice, data and other "vertical" networks.
Human factor
However, it is this element of the equation - the human factor - that is most likely to be the cause of the failure of a convergence strategy.
Most networks in large organisations are managed independently by management teams that are fiercely territorial and parochial. The concept of convergence is anathema to them.
It represents a loss of power and often, in their view, signals the loss of their tight controls over security in their domains.
While the cost saving, operational benefits and a host of "cool" features that are usually associated with converged models should make for happier, more productive employees and more contented accounting executives, this is rarely achieved without strong-arm tactics from management.
The convergence manager
The post of convergence manager is seldom filled in organisations today. A key reason is that it has not been constituted. In many instances it has not even been considered.
But, for organisations looking towards integration as a solution, the role of the convergence manager is key.
For it is he (or she) who will take control of the process and override territorial disputes and sweep aside the "silo mentalities" that still permeate many companies today.
The convergence manager`s role is daunting: predicting the future of data, voice, storage and other networking disciplines has always been a challenge. In the converged environment the pace of technological innovation will be greater then before.
For example, technologies have matured and are now ready to be deployed in broadband network infrastructures to support a range of applications beyond traditional voice or data.
These applications are fast reaching the point where they will be capable of offering significant revenue generating opportunities for e-business and service providers alike.
Converged networks therefore promise much higher growth rates than traditional voice or data networks and will be key enablers for new business in many markets.
Against this backdrop, the convergence manager will need to maintain a delicate balance between revenue, capital expenditure and operating expenditure.
The task is not easy. But is there anyone else in the organisation with the necessary skill and objectivity to perform it? Unlikely.
The next three years
Market research experts tell us that the next three years will be marked by pragmatic business strategies, with corporate investment being directed almost exclusively to revenue-generating services.
They say new technologies will be embraced only when they offer new sources of revenue or cost reductions.
With this in mind, it is almost a certainty that convergence technologies will come to the fore. Convergence will be the platform on which evolutionary strategies are based - and the foundation for a host of new services.
Many new opportunities for value will be created in converged environments. As companies find new ways to capture the opportunities associated with convergence, new industries will be formed.
For example, until recently there was no industry called computer telephony integration (CTI), which is essentially an industry formed by a merging or redefinition of the computer and telephony boundaries.
Making the correct decisions will be critical to success. Who within an organisation has the impartiality to steer the "ship" through the "rough waters" of evolutionary change and technologies that characterise convergence?
Management: Outsource or in-house?
Unless the management of the convergence strategy is given full executive (board level) support it will fail due to a diversity of vested interests within the organisation.
It is for this reason that the task cannot ever be outsourced. As pockets of power will remain within the company and where the convergence strategy is seen to favour one of other grouping, there will surely be efforts made to undermine it.
No, the position of the convergence manager is full-time, in-house. Of necessity it must outrank those of the network manager, IT manager, security manager, PABX infrastructure manager, facilities manager and others.
It should therefore, be a board appointment and as such have the unbridled support of stakeholder and senior executive management alike.
The potential incumbent will be someone who is used to command, a corporate politician and technical wizard. He will be as well versed in the boardroom as the wiring cabinet - and he will have to be positioned correctly within the employee spectrum when BEE considerations are taken into account.
A tall order? Indeed. Head-hunters: business is coming your way.
Share
Editorial contacts