UC and IP Telephony for the SMEs

Many talk about Unified Communications being mainly for the larger enterprise, but that is not the case and for Australia and New Zealand's multitude of SMEs and mid-tier organisations now is the time to plan your communication roadmap.

Two of the market leaders have been LG-Nortel and Shoretel and here we interview Rob Pierce, head of their channel partner Aria Technologies, regarding the challenges and opportunities in the channel space.

1. As a leader in the channel space - what are the challenges facing the SME channel today?

It really is as simple as sink or swim. Many channel partners are averse to change. If they are able to stay afloat by selling technology they are comfortable with - in this case TDM based technology - they will continue to do so.

Channel partners who do not grasp or understand that the landscape is changing, face the real risk of not being in business within 2-3 years. And by landscape changing we are talking about the proliferation of IP solutions now being demanded and deployed to businesses in Australia.

Just as importantly it is not enough to just offer or have access to IP solutions, channel partners must invest in their own business, including investing in training of staff, employing IT literate resources, and understanding the solution set they are selling and the benefits they can introduce to organisations.


2. What are the opportunities for Channel Partners who do invest in IPT skills?

By embracing change, up-skilling and investing in their business, they have a real opportunity of not only surviving the next 2-3 years, but prospering.

This will give the Partners business the opportunity to offer real benefits to all types of organisations whether they are a large government body or a small design house. Understanding their customer's requirements and how this technology can enhance productivity utilising applications which are now easily accessible via an IP communication solution. Applications such as video conferencing to the desktop, networking, remote tele-working and mobility offer real, tangible benefits to most organisations.

Furthermore, actual feedback from Partners who have embraced IP communications has highlighted another, somewhat surprising benefit - once skilled up, the simplicity of IP systems actually results in resource savings over traditional TDM technology. TDM systems are built around software that is highly vendor-specific and programming-intensive. IP systems are easier to pre-configure, program via web based applications and maintain through sophisticated network management systems.
Just as important, major carriers are also pushing the benefits of IP technology. Once carriers begin to offer competitive and attractive IP solutions the market will be driven from this direction as well.


3. Has there really been an uptake of VoIP in SME's?

I recall attending a conference in 1999 and all the buzz was voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and how it was about to revolutionise the communications industry!

10 years on and although the technology has advanced in leaps and bounds, it has only gained real momentum in the SME space over the 2 years. Larger organisations including universities and government bodies have been at the forefront of adopting IP technology. However, the majority of systems sold in the SME space have continued to be TDM legacy switches - albeit IP enabled - partly due to the comfort reason mentioned earlier, but also by the fact that TDM solutions have remained more cost-effective.

The last year or so has seen a definitive change in the landscape. Organisations of all sizes are demanding the benefits of IP telephony, and channel partners understand the real advantages this technology can provide to their customers, so design and manufacturing developments have resulted in cost savings.

The recent release of the iPECS-50, LG-Nortel's pure IP system aimed at meeting the needs of the SME market, is driving this change in landscape. Based on, and sharing all the benefits of the larger iPECS system, this powerful pure IP system is simple to install and manage, grows seamlessly regardless of the geography, provides powerful business communication applications and above all is easy to install, use and maintain. The iPECS-50 makes advanced applications such as video conferencing, advanced remote tele-working options, WiFi and IP DECT mobility readily available to SME's.

4. How can the productivity of an organization increase with new technology?

IP telephony introduces a host of applications which tangibly improve productivity of organisations. Initially IP telephony was all about convergence of voice and data. Today it is all about Unified Communications! What is Unified Communications (UC)? UC has many definitions: it encompasses what we know as standard telephony, applications such as unified messaging, conferencing - audio, video or web – presence, file sharing/collaboration and mobility solutions to name but a few. UC is all about making it easier to communicate within your own organisation and with customers – improved availability of staff while travelling or on remote assignment for example dramatically improves business productivity and customer responsiveness.

5. You have recently taken on the ShoreTel range of solutions, why?

Aria Technologies philosophy is simple – limit distribution to "best in class" solutions. We have supplied LG-Nortel systems to the Australian and Pacific markets for more than 10 years, resulting in LG-Nortel systems now commanding number one market position in the 0-100 port segment delivered through both the Telstra Business System program and Channel Partner sales.

We have now broadened our focus to encompass segments such as enterprise and government, and application savvy organisations. ShoreTel's Unified Communications system encompasses phones, switches, and software that are designed to allow easy deployment and rapid flexibility and deliver world-class quality.

The ShoreTel IP phone system is a completely integrated system that scales seamlessly from 2 to 10,000 plus users including PBX, voice mail, and automated attendant functions. The system is built from the ground up and designed to be the easiest to use, easiest to manage, full-featured IP phone system on the market today. Its distributed architecture is ideal for multi-site companies that span multiple locations because the ShoreTel system appears and behaves as a single, unified platform.

ShoreTel's IP phones provide the ultimate in ergonomic and aesthetics design, as well as superior audio quality. A wide range of phones is available to provide the right solution for each application - be it an executive, executive assistant, operator, ACD agent or supervisor, or general office user.

ShoreTel is a major player in the US and European markets and was recently appointed as a tier-1 supplier to AT&T, one of the world's largest carriers. While imminently suitable for Enterprise and Government, ShoreTel systems are adaptable to all businesses requiring the benefits that the most technologically advanced Unified Communications Platform can provide.