One V-E-R-Y promising area of DST/DIS growth to watch:
Last quarter Ampex shipped some of its 120/160 DIS recorders and 820 DIS robots to ATT, MCI and Sprint. The building blocks of those robotic libraries are the telecommunications data recorders which are notable for the way they are data rate compatible with fiber optic technologies like OC3, Sonet and ATM. My understanding is that Ampex worked closely with ATT, MCI and Sprint to adapt the telecom data recorders so the long distance companies can use them in the effort to combat 'phone fraud,' which is a $1.2 billion A YEAR problem. As I understand it, the telcos are using the 820 DIS robots to collect the data packets that are created each time a call is made and each time a call is completed.
Once the data is collected, it is then processed using powerful servers or mainframes employing sophisticated neural networks using proprietary algorithms and filtering screens that allow the telcos to flag down and investigate suspicious calls. The premise is that over time each customer phone number will develop predictable calling patterns such that all calls that deviate from the pattern and fit the profile of a fraudulent call deserve further scrutiny. Obviously, the ability of the telcos software to 'learn' the pattern of each customer is the key to making the program work. The software 'learns' the pattern of each customer by accumulating data of each call made and creating an continually evolving profile. The 820 DIS robots meet those requirements perfectly because, aside from its generous capacities, the data recorders have an instrumentation mode and a computer mode that basically allow the telcos to process in realtime the data that is collected.
This is a real problem for the long distance companies because there are provisions in international treaties between the phone companies all over the world that require the phone companies to pay agreed upon rates for calls made and completed, irregardless of whether fraud is involved or not. ATT, MCI, and Sprint all have programs that act to insure companies from internal phone fraud, providing some sort of insurance policy in exchange for monthly fees. By absorbing these real risks, however, the telcos have to continously monitor their networks for the latest in phone fraud. The 820 DIS data recorders and robots are part of the latest countermeasures that the telcos are rolling out. This is obviously a MAJOR area of growth.
These telcos are typically very standards conscious and very demanding customers. It usually takes a long time for a company to qualify its products, but, once accepted, the order streams are fairly regular and substantial. Ampex is already in. That's a very good sign. |
