blank,
mybe this is reason benton may be on cnbc:
gw
Roads to convergence diverge
Cabletron targets home-grown voice over IP; Cisco
addresses carrier needs
By Scott Berinato, PC Week Online
05.04.98
Two primary models are beginning to
emerge for transmitting voice over IP. For
IT managers, choosing the right method
could be difficult.
The first model -- integrating voice and data networks in-house -- will
be underscored this week by Cabletron Systems Inc., which will debut
at NetWorld+Interop in Las Vegas its SmartVoice voice/data
convergence products.
The second method -- outsourcing network convergence in the hands of
ISPs (Internet service providers) -- will also be in the spotlight at N+I,
with Cisco Systems Inc. demonstrating a voice card for its AS5300
carrier access concentrator.
Both models hold promise, and companies such as Cisco plan to
support either method. But the path an enterprise chooses to take for
voice/data convergence will have long-term implications.
Even with a high capital investment, doing a voice/data project internally
can provide great short-term cost savings.
"I don't see corporations inviting ISPs in to do this [convergence] for
them because of the cost savings alone," said Michael Webster, who is
deploying voice over IP to 6,500 phones across 219 buildings in the
Clark County School District, in Las Vegas. "You want to own the
infrastructure at this point."
Cabletron's SmartVoice products assume that corporations want that
type of control over converged networks. The new line includes an
HSIM (High Speed Interface Module) that adds voice capabilities to
one-port T-1 cards for the SmartSwitch 9000 core switch, 6000 data
center switch and 2000 workgroup switch, said officials at the
Rochester, N.H., company.
With the HSIM in place, all 24 T-1 channels will carry voice traffic, and
administrators will be able to prioritize that traffic through 802.1p/q
standards support. That would enable sites to eliminate T-1 lines
dedicated to voice that incur both monthly and per-minute usage
charges.
Cabletron's HSIM is due in the third quarter for $6,995, or $290 per
voice channel.
Cabletron also will introduce the stand-alone $7,995 SmartSwitch 1800
with voice-over-IP capabilities. In the fourth quarter, analog interfaces
will be added to the SmartSwitch 2000 in order to link workgroups to a
legacy PBX or key system, officials said.
The Spectrum management platform, which now supports SNMP
alarms and fault detection for voice, will gain a full voice management
program next year, officials said.
For many sites looking to combine their voice and data networks, the
cost savings of doing the work in-house, even if for fax calls alone, is
more appealing than turning to an ISP-managed service.
"Right now, answering the question 'Where did my connection go?' is
too hard if [an ISP] is running my voice service and it goes down," said
Rob Morton, IS director at Productivity Point International Inc., in
Dallas, who plans to link offices in Texas and Florida with a combined
voice/data network this summer. "But you can't lock yourself in, in this
industry. I think we'll have gotten enough return by the time the
outsourcing model is viable that I will be comfortable switching."
Cisco officials, however, believe many enterprises are ready now to
outsource to ISPs, which can offer interoffice voice capabilities for a flat
rate.
The latest addition to the San Jose, Calif., company's voice product
family is a voice-enabled single-port T-1 card for the AS5300 access
concentrator. Each 5300 can support two such cards.
A fully loaded AccessPath shelf, which aggregates 5300s, will support
1,008 voice ports. It costs $550 per port and is available now.
Cisco will add a similar card to the higher-end AS5800 concentrator
later this year, officials said.
Voice over IP here and there
Pros and cons of the two voice-over-IP deployment methods
In-house
Pros
Cons
Consolidates T-1 lines
Eliminates monthly,
by-minute voice charges
Allows control over
infrastructure
Requires management of new
hardware, services
Existing PBX, other key
systems obsolete
Large capital reliable
Outsourced
Pros
Cons
Gives infrastructure
management to ISP
Lowers long-distance
charges on interoffice voice
Will lead to broader
wide-area applications
Less in-house control over
congestion, network failures
Relinquishes voice security
to ISP
Data network can be less
investment |
