Comms4Business News

Thales say the platform will provide cost-effective, seamless communications for voice, intranet, local-area network, wide-area network and public network traffic using IP-based communications. When fully deployed, this integration will cover fixed and mobile telephony, IP phones, PC soft phones, cordless phones, mobile phones, digital phones and IP gateways.

Commenting on the award of this contract, Justin Walker, Thales UK, Managing Director of the Services Division, said: “This achievement demonstrates the level of commitment that Thales UK invests in providing skilled service provision and cutting edge solutions, a commitment that in this instance has been recognised by an existing customer”.

This contract award comes hand-in-hand with Thales UK achieving Advanced Business Partner status for the Ericsson product portfolio in recent weeks, an addition to their previous Authorised Business Partner status. The only Advanced Business Partner in the UK, Thales is able to offer “one stop” voice solutions to its customers offering design, supply, installation and maintenance services.

Easynet’s findings clearly highlight the importance of improved technology: 76% of financial directors surveyed speculated that better technology could improve their collaboration and indeed 82% responded that better IT could help the company grow. Collaboration across subsidiaries is very important or business critical to 49% of respondents. What’s more, according to the following comments from IT directors surveyed, collaboration appears to be of increasing importance to companies with operations across Europe:

Jill Ainscough, Managing Director of Easynet, explains: “The move towards all-IP networks, and the widening use of web-based business applications is helping to transform the way businesses work together, enabling far closer alignment of business and IT objectives. Furthermore, Easynet can help companies tap into the collaboration software they already have, but may not be putting to use.”

Encouragingly for resellers, however, the study revealed that momentum is building behind the adoption of convergence. Fifty nine per cent of respondents that have migrated to a fully converged voice and data network did so in the past 12 months. Almost one quarter (24 per cent) of UK companies that have not already converged intend to do so in the next two years.

The BT Convergence Report was undertaken to assess the understanding and adoption of IP (Internet Protocol) convergence by UK small to medium enterprises (SMEs). It found that those businesses that have already migrated to a fully converged voice and data network are achieving real benefits. Fifty six per cent of businesses that have converged their voice and data networks say they have already significantly reduced their infrastructure costs, while 52 per cent have increased productivity and 39 per cent have improved organisational agility.

When asked the reasons behind their decision to migrate to a converged IP network, 57 per cent of respondents cited reduced communications costs as the main motivation, while increased flexibility (40 per cent), and the ability to allow voice and data to be sent on the same network (40 per cent) were also important drivers.

Nick Jervis, General Manager, Converged Solutions, BT Business, said: “In the digital networked economy, convergence provides companies of all sizes with a foundation for successful business communication. Our research shows that cost reduction remains a major focus for UK SMEs. What is interesting, however, is that organisations that have already migrated to an IP network have achieved much more. There is clearly a fantastic opportunity for the channel to educate the SME community about convergence. By adding value to converged networked solutions, resellers can help businesses get the most out of their investment and create a lucrative new revenue stream for themselves.”

Surprisingly, despite the evidence of the cost efficiencies that converged communications can deliver, the two main barriers to adoption were uncertainty about cost benefits (28 per cent) and lack of budget (18 per cent). This was particularly the case in companies with 101 – 250 employees, where almost half of respondents (47 per cent) claimed that uncertainty about cost benefits was the biggest factor preventing them from embracing a converged voice and data network.

The research also highlighted that lack of knowledge could be a major reason why many SMEs have not yet migrated to a converged network. Over one third (32 per cent) of all SMEs surveyed admitted to having limited or no understanding of what a converged network actually is. This was even more evident with smaller companies, with 48 per cent of businesses with between 20 – 100 employees admitting the same.

Nick Jervis said: “Lack of understanding is clearly holding the growth of convergence back. If resellers can develop the skills to tackle this they will be able to grow this market significantly. BT is committed to working with its channel partners to help them better understand the benefits of convergence. That way they will be able to identify more sales opportunities and deliver more complex, high-value solutions. We recently recruited a team of convergence specialists whose core focus will be helping the channel to develop this opportunity.”

Jim Norton, senior policy advisor for the Institute of Directors and a key contributor to the BT Convergence Report, said: “The major benefit of IP convergence is that businesses can consolidate practically all of their information technology and communications systems onto the one common platform, bringing about significant cost and resource efficiencies, increases in productivity and greater collaborative capabilities.”

It is estimated that UK organisations stand to benefit by £millions annual savings with the introduction of this new concept, while insolvency practitioners can realise a new asset for their creditors. Even downsizing solvent companies can benefit by divesting an asset that now has a residual value attached.

Historically, licensing (permits to use software on a PC) would be transferred from one active company to another through acquisitions, mergers, divestments etc. This new concept appears to have been overlooked due to the hidden heterogeneous relationship between the licence and the software media CD. Indeed, these two items need to be treated as separate assets and while there are underlying restrictions within Microsoft’s transfer conditions, the ability to transfer a licence from one company to another is completely legal as long as the letters of the law are adhered to.

Being the first and currently, the only legally compliant reseller of its kind, discount-licensing.com guarantees supplying Microsoft Application and Server based software licensing solutions at prices based typically on discounts of 20-50% below any authorised Microsoft UK reseller. All types of Microsoft Application (MS Office XP etc.) and Server (Windows Server 2000, Cals etc.) based licensing is available, while Operating system licensing (such as Windows XP) are NOT due to the transfer restrictions. The range of licences available from insolvent companies will obviously vary with the OLDER/PREVIOUS versions (NT / 2000 / 2002) being more readily available than the latest 2003+ versions. There is an increasing necessity for IT department’s to sweat their assets and most businesses can continue running their operations just as efficiently with older versions. Therefore, the frustration surrounding the rule that businesses are obligated to upgrade or purchase the most up to date versions at a premium price is now coming to an end (in pretty much the same way the first 2nd hand car market began). Note that media CD’s for discontinued software is readily available.

Some business users have long since lobbied for greater simplification and value from licensing regimes as well as less frequent upgrades requirements. Users are perfectly able to operate their business centres using existing software solutions and knowing that a pre-owned licence alternative now exists should eradicate the myth that companies need to upgrade each time additional software / licensing is required.

Microsoft was initially approached by Disclic over 14 months ago and has been invaluable in assisting Disclic with its investigations, which have unfolded this new £multi-million pre-owned / 2nd hand licensing market within the UK. Microsoft’s cooperation with Disclic will see their own customers receive much greater value from licensing, while creditors of insolvent companies will realise an intangible asset that has never previously been realised. Clearly, both will need to learn to co-exist with this new licensing concept as Microsoft will continue to thrive, while new age licence brokers such as Discount-Licensing.com will pose only a minimal threat to the software giant.

Rogue diallers use software to transfer dial-up internet connections from low-cost or freephone numbers to more expensive telephone numbers. The rogue dialler is installed on the computer without the customer's knowledge, usually when they open a spam email or visit a website where the software is hidden.

Existing Premium Rate Services ('PRS') regulation applies to diallers using 09 premium rate or international numbers. Ofcom is proposing to extend these requirements to enable ICSTIS, the premium rate regulator, to take action against any rogue dialler irrespective of the telephone number used or the call charges involved. This change would include rogue diallers using 087 or 070 numbers for example.

Under Sections 120-121 of the Communications Act 2003 Ofcom is responsible for setting conditions for the regulation of premium rate services and for approving the ICSTIS Code of Practice. ICSTIS is responsible for administering the Code of Practice, and for enforcing compliance by all relevant service providers.

A consultation document was published 21 November and the closing date for responses is 22 December 2005.