1. The Migration of Functionality to the Network Edge
Dave Marples

2. What do you mean?
As customers require more and more functionality from their communications infrastructure so current vendors with their largely proprietary systems are unable to meet their needs at viable price points.
As a result customers are demanding more open interfaces so that they can develop their own capabilities. Systems built with these new capabilities often do not share the quality and reliability of traditional communication networks.

3. Market Forces IP Telephony Number Portability Conditional Routeing
TAPI/TSAPI(?)
Personal Scripting
Bespoke Functionality
Unified Messaging

4. Examples
Popping a database with the details of the person that’s calling.
Routeing a call automatically - perhaps so a customer always has a single point of contact.
Handling calls for individuals intelligently when they’re not available.
Integrating different messaging media at the desktop (fax, , voice mail).

5. A Conventional PABX

6. A PC Phone

7. The ‘Third Party’ Approach

8. A heterogeneous IP/Conventional Network

9. A Nightmare Scenario?

10. Implications?
Multiple independent agencies with their own world view will start acting on calls.
There is little inter-agency co-operation and interworking beyond basic call signalling.
Difficult to apportion ‘blame’ for systems failures - debugging is a nightmare.
More distinct components == more chance of both hard and soft failures.

11. Options?
Create a whole new system to get the new capabilities we’re looking for?
Put up with the deficiencies and limitations that are endemic in today's solutions?
Develop open, enforceable, interworking standards that allow communications components to work together in a collaborative, fault tolerant, fashion?
Suggestions?

12. Discussion