[an error occurred while processing this directive] Overview

This IEC ProForum Series CD grants you access to the intriguing presentations made at the Enterprise Communication Consortium's September 2005 Professional Development Forum on VoIP security and deployment. View the video and audio of each of these valuable sessions, synchronized with the speakers' PowerPoint slides.

Advancements in IP voice technology allow for the convergence of voice and data within the enterprise, but corporations and carriers still await a secure, interoperable method of providing this service. Ultimately, without specific and complicated interactions between enterprises and carriers, the IP voice revolution within the enterprise stops at the corporate firewall, where security rules block the entry of inbound voice streams, or at the central office, where the traffic is converted upstream to TDM for tandem processing.

Enterprises have and continue to invest in IP technology (IP PBXs, IP Centrex). However, the benefits of VoIP and enhanced IP features and services are not fully realized when limited to the enterprise LAN. Extending beyond the LAN borders requires solutions to the challenges of security and interoperability.

The integration of next-generation voice platforms and services poses unique challenges, such as building service-management tools to scale for IP telephony. Enabling the variety of business models (sale and management of CPE, IP Centrex/HIP, IP media services) while maintaining compatibility across all platforms is a difficult task requiring a flexible, scalable, and open means of interconnection.

This session covers critical issues, including the following:

• Advancements in technology leading to IP integration
• Technological and business elements necessary to take the next step in VoIP penetration
• Key concerns in securely integrating IP
• Potential solutions surrounding security, interoperability, and the ability to access global network directories

Companies are increasingly seeking to utilize their IP/Ethernet networks for advanced communications. To deliver quality VoIP functionality, enterprises need a clear migration plan and the resources to deliver on the strategy. They must have the requirements in place for solid performance, a network architecture that can effectively handle QoS and bandwidth optimization, and a network management strategy that pushes intelligence to the edge of the network.

This approach effectively helps position an enterprise network for success by supporting all user types, making additions and changes easy to manage while enabling efficient use of network resources. This session examines the strategies, tactics and basic network requirements for successfully implementing VoIP in the large enterprise.

Hear experts reveal the following:

• How a large customer has deployed and is currently managing this type of migration
• The various migration paths considered, each with their particular sets of issues
• How security issues were identified and solved in the migration to a VoIP network
• How various architectures optimally support and maintain a migration to VoIP