“This is the largest group focused on communications development.” So said Nick Lippis, author of The Lippis Report, as he addressed a standing room only audience at the Avaya (News - Alert) Labs facility in Lincroft, New Jersey, which was preparing for Day Two of Avaya’s 2007 Developer Conference. He was referring, of course, to the group of communications developers that have partnered with Avaya to drive the growth and adoption of Intelligent Communications.

 

Indeed, with some 6,000 members now in its DevConnect (News - Alert) community, the signs are clear: 2008 will usher in a new era of communications. Certainly, VoIP adoption will continue to climb, considering the large number of businesses still relying solely on TDM hardware, but in this new era, the frontrunners are creating added value by linking communications applications to business processes. 

 

“For the first time, the software, computing, and communications industries are focused on the same service delivery platform,” explained Lippis.

 

So, as the industry moves past the initial stage of IP-based telephony adoption, leaving behind questions about the viability of VoIP technology, the focus is now clearly on the next stage, the replacement stage. Businesses are widely — and quickly — recognizing the many benefits of a reliable IP Communications platform: performance, reliability, high availability, security, mobility, cost effectiveness, compatibility of standards-based components, and more.

 

Indeed, the potential ROI in an IP system is clear, but as business continue to look for ways to benefit from advances in IP technology, their investments become highly strategic in nature. Until recently, they were not gaining much in the way added value from their systems other than enhanced telephony. Certainly, it was better than older TDM systems, but new business models demanded more.

 

Now, as the replacement phase gains momentum, early adopters are heading into phase three, and adopting entire IP Communications platforms, rather than individual VoIP products. This latest shift is bringing about yet a new era in communications — one where communications become linked to the business process, and IT and communications industries are converging at the application layer.

 

There has always been a distinct barrier between business and communications applications, but today’s economic models, along with the promise of emerging communications technologies, are prompting strategic realignments that are merging the two and creating Communications Enabled Business Processes (CEBP).

 

The issue of how precisely to connect the two to win the greatest benefits remains a question, given the complexity of each, but the proliferation of Unified Communications (News - Alert) technologies is creating a process whereby communications can be embedded into the business process via any communications medium.

 

Particularly with SIP-based communications, the integration of communications into the business process through Web services and SOA will drive innovation and continued adoption as businesses continue to realize their value. 

 

“Collaboration is the killer application,” said Lippis.

 

New collaboration enhancing solutions will drive more agile, event-based business processes, through the continued development and adoption of real-time multimodal communications, enhancing workers’ ability to communicate effectively and address challenges.

 

Without doubt, there will be challenges, including understanding risk, obstacles presented by various deployment models, organizational readiness, security concerns, and the adoption of standards. However, these challenges, particularly the integration of legacy infrastructures, will also present opportunities for the vendor community. Lippis predicts a growing number of mergers and acquisitions in the coming years as these issues are resolved.

 

Despite the challenges, however, the consensus will be that the benefits of converging business and communications processes will greatly outweigh the effort to widely embed communications into business processes. As the shift from hardware- to software-based solutions gains momentum, in addition to delivering new value for businesses, it will also produce new revenue streams for vendors and developers. 

 

From a sales perspective, it creates a more complex relationship. Rather than merely selling a box, the sales agent becomes more of a consultant, a source of information and advice regarding specialized software to significantly enhance the communications capabilities of the customer.

 

This change is inevitable given the potential benefits to the overall business, but there is no question the entry my Microsoft (News - Alert) in the Unified Communications market has accelerated the pace of both adoption and development. The major players are all in full development mode — the Unified Communications race is underway.

 

This is evidenced not only by the continued adoption of UC technology, but by the growth of communities like Avaya’s DevConnect program, which will help drive the convergence of business and communications.