Converged Technologies

There are so many $10 phrases floating around, it is hard to keep a big enough dictionary on hand. At Brickwall Security, we like to keep things simple. So let’s start by the true definition of Converged Technologies.

“ Converged technologies typically combine voice, data, and video often on a single platform. By doing so, they eliminate the need for separate networks, separate vendors, separate hardware, and separate system management. Combining voice, data, and video networks can often save businesses money on upgrades and changes, reduce network management costs, reduce local access and long distance charges, and reduce overall costs required to keep current technology in the work place.”

Ok, let’s start at the beginning. Any business in the world has many, many vendors for their specific needs. When it comes to technology, it’s no different. There is one vendor for the phones, one for the computers, one for the software and one for the data line entering the building, etc., etc., and so on. It is a real pain in the neck these days to know who to call when something is awry. “I want to point my finger at someone.” What’s the best way to hold tight to customers while kicking competitors out. The answer is to bring together as many of the mission-critical resources as possible into an integrated solution which in theory leaves little room -- or little need -- for customers to look elsewhere.

Such a solution can be managed as a single system. Its resources can be dynamically allocated as needed, providing higher resource utilization and availability than possible with static infrastructures. That’s the premise behind the move toward converged infrastructures, at least in the early stages. But these vendors are not stopping here. They have some long-term goals that will completely change the face of the way you do business. Let’s say it in a picture…

So, low and behold one day a big company figured out how to make a single line entering the business do two things: both voice and data. As the high paid gurus sitting around the Microsoft’s, HP’s and Cisco’s of the world try to figure out ways to make more money and increase their market share…a light bulb went on and began to get brighter and brighter. Hence, Converged Technologies. If they could create a multi-layered platform that almost everything a business needs from a technology standpoint could run from and speak lots of different languages, then they would be in business. And then, if they could maintain the contracts to service all of those different needs, it would be extremely difficult for a client to leave them…as all of their eggs would be in one basket. Good news for the vendor that gets the purchase order; Bad news for the vendor that doesn’t. And bad news for the customers that make the wrong choice of vendor!

An example of using Converged Technologies for the daily user might be happening already in your daily routine or work environment. When you open a document on your Smart phone, edit it, then save it…and halfway through your day you open the same document on your IPAD, edit it and save it…finally the document is due and you are in your office, so you open the document again on your desktop computer, due a final edit, save it and print it…You are using the magic of Converged Technologies. The “magic” is the ease of use from different types of computers…with the same platforms converging together so that whether you are on the go, in your office or around the world, it is the same as if you were stationary, using just one machine.

What does this mean to you, the small business owner? Well, we don’t give our opinions unless asked here at Brickwall Security. But, let’s just say there are many pros and cons to SOME aspects of Converged Technologies. If you have any questions on this topic, feel free to call one of our engineers.