Having just returned from VoiceCon 2010 in Orlando, (known as ‘Enterprise Connect’ going forward) we are attempting to digest the vast amount of information presented during the conference.  As this was our first visit to VoiceCon, we were unsure of the audience the show would attract.  It became clear almost immediately that the show is targeted to large enterprises with corresponding IT budgets!  The following represent some of the ‘takeaways’ from Matsch’s perspective.

• Most of the prominent exhibitors are touting what we would refer to as ‘Complete Solutions’ to enterprise communications needs, voice being just one of the communication platforms.
• There was an abundance of ‘Telepresence’ (aka ‘video conferencing’) providers.  Can you say ‘Bandwidth’?
• Avaya, Cisco, IBM and Siemens each provided demonstrations of their UC (unified communications) solutions.  Though all claimed to integrate with existing components of enterprise’s communications platform, only IBM successfully persuaded us of their willingness to act as an actual integrator.
• SIP trunking is a hot topic these days, with many of the attendees trying to get their arms around this apparently complex technology.  We question the validity of SIP in enterprise communications, as nearly all those we talked to spoke of the complexities involved.  As we all know, those complexities seem to have a way of ‘eating’ much (and in some cases ALL) of the savings that some technologies promise.  Full disclosure: We don’t fully understand SIP currently.  As with any new technology, it will undoubtedly make sense for some and not for others.

Keeping abreast of developments in telecommunications is part of our ongoing commitment to our customers.  Feel free to drop us a line with any questions pertaining to the above.  We’d be happy to help you in any way we can!