Submitted by Michael Valladao, NetScout Product Marketing Manager
This week I attended the 18th Internet Telephony Conference and EXPO at the Los Angeles Convention Center. This conference, often referred to IT EXPO-West is one of the premiere telephony events and has drawn huge crowds over the years.
But like the telephony industry it represents, IT Expo has undergone a major metamorphosis. No longer is the emphasis on VoIP installations and justifications to replace old telephone networks. As I walked the trade show floor and attended conference sessions, I observed that this year the conference focused more on Unified Communications, SIP Trunking, Call Centers, and Presence. And I couldn't help but notice the crowds were down and fewer attendees tended to be from the United States. We also saw more attention on the integration of existing applications than on new development.
The reason for the change is simple. The hype of Voice over IP (VoIP) has waned and given way to other multimedia technology initiatives. Most major companies clearly saw the cost advantages of VoIP and moved quickly to adopt the technology. As migrations were taking place, companies sent herds of IT personnel to conferences around the country to better understand what they were getting into. But not today.
A lot of the smaller niche players have disappeared and the industry has consolidated. The clear leaders are Cisco, Avaya, and Nortel. Less expensive solutions are still available with Mitel and a few other players.
But all that is really ancient history. The migrations are complete, QoS is pretty much understood, and calls seem to be getting through. The big money has been spent and people have moved on.
This is not to say that VoIP is going away. Maintenance dollars will continue to flow and new applications (such as telepresence) will augment the overall Voice and IP Telephony infrastructure. There are also a number of smaller companies, general holdouts, and third-world organizations that will continue to migrate over the next couple years. And of course, like any advanced technology, troubleshooting will always be required.
My personal opinion is recent events have marked the passing of an age. Not only were we here to witness it, but as an industry, we all played a significant role in bringing this technology to fruition.
Would you agree? At NetScout we are always open to the viewpoints of our customers. What do you envision as the opportunities of tomorrow? What waves are on currently on your horizon?
Comments