NetQoS (News - Alert) is a provider of network performance management products and services. The company’s software and services are designed to help service providers, government agencies, and large enterprises improve the delivery of applications over wide-area networks by enabling them to monitor application service levels, troubleshoot problems quickly, and plan for change.

 

I caught up with Jeff Hicks, software architect at NetQoS, and we discussed the trends currently at work shaping the IP Communications industry and what effect Microsoft (News - Alert) will have on the enterprise communications space.

 

 

JH: The buzz of Unified Communications (News - Alert) continues. More companies are looking for ways to take advantage of the converged network. Enterprises are considering VoIP deployments as the first step. Get VoIP right, and they are ready to move on to video and other unified communications applications.

 

JH: Microsoft’s Office Communications Server has great potential to affect enterprise IP telephony decisions in 2008. Many enterprises will likely consider OCS as a complement to their existing telephony services. The solution makes great sense for mobile users. One thing Microsoft has always been known for is developer programs. As more developers begin writing telephony applications, that can only be a good thing for users.

 

JH: The buzz surrounding Google’s impact and possible bidding on spectrum underscores a key reality about telephony and Unified Communications: regulatory issues are still very important. On one hand, large telephony incumbents are trying to forestall disruptive competition through lobbying and regulation while on the other hand the computer + Internet interests continue to defend the open nature of the Internet, recognizing the power for both the economy and the transformation it provides. Traditionally the computing side of this tug of war has been politically passive or ineffective. Google has raised the stakes on this considerably, and the outcome is likely to be the first of many moves towards greater openness in telephony and across all communications.

 

JH: The title of the session is simply “QoS.” In this session, we’ll take a look at the network perspective for QoS relative to managing a converged network that must support all types of data and communications applications. QoS metrics are important, but relating them to the end user quality of experience is key.

 

JH: Network managers, IT managers, anyone who is managing the “unified” network

 

JH: An approach to managing voice quality of experience and mapping the experience to underlying network performance metrics.

 

JH: Applications that make it easier to do business and communicate with colleagues, partners, and customers. The integration of voice, video, presence, and chat in real-time dashboards.

 

JH: Microsoft OCS is deployed (or planned) across enterprises in larger than expected numbers — not as a PBX replacement but for certain users as it makes sense.