Business VoIP

Tony Rybczynski, Director Strategic Enterprise Technologies, at Nortel has been a frequent contributor to TMC’s family of publications over the past decade. Rybczynski maintains a monthly column in Internet Telephony magazine and is an active blogger for TMCnet.

 

Nortel is a recognized provider of next-generation IP communications technologies, for both service provider and enterprise networks, in support of multimedia and business-critical applications.

 

I caught up with Rybczynski, who shared his thoughts on the industry and what’s happening at Nortel.

 

 

TR: Nortel is back and four quarters of double-digit revenue growth in the enterprise market proves it.

TR: Absolutely ;)

TR: Skype has had much more impact on the consumer market than on enterprise, where security and other enterprise requirements have limited Skype’s success. Skype has increased the general users’ awareness of IP telephony — this includes employees of enterprises.

 

TR: In enterprise, of the three, Microsoft is the most significant change agent with its entry into unified communications as a software application. Google is certainly a company to watch. Its Google Apps is still a feature-poor second cousin to Office, etc. Apple is an innovation powerhouse that Apple’s MAC is still a niche player in enterprise with the exception of verticals such as education — iPhone (News - Alert) is still a consumer play but has certainly made enterprises think outside the mobility box. Nortel has a vision of software-centric UC (contrasted with Cisco’s network-centric approach), and is executing on this vision through the Nortel Microsoft Innovative Communications Alliance (News - Alert).

TR: Not personally. Anything that accelerates Hyperconnectivity business value is good for the industry!

TR: Unified communications including IP telephony, multimedia applications and SOA-enabled application enablement; business optimized networking; and professional services

 

 

TR: How Hyperconnectivity can be transformational for the enterprise.

TR: Key business and technology stakeholders in enterprises and in organizations serving enterprises.

TR: Nortel uniquely has core competencies at the intersections of applications and infrastructure, wired and wireless, and enterprise and carrier, all of which are critical for enterprise transformation.

TR: Technology is a means to an end and not the end itself. Just because you can do something, should you? The most exciting prospect is applying technology to accelerate what ever business you are in by minimizing human delays. This effects time to X where X is service, problem resolution, decision, or revenue. This is transformational in improving customer service and revenues, lowering costs and increasing agility.