For those of you that remember me from my days as a
columnist in Communications Solutions� Magazine, you are likely aware that
I suffered for years as a junk-food junkie. From my woeful
tales of empty soda bottles, discarded candy wrappers and stashes of
junk food in the old lab, to my
search for Aladdin's lamp under an avalanche of Diet Coke cans), it
should have been clear to even the most casual observer that I � like many
an engineering geek colleague � was headed for health troubles.
Well, the day eventually came, and my concern for my health bested the
junk-food genie in the battle for my heart (and mind). And then, the coup de
grace� I joined a gym and started working out for the first time in my
life. I know what you are thinking, �An engineer working out?� What�s
more, I started eating healthy too. Instead of candy bars filling the
drawers of my desk, my office space is well-stocked with protein bars,
vitamins, nutritional supplements, and protein shake powder. Quite often I
hear the following refrain from coworkers who come looking for a sugar fix:
�Who are you, and what have you done to the real Tom Keating?�
EVOLVE OR PERISH
Yes, my dietary habits have evolved and now I move ahead with the goal of
becoming healthier, leaner, and stronger. Similarly, in the wake of recent
shakeups in the economy � and in particular the telecom space � we are
all on the look-out for companies that are healthier, leaner, and stronger;
companies that balance their sheets and have a profitable business plan. We�d
like to see many of these erstwhile �high-fliers� change their approach
from a freewheeling, eat anything, consequences-be-damned diet, to one that
is perhaps a little bit more �balanced.�
Certainly by trimming the fat, my diet/exercise plan has produced a more
efficient, more productive, and more energetic person. I�ve discovered
that it now takes much longer to burn a specific amount of calories than it
did to burn a comparable amount when I was on my out of control junk-food
diet. This is similar to businesses with out-of-control budgets or that
freely �give away� their product � the result is the same, they have
to work twice as hard to break even. It�s safe to assume that you can only
operate in that capacity for a fixed amount of time before you must make a
�life change� or find a long-term solution � otherwise you will fail
eventually. Consequently, this is what we currently see in the tech sector,
as the industry has gotten on a health kick, weeding out the extra calories
and trimming the fat, leaving leaner, stronger companies with solid business
plans.
SLIMMING ISN�T ALWAYS AN ELECTIVE
A wonderful example of this in the Internet telephony industry can be found
in Dialpad, a global provider of VoIP solutions for carriers, businesses,
and consumers. For the longest time, Dialpad offered free PC-to-phone
national calling and attempted to subsidize it with advertising banners on
the graphical user interface. But, the dot com crash effectively refocused
investors on the importance of profits and the bottom line, and with
advertising revenue drying up, this business model was no longer
sustainable. As such, Dialpad changed their diet and switched to a
cost-competitive, per-minute charge.
Dialpad may be representative of the service provider segment of our
industry, but some sectors of the Internet telephony space have been doing
rather well in spite of the overall economic downturn. In particular,
Internet telephony testing products are stronger than ever. It seems I hear
about or actually test-drive a new Internet telephony testing product every
month. What does this mean? I believe it means that customers are looking to
buy and deploy Internet telephony products, and they are looking for testing
tools to evaluate, monitor, and maintain their VoIP networks. With so many
of these products coming to market, there simply must be customer demand.
Also, I�m sure there�s activity in research labs that requires the use
of such solutions, which may also add to the health of this sector.
STRENGTH INDICATORS: VoIP TESTING TOOLS
Since December, we�ve tested a number of these VoIP testing tools in TMC
Labs. Products from Telchemy, Empirix, PacketStorm Communications, RADCOM,
Delta Information Systems, and NetIQ have all passed through our reviewers�
hands. We also recently examined Packeteer�s PacketShaper, which can be
used to ensure QoS on VoIP networks.
Just recently, I learned about a new Internet telephony testing product
from Agilent that enables network technicians to test all major applications
(voice, IP telephony, mobile) on all critical network technologies (e.g.,
LAN, WAN, ATM) with a single product in real time. I spoke with Steve Witt,
VP and General Manager of Agilent�s Network Systems Test Division (NSTD)
and got the scoop on their new Network Analyzer.
TK: What are some of the features of this new product?
SW: Well, it keeps the same user interface in the existing Advisor
product today, leveraged forward into this new Network Analyzer product. It
features one unified integrated interface resulting in less training and
easier management. It supports time synchronization for distributed testing,
and multiport capabilities. It supports over 16 different network interfaces
and over 25 network interface configurations, including T1/E1 and ATM. It
can go up to gigabit rate � 100 percent full duplex, dual port.
TK: What are some of the main advantages of this product?
SW: Many service providers have special requirements and require an
integrated test tool dispatched �all under one-handle� solution. It
differs from Advisor in that it has a new architecture for higher-level
application testing for full-rate line analysis and gigabit. It also has the
distributed capability, time synchronization for multiple measurements built
in, and multiport testing capability built in. We see mobile telephony and
data as an integration point for much of the IP telephony and mobile
applications. For example, you can do VoIP voice quality testing over the
10/100 interface � the same capability that the Agilent Voice Quality
Tester (VQT) has.
TK: Describe the Distributed Network Analyzer.
SW: The Distributed Network Analyzer is about the size of a ream of
paper and it takes slide-in modules, such as gigabit, T1, etc. It can be
used for remote troubleshooting sessions. It can be time synchronized via a
GPS interface on the product as well as the Network Time Protocol (NTP) or
you can use the local 10/100 interface and daisy chain up to 20 of these
devices together with a telemetry control port and time synchronize. So you
can time synchronize measurements and start doing latency or quality of
service type measurements with applications.
TK: How are you storing the network statistics on the Distributed
Network Analyzer?
SW: In a couple different ways � there�s a 256MB capture buffer.
Significant triggering and filtering built around it, because you are really
trying to pinpoint a problem when you are troubleshooting. We will be adding
RMON and SNMP capability as well so it can act as a managed device. There is
a key distinction here, which is that this is not meant to be a strategic
performance-monitoring probe. This product is meant to facilitate a
troubleshooting session. And so the data can be passed back over a 10/100 or
modem connection
TK: Why did you decide on an integrated test tool that tests
various network interfaces as well as various applications? Why not build
separate �best of breed� testers?
SW: When we looked across and said here�s all the technologies, VPNs,
frame relay wireless, VoIP, Gigabit, there�s a wide variety of
applications. We examined our customer�s requirements and realized there
wasn�t a real clear technology breakdown. We couldn�t just say, �let�s
build a VPN tester, a separate frame relay tester, a separate ATM, and a
separate VoIP tester.� There was a need to integrate them all together.
What we found was that the modular approach was really the most popular. The
anecdotal feedback from the service providers was, �We really like the
fact that you�ve got an integrated �all under one handle� solution �
it�s rugged, it�s built in. I don�t have to worry about other modules,
other software applications, learning, and training on a whole new
interface.�
TK: How would you best sum up this new product?
SW: The key messages are that we have the power to test these
high-speed streaming applications. We�ve got the breadth of technologies
to connect for mobile, IP telephony, and data into any network
infrastructure. The product can do both real-time and offline analysis of
data. We�ve got over 450 protocols that we support and are continually
adding to that on a quarterly basis. And so it�s got a very broad set of
test functionality built into it, and it�s got a flexible set of form
factors. You can buy this as a software license to run on a PC. You can buy
it as a distributed network analyzer or fully integrated network analyzer.
TK: How much does the product cost?
SW: Network Analyzer: $22,000 (base), $12,500 for the Distributed
Network Analyzer. The modules are sold separately. The T1 module is the
least expensive at $3,000. Most expensive is the Gigabit module costs
$15,000. The software version sells for $7,995.
THE ASSESSMENT
If anything, Internet telephony technology will actually grow even faster
than predicted due to the cost economic savings inherent in this technology.
Corporations are looking to trim costs and certainly VoIP is one technology
with a clear-cut ROI. Once budgets allow for more spending you can bet that
Internet telephony technology will be one of the first technologies examined
to save money.
The high-flying, �spend all you want� days with no business plan are
over, just like my sugar highs and �eat all I want� junk food binges are
over. But I�m leaner, (some say meaner when I don�t have my caffeine)
and stronger for it. Certainly the same holds true for companies in the
Internet telephony space. You can bet that the recent influx of several new
Internet telephony testing tools (such as Agilent�s Network Analyzer) into
the market is a positive sign that this industry is poised for a rebound.
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