Organizations are waiting for the “killer app” that will help their employees to embrace VoIP — much the same way that the spreadsheet drove the business adoption of the PC. IP-based collaboration tools just may be that killer application, leveraging the familiar environments of Web, voice, data, and video conferencing while bringing companies the huge cost-savings associated with VoIP. This session will cover examples of how companies are pulling together their ongoing converged network initiatives with the savings opportunities available in IP-based conferencing and collaboration to drive the adoption of VoIP.

Join this session if you a new to the world of Voice over IP or if you feel you need a refresher course. The speakers will consider the essential technical differences between traditional telephony and IP telephony, the challenges that these differences present and the way that they are overcome in successful real-life deployments. The rules have significantly changed and the way we think about telephony solutions must also change. This is truly a can’t-miss session for attendees looking for a thorough overview.

This panel discussion will feature several telecom dealers talking about their experiences deploying IP in a variety of industries. Among the topics they will address: • Understanding when pure IP telephony is the best choice • Migrating TDM users to IP telephony • Identifying and overcoming technology hurdles • Finding creative solutions • Taking VoIP mobile (wireless phones, softphones, etc.) • Calculating ROI – cost savings and productivity increases.

Presence has the potential to be the unifying thread between different modes of communication including enterprise telephony, IM, video, and mobile telephony. Presence is the essential element in the migration from device centric to user centric systems, as it integrates user’s availability across all their devices and applications. But Presence also has a dark side which may impede its broad acceptance, namely concerns about privacy, time management, enterprise policy and security. Each of these aspects is explored during this session, and solutions in development, standards bodies, and emerging products are discussed.

VoIP is not just for large enterprises. In fact, VoIP plays a significant role in impacting business performance for small- and medium-size businesses. This session will address the drivers that affect the SMB market — such as the growing reliance on outsourcing and third-party vendors, the challenge to utilize remote knowledge workers, and the increasing pressure to control costs. In addition, this session will cover VoIP-powered applications, like presence management, collaboration, messaging, and mobility, and examine how SME customers can effectively leverage these tools to improve business performance.

As more and more customers become accustomed to using VoIP, they’ll begin to expect value-added enhancements and additional benefits, aside from cost savings alone. What types of VoIP-enabled services and applications will be developed to satisfy this demand? What will be the “next big thing” in the VoIP market? How will savvy vendors, service providers, and application developers take advantage of this capability? How will they use VoIP technology to roll out previously impossible or unheard-of applications and maximize the benefits for end users? Come to this session to catch a glimpse of the future of enterprise VoIP.

This panel discussion, moderated by the chairman of the recently formed VoIP Security Alliance will strive to identify and reduce VoIP security risks through a number of ways including educating and providing tools for the IT manager. Security is a critical concern for enterprise looking to deploy VoIP. As such this special session stands a must-attend for professionals charged with managing their company’s VoIP deployment.

Nationwide, an estimated 200 million calls are made to 911 each year. In May, the FCC decided that VoIP providers interconnecting with the PSTN must deliver E911 calls — with location and callback information — to local emergency operators. The decision raises a host of issues: What information, specifically, must be delivered with the call? Is network support in place, and at what cost? Who will enforce the E911 requirement? And how will the requirement apply to enterprise VoIP, where callback and location identification pose special challenges? Finally, will the VoIP legislation pending before Congress supplement or preempt the FCC’s decision? Join public safety administrators and legal and policy experts to hear the latest E911 news from Washington and around the country.

This presentation will examine the market from the perspective on how customers want to purchase and consume voice services and map enterprise communications products into those needs. We will also examine the market shift that has been waiting to happen as an application level conversion instead of the more common view of the shift as a more basic transport level conversion. Ultimately, this presentation will identify the true target for VoIP and other enterprise communications tools need to hit to move the market into the mainstream.

Peer-to-Peer VoIP is a potentially disruptive force that is taking the IP telephony market by storm. Or perhaps, “incrementally by storm.” Little by little, bit by bit, this approach to VoIP is taking hold. Proponents tell us that P2P VoIP addresses issues such as scalability, security, redundancy that are required in enterprise and service provider implementations, while supporting basic as well as innovative features. Come to this session to see what all the fuss is about.

Mobility in the enterprise is quickly becoming a major consideration on a customer’s wish list. As more companies investigate the costs and benefits of wireless communications, they face a number of questions specific to deploying 802.11. This session will discuss many of these issues, including network security, delivering enterprise-specific features throughout an 802.11 network, technical considerations when integrating 802.11 into an existing converged infrastructure, and vendor-neutral practical applications.

Economics and performance are pushing WiFi telephony to the forefront of successful technologies in the workplace. Companies are saving money not only by deploying voice on WLANs, but also increasing revenues by boosting productivity in employees across the workplace. Employees benefiting from WiFi telephony's mobility are collaborating better with coworkers, responding faster to clients and overall improving performance. This session will provide attendees with invaluable tips for successful WiFi telephony deployments in the workplace. With careful planning, WiFi telephony can be used for converged applications that will continue to benefit the workplace well into the future.

This session will discuss how VoIP and VoWiFi solve real problems for enterprises and consumers alike. An “inside-view” of VoWiFi phones and the next generation of dual-mode phones (cellular + VoWiFi) will be provided, with a discussion of the key issues that enable, as well as hinder the success of this convergence platform. Topics to be discussed include developer’s view of VoWiFi and next-gen Dual-mode phones; benefits of VoIP enabled convergence for mobile communications; and key issues hindering rapid adoption of dual-mode handsets.

WiFi VoIP offers many benefits in its current state, yet it is still a nascent technology and therefore continuing to evolve. Today many operators are beginning to implement a converged service for their customers beginning with the development of enabling the transfer, or ‘handoff’, of calls between these technologies. While cellular technology automatically hands off calls between cellular towers, the hand off between WiFi and cellular (whether GSM or CDMA) is still a work in progress. As the technology and the supporting marketing plans and packages evolve, carriers can choose to embrace the technology or view it as a competitive threat. If embraced, new applications and competitive pricing structures can help add value, increasing customer loyalty at a lower cost structure.