Empirix Ensures Multi-Vendor Interoperability at GMI 2008
February 17, 2009
By Tim Gray, TMCnet Web Editor
Empirix (News - Alert) showed off some of its voice application testing and monitoring capabilities this week at the MSF Global Multi-Vendor Interoperability event.
As more companies try to navigate the often tricky and complex world of testing,
Empirix, and organizations such as the MSF, have specialized in helping organizations looking to adopt communications solutions.
Since 1992, Empirix’s Hammer testing and monitoring solutions have helped Network Equipment Manufacturers (NEMs), Service Providers and Enterprise Contact Centers successfully transition to new technologies including Unified Communications (News - Alert) IP Contact Centers, VoIP, NGN, and IMS-based networks.
The Bedford, Massachusetts-based Empirix participated at two of the five event sites. It had a team at BT Advanced Comms Technology Centre in Ipswich Suffolk, United Kingdom, and Verizon (News - Alert) Labs back home in Massachusetts.
Roger Ward, president of MSF, said Empirix’s participation was important to showcase their products in an “exhaustive, real world test” at GMI 2008.
"It says a lot about the increasing deployment of NGNs, and the confidence of vendors in their products that we have had so many members participate in defining six networked test scenarios that address key aspects of the NGN evolution," said Ward.
In fact, the company has contributed to enable the adoption of complex new technology waves, such as IMS, through its involvement with the MSF and other major industry forums.
"Participating in interoperability events such as the MSF's GMI enables us to take what we learn in the lab back to our customers to ensure their transition to IMS is a smooth one," said Gordon Eddy (News - Alert), senior director, product management at Empirix.
"As a company, we've been focusing on the industry's move to IMS for several years and are pleased that the MultiService Forum (News - Alert) continues to host such impact events that are designed to help make the adoption of this technology smoother."
At the GMI 2008 event, Empirix saw first-hand that the IMS architecture is maturing, and more specifically the interoperability of the core elements are still changing. "Two years ago we focused on getting basic interoperability of IMS functions - registrations, call setups etc - to work,” said Eddy.
“At this event, given more consistency and compatibility between vendors' IMS components and architectures, we were able to focus on testing a broader range of applications and value added services, which also highlighted some growing pains,” said Eddy. “Lots of progress was made at the event and in the evolution of IMS; however, more work and standardization needs to be done to deliver broadband services, and to establish consistency around QoS metrics within the IMS architecture."
Tim Gray is a Web Editor for TMCnet, covering news in the IP communications, call center and customer relationship management industries. To read more of Tim’s articles, please visit his columnist page.Edited by Tim Gray