April 2002

Working Out Today's High-Tech Business

BY TOM KEATING

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.

[ Return To The April 2002 Table Of Contents ]