INTERNET TELEPHONY — April 2012

SherWeb Puts the Service in Hosted Service

Many of the best companies are founded by people who themselves discovered the need for a solution, and then went on to establish businesses to deliver a product or service to meet that need. Such was the case with SherWeb, a Canadian company founded by brothers Peter and Matthew Cassar in 1998...



Getting Vertical

Integrated Cargo Security Program Protects Cargo, Lowers Costs
Cargo theft on our nation's highways accounts for $25-30 billion in lost assets each year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The DOJ also reports that cargo theft is on the rise, due to its relative ease, its profitability, and the fact that penalties for cargo theft are light when compared with other crimes.

Departments

Unified Communications

Ingate Introduces Software-Only E-SBC
Ingate Systems has unveiled a software version of its E-SBC. Steven Johnson, Ingate president, tells INTERNET TELEPHONY that his company has seen great demand for a software version of its enterprise session border controller solution.

Cloud & Data Center

Online Storage and Sharing Space Sees Growth in Revenue, Solutions Providers
Storage capabilities at the Bernier ranch recently hit a wall. That didn't come as a surprise. We buy music and movies like hotcakes, and our daughter is a machine when it comes to taking and making photos and videos. Look across the landscape and this is a very common scene, whether you're talking about consumer or business use. That, in part, explains why the online storage and sharing space continues to gain traction, and why the field for such solutions seems to grow wider every day

Network Infrastructure

Rouleau of tw telecom Talks Cloud, Ethernet and the Connected Enterprisee
Service providers have compared and contrasted the benefits of intelligent networks vs. big dumb pipes for years, said Michael A. Rouleau, senior vice president of business development and strategy at tw telecom during his keynote speech at the recent ITEXPO East. Rouleau should know, he's been with tw telecom since November 1999 and spent the previous 15 years with US WEST's data, Internet and DSL businesses. Today, he said, the answer as to which way to go is clear: "Big dumb pipes are not what enterprise customers are looking for.".

JDSU Introduces PacketPortal, 'iTunes for the Network'
JDSU has unveiled PacketPortal, which the company says is like iTunes for the network.

The Next Phase of Policy Control
As the telecom industry rapidly evolves and an exponential increase in customer usage data burdens networks, policy management strategies are taking center stage. The enhanced communications marketplace, with a focus on customer experience, is bringing a renewed interest in delivering services differently. To revamp policy control strategies and manage today's evolving communications marketplace, operators will face a familiar question: How do we balance revenue, customer satisfaction and resources?

The Channel
On RAD's Radar

What is a Trusted Advisor?
We use the term trusted advisor to describe the role that the agent or VAR should play to the owner of a SMB. We make it seem so easy to become this trusted partner about communications and technology to the business owner.

Axia Expands Channel Software Initiative
Axia, a provider of converged IP services, recently launched Axia Channel Services. INTERNET TELEPHONY interviewed Judd Heredos, director of operations at Axia Technology Partners, about the company and this news.

ITEXPO Panel Explores the Value of Channel Certification Programs
Offering certification to the channel can result in significant returns for service providers and those who sell their solutions, but the value of such initiatives drops significantly when provided for free. Those were among the key takeaways of a panel called "Educating the Channel with Industry Standard Certifications," which was moderated by Peter Radizeski of RAD-INFO Inc., at the most recent ITEXPO East.

Awareness Technologies Launches New Partner Program
Awareness Technologies, a provider of cloud-based security solutions, is on the lookout for channel partners. The company at ITEXPO East earlier this year in Miami is launching a program for qualified partners that can host its server software themselves. Awareness Technologies already has an existing reseller program, through which partners can deliver its services under its brand or their own.

Security

Addressing Security from the Ground Up
Information is the lifeblood of every business's operations. It flows inbound from customers, outbound to the cloud, and from branch offices, to international offices, through the data center, and to the CEO's smartphone. But there's always that one shadowy guy trying to hack his way in.

Video

Avaya Tech on Tap Features Avatars, Next-Gen Video, the Cloud
Cloud communications and video were the themes of the most recent Avaya Tech on Tap. At the event, which preceded the formal kickoff of ITEXPO earlier this year in Miami, Avaya talked about what spurred its move into the video space; demonstrated its One Touch Video solution; and highlighted something called Avaya web.alive, which uses avatars and virtual worlds to make collaboration more engaging.

Wireless

BYOD Boom Triggers a Wealth of Mobile Device Management Solutions
Most, if not all, business will embrace some type of bring-your-own-device program in 2012. That was the word from Tim Wagner of Samsung, who spoke at ITEXPO East earlier this year in Miami.

Machine-to-Machine Advances Require New Approach to Billing
It takes two to tango, even if they're both machines. But when the music stops, who'll work out how much to pay the piper?