IP Expo: Take My Phone But Leave My Network Alone
Survey finds that most businesses would rather lose their phone service than their Internet Protocol (IP) connection
In the run-up to IP Expo this month, a survey of 130 of the show’s attendees with key roles in management, IT strategy, implementation and infrastructure showed that 65 percent thought an IP outage would cause most damage to their businesses.
If the local utility company accidently hacked through their phone lines, it would upset 21 percent but would not bring the company to a virtual standstill. Running behind IP and phones was the loss of web presence.
Age Of Digital Dependence
Given that the respondents to the IP Expo questionnaire are all attending the show, it is unsurprising that networks figure strongly in their nightmare scenario. It is the 3:1 ratio that is surprising.
The main reason for this is that over the past ten to fifteen years almost all manual procedures have moved onto the network. Even before that there was an obvious desire to use digital processes, and “sneakernet” – moving data from machine to machine by running back and forth with a floppy disk – was a good indicator of this need. Today, even the phone systems are moving to IP.
Adam Malik, content director for Imago Techmedia, the event organisers, commented: “Over the past few years we have been seeing a steady stream of services moving across to IP, from applications shared across organisations through to sophisticated communications services. The survey reflects this: IP networks are now mission-critical. Lose your IP at your peril.”
Despite the worries, managers seem to be more than keen to keep piling on the IP workload. Of the 130 respondents, 80 stated they did not feel they were using their network to its full potential. The reason for this, given by 78 people, is that the budget is not there to fund new projects.
The straitened times we live in will help boost the show’s attendance, as decision makers find their best option is to find out ways of doing more with less money available.
The two-day IP Expo begins at London’s Earls Court 2 Exhibition Centre on October 20.
