Services convergence takes an unexpected turn

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: STEVE TAYLOR AND LARRY HETTICK ON
CONVERGENCE
07/20/05
Today's focus: Services convergence takes an unexpected turn

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Services convergence after five years
* Links related to Convergence
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: Services convergence takes an unexpected turn

By Steve Taylor and Larry Hettick

Today we'll conclude our retrospective on how convergence has
changed since we wrote our first convergence newsletter five
years ago. Specifically, we'll take a look at the fourth face of
convergence: services and applications convergence.

Five years ago, we defined services convergence as the marriage
of applications and multiple services bundled as a single
option. While we envisioned a more enterprise-centric view of
service convergence, today's consumer market is filled with
double plays, triple plays and quadruple plays.

A triple play means the end of an inning in baseball, but it
also means that consumer marketing wizards have added the mix of
wireline voice, video, broadband Internet and wireless to their
service bundles. All four services bundled into a single bill
constitute a quadruple play.

Since our original definition hinged on services, we have added
another way to look at services convergence with the addition of
"applications convergence." Applications convergence happens
when computer-based applications like word processing, e-mail,
and CRM converge with communications-system applications like
telephone calls and voice mail. For more details go to:
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlconvergence3453>

When we originally defined services convergence and applications
convergence, we predicted that these held the most promise to
change the way an enterprise conducts business. We also
correctly predicted that applications convergence would follow
the slowest adoption curve because of the complexity involved,
but we are pleased with the progress applications convergence is
making in both public and private networks.

This week, we start in on our sixth year writing this
newsletter. If we haven't both retired in the next five years,
we'll be sure to check back in with a 10-year retrospective.
Thanks again to all our loyal readers.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Future-proof your network
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlconvergence3454>

2. Appliances replace DNS, DHCP software
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlconvergence3455>

3. How to prevent pharming
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlconvergence3456>

4. City finds big savings in Linux
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlconvergence3457>

5. HP plans to cut 14,500 jobs and save $1.9 billion a year
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlconvergence3458>

Today's most forwarded story:

Grant Thornton standardizes IP PBXs
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlconvergence3459>
_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Steve Taylor and Larry Hettick

Steve Taylor is president of Distributed Networking Associates
and publisher/editor-in-chief of Webtorials. For more detailed
information on most of the topics discussed in this newsletter,
connect to Webtorials <http://www.webtorials.com/>, the premier
site for Web-based educational presentations, white papers, and
market research. Taylor can be reached at
<mailto:taylor@webtorials.com>

Larry Hettick is an industry veteran with more than 20 years of
experience in voice and data. He is Vice President for Telecom
Services and Infrastructure at Current Analysis, the leading
competitive response solutions company. He can be reached at
<mailto:lhettick@currentanalysis.com>
_______________________________________________________________
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Archives of the Convergence newsletter:
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FEATURED READER RESOURCE
THE NEW DATA CENTER: SPOTLIGHT ON STORAGE

This Network World report takes a look at storage trends such as
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Click here:
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