Is Your Network Ready for IP Video? The Industry Enters the Convergence 2.0 Era
By Nicholas John Lippis III
During the past ten years two organizing principles have dominated enterprise network design: to converge voice and data onto a single IP network and to exploit internet technologies for efficiency and gain. These simple principles unleashed innovative products and services that savvy business and IT leaders used to lower total cost of ownership and gain greater productivity, while forcing an entire industry of suppliers to restructure through mergers, acquisitions, private placements, initial public offerings, etc. But while the converged networking business cycle is in an accelerated stage thanks to unified communications, a new organizing principle is emerging that is centered on layering IP video on top of this converged network and promising to deliver greater value than its converged network predecessor. The IT industry is delivering on this new organizing principle as IP video is being massively consumed in consumer and corporate markets. This white paper provides a framework describing the impact of the IP video organizing principle on corporate networks with planning guidance for business and IT leaders to best prepare corporate operations for a new era in IP video-based collaboration, education and social networking.
