Audio/Video Collaboration

Business Value
Presents an exciting new opportunity for our Network Reseller partners to offer their customers enhanced IP networks and provide SIP based IP telephony and multimedia (audio & video) desktop conferencing solutions for customers that are deploying Asterisk Business Edition. Legacy networks and ISDN conferencing solutions don’t lend themselves to work in VoIP/SIP and remote worker communications deployments often lack the security, IP connectivity, and QoS required for converged services delivery. Audio/Video Collaboration in Open Source communications environments enables Netwrok Reseller partners to capitalize in on un-tapped conferencing opportunities, VoIP quality converged wired & wireless infrastructure, new VoIP/SIP CPE equipment, VoIP/SIP security, FMC gateways, mobile devicesand device security, and managed services and other communications solutions.

SIP Desktop Audio/Video Collaboration for Network Reseller Partners
As SMB and enterprises move to take advantage of the vast potential that collaboration offers, Open Source SIP telephony is where they are turning to integrate the calling features of a desktop phone with collaboration and conferencing. A collaboration strategy can a be as simple adding conferencing capability to their SIP IPT deployment or more sophisticated as Audio & Video Conferencing and Presence capabilities.

As IP communications services built and rich-content & multimedia are deployed, the underlying network infrastructure must move from data centric delivery services to converged services to allow access to new collaborative communications applications and services from any device, anywhere.
With the explosive growth of Open Source SIP based communication opportunities, Network Reseller partners need to examine their customer’s collaboration purchase plans and existing networking technologies comprising voice & infrastructure for considerations that will enable the integration of desktop audio and video collaboration in an IP environment.  The experience Network reseller will be able to help customers determine exactly what they want collaboration to accomplish for them and help them choose the right communications solutions or services for their needs.

Businesses of all sizes are demanding the savings and productivity advantages of replacing traditional phone systems with Voice over IP/SIP communications.  While the demand for Open Source communications increases, the lack of cohesive VoIP/SIP enabled network infrastructure can be a significant barrier to providing collaboration applications and services for VoIP/SIP deployments and keeping and winning new customers .  By integrating SIP collaboration solutions into the customer’s converged networks, Service Providers/ITSP partners will extend their position at the vanguard of collaboration.

Network Reseller partners can now empower their customers with a secure collaboration solution that enables them to look and act like a Fortune 1000 business, without the heavy burden to the bottom line. Network Reseller partners will be able to provide secure voice quality switching, SIP security and SIP gateway solutions to enable enterprise wide collaboration that can provide next generation communications services .

The Open Source approach is an important part of the current IP PBX and mobile communications market. Open source PBX's are gaining significant momentum in the market place because they are easy to deploy and they offer Network Reseller partners and customers the ability to use it as a platform for customized communications solutions.
 

The Benefits for Network Reseller Partners

	Upgrading customer’s networks with SIP communications & collaboration solutions for Open Source communications platforms and VoIP/SIP deployments for small business and enterprise business applications
	Providing better productivity & communications, and solutions for gaining competitive advantage. Differentiation is key to survival and winning
	Jointly delivering secure end-to-end Open Source VoIP/SIP, Collaboration & Conferencing, Vo-WLAN, FMC, cellular enabled, and Mobile Voice and Data solutions to their clients, enabling them to maintain competitive advantage, increase revenue and reduce costs

---

Technology Value

How a VAR’s expertise and strength lends itself to answering the business value issues surrounding SIP Collaboration implementations?

Attacks on VoIP/SIP communications and SIP collaboration deloyments are expected by some to increase as the number of organizations utilizing the technology increases. Traditional (legacy) networking solutions don't scale well or provide the needed services for the evolving business communications environment. The sheer number of users, the rich mix of applications and the diverse types of carriers require highly customized solutions.
 

Network Reseller partners can provide customers with a complete networking infrastructure for IP communications, messaging, mobile endpoint security, data in motion security, network infrastructure products and solutions that enable secure communications between clients across the network. They enable VoIP quality communications to achieve the performance that Open Source communications deployments require. They can now supply all the solutions needed to provide hosted conferencing, secure SIP communications networks (regardless of whether they connect via wireless or remote access).
 

Organizations seek communications solutions that deliver unified service to their customers.  SIP based collaboration allows organizations to achieve improved employee productivity and communications. However, implementing a secure converged VoIP/SIP network is critical.
 

Network Reseller partners, as strategic partner for repid deployment,can provide a significant improvement for VoIP/SIP communications by integrating collaboration services to meet the expectations of users and take advantage of sales & hosted service opportunities for VoIP/SIP, SIP desktop conferencing,  VoIP/SIP security,  mobility, and Open Source communications solutions thus allowing their customers to broaden their scope of capabilities and reach.
 

Opportunities

	Enhance/Upgrade existing network infrastructure to provide high speed switching, VoIP/SIP QoS, SIP Security, VoWLAN and network continuity
	Enable new hardware and software revenue streams based on customizable SIP desktop voice/video conferencing and presence based services
	Provide security solutions to protect customers against faulty or hacked communication and collaboration servers, defend against disruption (e.g., denial-of-service attacks), protect VoIP/SIP traffic privacy, protect data in motion, protect communications and data on end point devices, and protect access to network resources
	Provide organizations that are moving locations, replacing old phone systems or just looking for a faster, better, less expensive, and more capable communications solution, such as business class Open Source communications hardware & software productivity enhancing features that typically cost hundreds of thousands of dollars
	Broaden enterprise network services offerings to include VoIP/SIP compatible VoWLAN architectures, Cellular, Mobile Devices, etc for Open Source or VoIP/SIP deployments
	Extend the network with Open Source communications platforms, software, and devices providing reliable and flexible IP-PBX platform that offers high-quality voice interactions for both business and contact center applications
	Enhance/Upgrade existing network infrastructure to provide IP Phones, PoE for SIP endpoints, communications devices, high speed switching, VoIP QoS, Mobility, multi-homing and network continuity
	Enhance the existing IP core to deliver secure IP-PBX/mobile integration solutions for greater control over mobile phones, presence-based interactive multimedia enterprise and personal communications services
	Provide integrated Open Source IP communications applications

Why an end user wants to take on SIP Audion/Video Collaboration Solutions from a Network Reseller?
Deploying a secure Audio/Video Collaboration & communications networks requires the implementation of VoIP QoS enabled high speed security switching & VoIP/SIP routing, Collaboration servers, Presence, FMC gateways, QoS, and security of all network layers (IP Transport/Packet Handling Layer, Policy and Control Layer and Application & Service Layer) to ensure voice quality and protect from the vast and constantly changing network attacks that providers are facing daily from both inside and outside of the network.

Security is currently focused primarily on data. VoIP/SIP communications networks need to support mixed traffic and need to provide a transport layer security.  VoIP/SIP communications will require this single layer focus to be significantly expanded to a complex, multi-layer solution that includes the need to secure the media, control and signaling layers, service/application layer security, and the endpoint device over the wireless deployment.

With collaboration & communications there is no longer the concept of a simple network. In order to differentiate themselves, Network Reseller partners must take particular pains to ensure that they provide their customers with a secure solid “5-nines” quality enabled communications network infrastructure.  Customers look to experienced Network Reseller partners that are highly customer facing to identify their business challenges and provide a secure network infrastructure for data & communications solutions.
 

Ancillary benefits to VAR
Finding new business takes up a lot of rellers’ time and technical resources, Westcon Group provides the Network Reseller partners with a proven and cost effective program, products, and support to help them develop sales in the Open Source communications, Security, VoWLAN and FMC market.

Westcon Group provides Network Reseller partners with a one-stop destination for unprecedented product choice in secure mobility solutions, Open Source communications platforms, related products and services.

Further, by converging mobility, voice, network, and security services into a seamless network, Network Reseller partners can leverage their brand and their existing services to differentiate themselves in the market by offering more sophisticated services.