Convergence is the ability to combine voice, data and video over a single network infrastructure and single platforms. IT encompasses the coming together of voice and data applications in a common networked environment. Its significance is the integration of communications applications with key business applications. The business applications are usually tied to business processes, which are central to an organization's operations. Converged communications help organizations to unlock network value by realising the benefits of tying together applications that until now have been completely separate.

IP is becoming the de-facto communication standard that will glue the multitude of business applications available, into a cohesive infrastructure to support your business.

Voice Over IP

The main driver for convergence has been Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). By simply converting voice or fax calls into Internet Protocol (IP) packets, companies are able to avoid the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and don't call charges. The key justification for any new technology is that it offers the chance make cost savings, and this has been a major factor in driving up usage of 'Toll Bypass' services.

For many companies IP Telephony has enabled them to reduce their telephony costs by placing office-to-office calls on an existing corporate WAN. Companies are also utilising web based call or contact centres together with 'Click to Call' functions. Customers simply click a button on a web site to request a call from the vendors' agent and the ability to actually initiate a call from a website across the Internet is now becoming a realistic option. In the contact centre context IP Telephony enables intelligent integration of voice with application services whereby customer information can be automatically retrieved for the agent as the customer calls in and can also allow the agent to see what the customer is doing onscreen. Because of the nature of IP, a global presence can be created without huge expense.

A converged network avoids unnecessary duplication within the network infrastructure. Historically two networks ran in parallel for voice and data. It is now no longer necessary to provision separate networks and cabling infrastructures for voice and data. Costs, such as spares provisioning, maintenance and management costs can all be reduced as a result.

M & D Team Solutions Converged Products

Our range of converged solutions include:

• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
• LAN & WAN
• Email - SMS - Email
• Single Network Infrastructure (Cat5e/6)
• IP Enabled Telephone Systems

For a diagram, at a high level, the difference between a converged and non-converged environment.

Email - SMS - Email

There's good reason why SMS is the fastest growing communication channel on the planet, it works and it's inexpensive. Whilst you may think the biggest SMS users are children or private mobile users, have you ever thought of the reasons why.

The main compelling reason people use SMS is that it costs less to text than calling a mobile and the people sending SMS are paying their own phone bills!

Now, you wouldn't want all of you staff sending messages from their mobile phones sitting at their desks neither would they perhaps have the patience to do so. People will always find the path of least resistance or effort, which includes picking up the phone at your cost.

That's where EveryMessage™ comes in. Our platform allows any user to send messages and receive replies via email regardless of your mail server. Best of all there is no need to install any software on your servers or business machines at all! Sounds too good to be true doesn't it, wait until you calculate the savings, it gets even better.

We don't charge you for the inbound replies. The reply numbers are hosted in our gateways and delivered via email. This is different to many other solutions as you effectively have an unlimited reply path.

Cut the chit chat and save money...