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Experts say IP is the Future: Advancing Intercom and Paging Systems

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Last year, Gartner Inc.’s research vice president Carl Claunch announced the top ten technologies to watch in 2007. Among them is network convergence. The Yankee Group reported the VoIP market could reach $3.3 billion in service revenue by 2010. Businesses, the report says, look to VoIP for measurable savings, an excellent converged platform for voice and data, and improved ways to manage communications within the enterprise.

The use of VoIP to replace traditional POTS (plain old telephone service) or PBX phones has garnered the bulk of the visibility in this area. And for good reason — there is a telephone on practically every desk in the office, and at least one on the wall of every industrial building. But bubbling under the surface is another form of communication that is starting to leverage those same IP networks — IP-based intercom and paging systems.

This next-generation technology is proving to be more easily deployed, cost-effective, and flexible in use and design than traditional hard-wired systems. Switching to IP modernizes analog intercom and paging systems by capitalizing on the rising IP convergence trend that combines audio, video, and data onto the local area and wide area networks. This enables companies, institutions, and property managers to leverage existing networks and transform how they interact with customers, employees, and suppliers.



Following are some points for system integrators, security management, and IT personnel to consider when building a business case for a state-of-the-art intercom solution.

Instead of retrofitting into the limited archaic wiring in a building, where you're essentially performing a one-for-one replacement of units that are already in place, IP intercoms can be placed anywhere you already have an existing IP network connection. They can instantly become campus or metropolitan communications devices connecting multiple buildings to a central command and control. They don't require a dedicated exchange or head-end, and the signal does not have to report to single cabinet within the building. Instead, software is all that's needed to manage the end-points. The result: a plug-and-play scenario that allows unlimited growth from a single intercom system to an IP network of intercoms across the campus or nation.

Why bother with them at all? It's simple: intercoms and paging solutions provide instant, location-based communication to another individual or distributed group for purposes ranging from informational to security and emergency notification. Whether it's a security office monitoring a courtroom, the main office contacting one or more locations on an office campus, or a student notifying a security office of potential problems, the communication is fast, simple, and direct. You most likely come in contact with a potential intercom application everyday — it is one-button access to another human resource.

Working with IP is simple too, whether you are using it in new or retrofit applications. Pulling wires for analog intercom installations, especially in older buildings, can be a nightmare. IP solutions can run on wired, wireless or fiber infrastructure — whatever can transport TCP/IP. No need to install new risers between floors for bulky cabling. By utilizing either the existing network installation, or installing one to support multiple data types, customers can leverage their investment for a better return on that investment. Unlike limited wiring in a building, IP has no boundaries and thus is easily extended beyond a structure's walls. This means its potential application types and the number of deployments it can accommodate are endless.

One of the most cost-effective benefits of IP intercom and paging is that users can manage multiple locations without adding staff. For example, a business located in multiple time zones can have its facilities managed locally during the day but have the ability to roll into one command and control center at night.

Another consideration is that with next generation of Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) right around the corner, IP is really the state-of-the-art platform for intercom technology. It is getting faster, and as the technology develops even further, the ability to increase the number of addressable end points is a necessity. Any fears or concerns about reaching a dead-end on the Internet highway are needless. IPv6 proves the Internet is limitless.

While moving to IP offers many advantages over sticking with dated analog technology, it's important to remember that using IP for point-to-point communication does require network planning. As with adding any other device to an IP network, bandwidth must be taken into consideration. You must also plan for security, as any new endpoint also creates a potential entry point for hackers and others that mean to do your network harm.

Intercoms and paging systems are still a very important means of communication. In fact, unique, two-way, instant audio communication devices are getting the attention of many security officials who are rethinking communications solutions. With the explosion of IP-ready technology, deploying, using, and managing those systems has become infinitely easier and more cost-effective. It's time to deliver targeted, informational messages across multiple access points with the touch of a button.

About the Author

Chris Coffin is CEO and Co-founder of Lake Forest, IL-based Digital Acoustics. Chris is responsible for developing the senior executive team creating innovative IP intercom and paging solutions for the security and communications markets. He welcomes comments at chris.coffin@digitalacoustics.com. More information is available at www.digitalacoustics.com.
On the net:Digital Acoustics
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