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In today's rapidly converging network environments, where the traditional lines between data and voice are fading into the background, new wave applications have taken centre stage as the driving force for tomorrow's global communications infrastructure. At the heart of this worldwide revolution are the independent software vendors (ISVs) and infrastructure OEMs who are laying the foundation of new capabilities and driving the rapid pace of change.

Targeting a wide range of specific opportunity areas, ISVs are creating a host of hot new applications, such as voice over IP (VoIP), predictive dialling, call centre integration, etc, as well as providing rich service creation environments (SCEs) to support tailored applications development by service providers and enterprise-level organisations. In parallel, infrastructure OEMs are also providing new generations of Open Communications System (OCS) capabilities to fuel the rapid and cost-effective deployment of leading-edge data, voice and converged networks.

While the underlying platforms (CPUs, operating software, DSP APIs, etc) are still of critical importance to the success of these new applications-centric offerings, most ISVs and OEMs are discovering that detail-level integration of these components is not a good business proposition for them.

In essence, the value added from sourcing and integrating basic hardware and software components has become an increasingly complex challenge with escalating headaches and diminishing margins. On one hand, the evaluation, testing, integration and certification of individual system components is consuming larger amounts of valuable engineering resources. On the other hand, the ability to mark-up platform-level integration activities is shrinking as more value-added emphasis has shifted to the end applications, and the move to standardised open systems architectures has blurred the ability to differentiate based on the underlying platforms.

In order to keep their primary focus on the creation of new applications and capabilities, more and more forward-looking ISVs and OEMs are now looking towards partners that can provide stable computing platforms and platform integration services that serve as a reliable base for robust hosting of their leading edge applications, while maximising overall value deployability and reliability.

In the balance of this brief white paper, we will explore the driving factors and trends behind the movement to sourced integrated systems with long term stability. In addition, we will look at the key factors for choosing an integrated systems partner that can optimise your opportunities with reliable, scalable and stable computing platforms and platform integration services that are optimised for deploying targeted converged networking applications.

Realising full value from an integrated systems partnership

Knowledge of applications and business requirements

To ensure on-going success and customer satisfaction, you need to work with integrated platform partners who are willing and able to go the extra mile to understand your application requirements - and to help you make sound technical and business decisions.

In today's fast moving, highly competitive environments, you don't have the luxury of time to educate your suppliers or to compensate for their lack of expertise. Instead of just vendors selling hardware, you need true partners who will invest the time and effort to maintain extensive in-depth applications expertise in the target markets that you serve.

Rather than just supplying a part of the puzzle, your business partners should be constantly working closely with third party software and specialty hardware suppliers to develop targeted systems that are more reliable, lower cost and faster to deploy.

Platform configurability and flexibility

Today's diverse applied computing requirements demand much more than just a simple 'one size-fits-all' philosophy. Converged network infrastructures require stable platforms that are precisely defined, configured and verified. An experienced platform integration partner can tailor their implementation strategies to meet an increasingly difficult blend of critical factors, such as performance, size, cost, power usage, expandability, ruggedisation, maintainability, reliability, etc. With escalating price/performance requirements, increasing competitive pressures and shrinking time-to-market windows, the need for 'tailored-fit' product alternatives is becoming even more critical every day.

By selecting a partner that can provide highly configurable rack mount solutions ranging from 1 to 6U form factors, as well as powerful single board computer (SBC) alternatives, you can take advantage of targeted off-the-shelf solutions for most application needs. In addition, you should look for a partner that can rapidly configure full custom systems if required. Whether your specific business objectives demand an optimised solution for a single targeted application or a family of configurable solutions to span multiple price/performance requirements, you need an integrated systems partner that offers both the platform flexibility and the support commitment to ensure a perfect fit.

Platform integration services

You also need to partner with a company that consistently goes well beyond just supplying hardware, or other components. Specify a partner with platform integration services that can manage all of the 'pre-competitive' aspects of configuring and integrating open communications systems. By working with such a partner, you become free to focus more of your valuable resources on core value-added activities: such as developing targeted software applications and communications systems to support evolving customer requirements and networking infrastructures.

Key characteristics to look for include a solid track record of providing platform integration services for communications systems suppliers and in-depth integration services, which are rooted in ISO 9001 certified design, production, test, quality control and documentation processes.

Specific capabilities should include:

• System-level design support including the evaluation, selection and integration of third party components - including CT and IP Telephony servers;
• Full configuration management and documentation support including proactive revision control and EOL planning;
• Factory integration based on ISO 9001 certified manufacturing processes;
• Industry standard test procedures and custom simulation protocols;
• Quick shipment direct to end-customers for stable configurations.

Driving factors and advantages of sourced integrated solutions

Although ISVs and OEMs are clearly leading the revolution in converged networking applications, in order to stay on the front lines they must have partners with products and services that are tailored to their application and business requirements. From a sheer resource availability standpoint, application developers need to focus virtually all of their engineering capabilities on targeting and enhancing their offerings to provide maximum competitive leverage within their target markets. With the pace of change and competition moving at light speeds, these innovation-driven companies cannot afford to sacrifice even a small portion of their development resources to perform non-core value-adding low-level integration activities, such as qualifying CPUs, evaluating add-in cards, balancing chassis configurations and power loads, etc.

At the same time the ISVs' and OEMs' customers, whether service providers or enterprises, are focusing entirely on the efficacy of the end applications, with little or no attention paid to the underlying platform - as long as it performs flawlessly. For example, call centre and CRM managers are looking for leading-edge predictive dialling applications to maximise revenue generation opportunities in call centres and next generation communications service providers need IP billing applications to maximise service fee revenues in the hyper-competitive VoIP market.

Similarly, many corporate customers are looking for economically deployable solutions for implementing enhanced IP services and other converged service applications within their enterprise environments.

For most ISVs and OEMs, the move to partnering with a solid supplier of stable integrated systems has now become a pivotal factor in their overall business success. By comprehensively out-sourcing the platform-level design, qualification, manufacture and even support of their underlying computing foundation, these forward-looking companies are able to better serve their end customers' needs and extend their own value-added applications capabilities, as well as more efficiently managing their own growth and profitability objectives.

Balancing trends towards open standards and product differentiation

The widespread trend towards standards-based open communications system (OCS) architectures is making it possible to economically deliver new-wave CT, IP and converged applications across a wide range of deployment scenarios. However, the need to effectively tailor integrated system solutions for optimising specific applications means that the challenge cannot be treated as a simplistic one-size-fits-all proposition. For instance, dependence on specialty add-in hardware and related middleware is increasing as CT, DSP and other suppliers balance the move to standards against the continuing need to differentiate their offerings. In many cases, new standards-based APIs, data structures and programming environments also must take into account the need to seamlessly move historical and new data over legacy and converged network infrastructures.

Likewise, ISVs and OEMs need to be able to effectively differentiate their system level offerings, without over-investing in the use of precious internal engineering resources, to address non-core platform-level design and configuration issues. The bottom line is that, whether you are a relatively small ISV growing at 100% per year or a major division in a multi-billion dollar network infrastructure company, you cannot afford to take your eye off the ball for even a second in today's rapidly changing marketplace. In this environment of evolving standards and dynamically changing implementation choices, ISVs and OEMs need to be able to turn to their computing platform and integration services partners for hands-on leadership in solving the critical platform-level issues that can make or break their overall business success.

Comprehensive customer support

An appropriate partner to help you build your integrated solutions will also demonstrate commitment to comprehensive customer support that extends from the integrity of the initial system design all the way through long-life deployment under even the most demanding field conditions. Your systems need to be manufactured and thoroughly tested to meet specific application criteria in ISO-9001 certified production facilities. All of your integrated solution components and products must be covered by at least a two-year warranty and backed by phone and web-based technical support.

Forward-looking technology partnerships

By definition, the open communications systems (OCS) architectures used for hosting next generation data, voice and converged networks, will be based on standards and will take maximum advantage of on-going technology evolution.

To keep you competitive, these systems must incorporate best-in-class components and subsystems from a variety of sources and also provide for extensibility to embrace new technologies as they arise.

Your bundled solution partners must provide both comprehensive and constantly evolving expertise and industry leadership in all of the technologies that form the heart of your OCS solution - past, present and future. Key characteristics to look for include both long experience and strong partnerships with suppliers of core computing and communications technologies.

The bottom line

A world class computer platform and platform integration partner allows you to concentrate on adding the value that truly sets you apart in the eyes of your customer: the features of your application. But, at the same time, such a partner lets you finish painting the picture your customer is seeking, a complete application solution ready to add value to his/her enterprise. Such a business partner will have a track record of commitment to serving the converged networking market.

Furthermore, by keeping a consistent focus on understanding the critical business needs of ISVs and OEMs, a comprehensive systems partner can provide the flexible relationship framework needed to give you maximum leverage to satisfy your customers' requirements while also optimising your own bottom line profit objectives.

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