Gartner Says IP Telephony Should Only Be Implemented When it Makes Perfect Business Sense, Not Just Budget Sense
Analysts Examine the Road to IP Telephony During Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla., October 22, 2003 — Before 2005, almost all IP telephony projects will be justified on cost savings because few enterprises will be able to translate new IP telephony capabilities into business value, according to Gartner, Inc.
These findings were presented today during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003, which is taking place here, October 19 through 24.
Gartner analysts advised attendees that enterprises should not convert to an IP telephony environment simply for the sake of IP. CIOs should only implement IP telephony when productivity benefits brought on by convergence can be clearly articulated to business units.
"Organizations have stopped asking why they should implement IP telephony and are now focusing on when to implement," said Jeff Snyder, research vice president for Gartner. "When considering when to implement IP telephony, enterprises should look for tangible benefits beyond simple cost savings by understanding the needs of the business units, and identifying how improved communications can benefit overall business operations. Once those business benefits become measurable, though, there is no reason not to begin a migration to IP."
Historically, the business case for most new IP telephony systems focused on cost savings or the end-of-life of current systems. As a result, most enterprises implementing IP telephony have already performed one-for-one replacements, from equipment and functional perspectives. However, IP telephony systems have far greater capabilities and can dramatically change the way business communications take place.
When determining when to purchase the basic infrastructure, Gartner analysts advise that enterprises should purchase the basic infrastructure when it fits into infrastructure plans, but not let that timing dictate the actual conversion to IP telephony.
"Only after an organization is prepared to make the change, for solid business reasons, should it begin the conversion process," said Snyder. "Because it may be difficult to anticipate exactly when budgets or processes will call for conversion, enterprises should not invest in any new products or architectures that cannot support upgrade to IP."
Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the IT industry's largest and most strategic conference, providing business leaders with an insightful look at the future of IT. For more than 10,000 IT professionals from the world's leading enterprises, Gartner's annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of their annual planning efforts. For more information about Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2003, please visit www.gartner.com/symposium or call 1-800-778-1997.
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Gartner, Inc. is the leading provider of
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