Everyone knows what Convergence is - it is putting voice traffic over data networks (otherwise known as VoIP or IP Telephony) right? Well yes, that is an example of converging at a certain layer but this is actually one of the most difficult and least rewarding value propositions of Convergence. The true value proposition of Convergence is the better utilization of any resource at any layer.

 

So what on earth am I talking about? Let's look at some examples of where Convergence has succeeded and where it has most potential. This will be a series of postings to keep you trembling with suspense (if you want the whole story then hire me!):

 

Physical - at the physical layer Convergence has happened and has had a dramatic impact. Within a premise, structured or Category n cabling is now used for all forms of connectivity for horizontal distribution. Similarly, fiber or structured cabling for the vertical. Those of us that are old enough will remember the fun of providing application specific cable - where every type of terminal and service had a different type of cable required. The effective design of the cabling environment was one of the most important aspects of the design of an IT infrastructure as the cost of mistakes was enormous and could literally render a building unusable. In a volatile environment, within a number of years it could be easier to move and start all over than to continue to pull more and more cable. The advent of Convergence has made the design of the cable infrastructure a lower value; overly simplified, in a Converged cable environment, if you have a power outlet then stick a low voltage outlet next to it; the design of cable plant now requires a lower skill set to design and has removed the risk of a bad design.

 

In the wide area, high speed optical networks now carry all forms of communications; primarily in TDM based SONET networks but Ethernet over glass in Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) are becoming increasingly effective as all traffic becomes packet based - I will get to this in later posts. This contrasts with direct point-to-point copper cables per service, with the associated capital cost of the infrastructure as well as the cost of maintaining the massive number of physical links.