With today’s technology everything is becoming virtual… We´re so busy with countless tasks from work, several projects running together, business travels, meetings, planning, integrations, etc, that we don´t have the “standard” family anymore… It´s “all virtual”!
For example, sometimes I´m required to travel for integrations outside São Paulo, and for sure I can´t bring my family and friends with me, eventually that makes me miss some birthday parties, but that´s ok! I can be there with my loved ones virtually at least, from my hotel room!
Yeah! That´s right! You just need a couple computers with a webcam, a good connection and you´re done! Any messenger program out there can bring you “close” to your family, to your home, no matter where you are! It´s so different to be able to actually see the person on the other end of the phone instead of just talking! For years programs like Skype, MSN have been able to transmit voice and video! Of course, it´s not a professional solution but IT WORKS!
Back in the past we only dreamed about using voice and video transmission instead of a “standard telephone set”, especially when watching Sci-Fi movies! Talking about that, when I was a kid watching some cartoons, my father came into the room very excited about an article he saw in a newspaper! It was the first time I saw the term “instant messaging”, I really don´t remember if it was about ICQ, or which program they were talking about, but he was so happy with the possibility to contact anyone connected in the internet in real time (of course, using text messages)!
Today requirements change, networks are better (and cheaper), more reliable, and we´re using it things other than data transmission! We can see that by all the investments the major players like Cisco are doing to create a complete set of Communications Solutions focused on business!
I remember when Cisco was releasing their VT Advantage solution to be used with the CallManager, a friend of mine travelled all the way to Angola to install a couple of hundred cameras! During one of the trips, he was hanging out with one of his customers over there when Cisco released the “Telepresence” solution, this same customer got a piece of paper in the restaurant to check “how many” Telepresence rooms he would need to stop all the travelling in his company! At the end the number was close to 20 if I remember well! The price was high, but the long term benefits from it justified all the initial investment!
Now, that equipment is not like a standard TV, just unpack, connect the cables, and you´re done! Not at all! To make everything happen (behind the curtains) is a challenge for MANY well qualified engineers! Voice and Video are real-time applications, they rely on a solid network to “reach” the other side! This network must be robust, well designed, implemented with QoS properly configured! This will be a job for the Routing and Switching guy!
This same reliable network needs to be secure, very secure! That´s when it is time to call your Security Engineers… Now, is everything ready, and in place?! Ok! Call the Voice Engineers to do their show! Not happy yet!? How about storing critical data from those communications!? Hmmm… looks like a job to our friends from CCIE Storage!
There´s place for everyone out there!
It really looks simple when we enjoy the benefits of the technology, pressing a button, or calling a “phone number” to start a business meeting, just as if you were there! But keep in mind, for sure, some very good engineers spent night after night working to make it perfect!