Coffee Talk
Check back often for additional conference announcements.
| Tuesday, March 1 | |
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Mobility is high on almost everyone’s UC agenda, but it’s not easy to match the capabilities you want – and can afford – with the offerings currently in the marketplace. During this session, we’ll discuss ideas for coping with the challenges of putting UC and mobility together – which major categories of mobile UC offerings (e.g. dual mode, cellular-only, voice over WLAN, etc.) are most popular, what devices are you supporting and why, and ideas for coping with costs and licensing. Moderator - Michael Finneran, Principal, dBrn Associates Inc Michael is an independent consultant, industry analyst, and writer who focuses on wireless technologies, mobile UC, and fixed-mobile convergence. He wrote the book Voice Over Wireless LANs- The Complete Guide (Elsevier, 2008), though his expertise spans the full range of wireless technologies including Wi-Fi, Cellular, WiMAX, and RFID. A lively and informative speaker, Michael has made frequent appearances at trade shows and conferences including VoiceCon and InterOp, and he now serves as the program chair for Wireless and Mobility at VoiceCon. In the consulting area, Mr. Finneran has provided assistance to carriers, equipment vendors, end users, investment firms, and a number of government agencies. A prolific writer, for twenty-three years he wrote the Networking Intelligence column for "Business Moderator - Serge Razafindrakoto, Senior Manager Unified Applications, Louisiana State University As a successful and highly motivated Telecommunications Manager with excellent customer service skills and progressive experience in a variety of telecommunications products and services, Serge Razafindrakoto has built an impressive record of achievement. In his current role at Louisiana State University’s Information Technology Services, he has developed a high-performing team as Manager for the Unified Applications group. He has consistently assumed increasingly progressive roles. | |
| Thursday, March 3 | |
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Everybody’s talking about SIP Trunking; this is your chance to have your say. Share your experiences in trying to procure, configure and run SIP trunks. What went right? What went wrong? What kinks are still being worked out? Get answers to your questions, and share tips with your peers. You’ll come away from this session with some concrete ideas about how to turn SIP trunks’ potential into real savings and improvements for your enterprise. Moderator - Sorell Slaymaker, Communications Architect, Unified IT Systems Sorell Slaymaker has 20 years of experience designing, building, and operating networks and the communication services that run across them. Particular areas of expertise include; unified communications, contact centers, CRM, and tele-medicine. An example of Sorell's experience, he was the chief architect for a 25,000 seat virtual contact center and moving it to IP/SIP. He has been a member of the Cisco and Avaya technical advisory boards. He graduated from Texas A&M with a B.S. in Telecom Engineering, and went through the M.E. Telecom program at the University of Colorado. Telecom Expense Management (TEM) software can be an essential part of your cost-control planning. But “telecom” itself is a category of expenses that’s growing broader and more difficult to define, with smartphones and other “consumer” devices being used by many in the enterprise as their primary means of communication. And in addition to these emerging areas of telecom expense, new services such as SIP trunking are emerging as replacements for traditional telecom services from the major providers. Meanwhile, wireless vendors are eliminating “unlimited” data plans in favor of tiered pricing. TEM vendors are continuing to update software and service offerings to respond to all the changes. So how do you stay current with TEM to ensure that you’re getting your money’s worth from your telecom services? Come share your experiences and learn what others are finding useful. Moderator - Robert Harris, President, Communications Advantage, Inc. Robert Lee Harris is President of Communications Advantage, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in strategic technology acquisition, implementation and cost management. Robert was an early advocate of enterprise Telecom Expense Management solutions, evaluating and implementing systems and processes for enterprise clients since 2003. By establishing a reputation as unbiased consultant, Robert has provided telecom cost management strategies to a variety of clients resulting in millions of dollars in savings. Communications Advantage, Inc. has gained clients in the medical, financial, and manufacturing industries, managing IT system relocations, telephony and call center implementations, enterprise technology roadmaps, Telco and data contract negotiations, and telecom expense management planning. Robert Lee Harris serves as Senior Vice President for the Society of Telecommunications Consultants (STC) and leads the editorial team for the society’s publication STC LINES. He contributes frequent articles and presentations regarding telecommunications cost management and technology trends to leading industry trade publications and events. | |
