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Advocate Networks was on-site at two important conferences recently. Co-founder and co-president Tim Wise and vice president and general manager of consulting Mike Beaton attended VoiceCon Spring 2007 in Orlando. Healthcare practice leader Marco Kuysten was at the Annual Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Conference and Exhibit in New Orleans.
Both events showcased a host of emerging issues and trends that will affect virtually every telephone user. Here are a few highlights and observations we thought you'd want to know about.
Presence is Here
“Everyone was talking about ’presence,’” Wise says. “With the switch to IP-based PBXs, we’re at a point where it’s not a matter of if, but when companies will make the transition.”
Presence technology delivers features that enable users to specify when and how they’re available, and to “know” the availability of other individuals they want to contact. With many telecom systems nearing the end of their effective lifecycle, decision makers are asking Advocate Networks for advice on making the transition.
“It’s a complex decision,” Wise says. “But we see many advantages to migrating to a unified platform that can deliver advance capabilities like presence. Now is a good time to start having a conversation on how to proceed.”
Vendors Push the Seamless Experience
System vendors at VoiceCon also were talking a lot about the benefits of converged services, including the “Quad Play” of integrating voice, video, broadband Internet, and wireless into a seamless customer experience.
“Convergence is playing a big role in vendor offers from Salesforce.com, IBM WebSphere and others," Beaton says. "But the emphasis is on voice. All the vendors were offering features to integrate voice communication and presence capabilities into their tools.”
Beaton notes further that the big “buzz” in the Quad Play is on Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC). Although the technology has been evolving for some time, it now seems that the goal of one number, one handset is finally within reach.
But he cautioned that voice security would become increasingly critical as companies implement FMC. “It’s an issue we advise clients to take seriously,” Beaton says. “It’s important to consider how you will operate in a converged world–and how the converged network will tie into your existing firewall and applications.”
Going Paperless Gains Momentum in Healthcare
With a big push for cost-control, healthcare organizations are considering new strategies for integrating information technology.
“We’re seeing continued focus on applying IT to Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE)” Kuysten says. “Application integration and wireless technology are particularly hot topics for healthcare IT managers.”
Application developers are creating features for integrated messaging and alarm notification. These capabilities will have a big impact on a wide range of operational issues, including nurse call, building automation, and equipment maintenance. Facilitated collaboration using seamless communication platforms is being promoted as a way to build efficiency and reduce waste.
Wireless was another big issue at the HIMSS Conference, Kuysten notes. WiFi, Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB), and Infrared Radiation (IR) are being leveraged for location services, workflow optimization, and efficiency measurement. Mobile device makers are also making a bigger play for pushing healthcare applications to care givers.
“We are seeing lots of interesting developments,” Kuysten says. “Healthcare now has applications and wireless tools to tell you where resources are located now and where they’ve been; tools to optimize billing, resource maintenance, and response time; and tools to do a much better job measuring efficiency, like telling how long nurses are actually at a bedside providing care.”
As with most IT issues, the challenge for healthcare organization is developing a strategy to implement these advances without disrupting the day-to-day operations of their highly complex organizations. It’s a big but doable job, Kuysten observes.