20 April 2005

VoIP, WiMAX: Business Resilience

What about the risks of VoIP? In case you haven't seen a presentation from Lucent Technologies recently, you should.

As a witness to their latest presentation in Washington, DC on "How Next Generation Networks Can Impact Business Resilience", there are some very interesting trends and capabilities here now and on the horizon worth exploring.

The Lucent approach to VoIP security is largely based on standards, many of which Lucent and its "innovation engine," Bell Labs, have helped to develop and shape. For instance, the International Organization for Standardization offers ISO 17799,which provides recommendations for information security management and provides a common basis for developing organizational security standards and effective security management practices. Similarly, the International Telecommunications Union's X.805 standard defines a security architecture for systems providing end-to-end communications.And NRIC,the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council, provides best practices guidance in a number of areas that relate to VoIP operations.

Lucent, with its unmatched telecom heritage and broad experience can be a partner in helping develop actionable plans and in implementing successful VoIP security programs based on these standards. Lucent's best practices include security policies that outline expected behavior and security awareness of users, administrators, managers and other employees as well as security assessments to pinpoint security gaps, and to determine what is happening in practice rather than simply what may be documented in policies.


You have to keep in mind who Lucent's customer base really is. The Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOC), MCI, AT&T as well as all of the major wireless providers make up the majority of their client base. They will have advance notice of what providers are launching new technologies when, and they will have plenty of non-disclosure about who they think is the best vendor. It sure is refreshing to talk with a company who is all about capability and soundness of technologies. How the provider ends of servicing the customer is another topic.

On another front, they predict that by 2008 about 60% of laptops will be shipping with WiMAX.

The WiMAX Forum™ is working to facilitate the deployment of broadband wireless networks based on the IEEE 802.16 standard by helping to ensure the compatibility and inter-operability of broadband wireless access equipment. The organization is a nonprofit association formed in June of 2001by equipment and component suppliers to promote the adoption of IEEE 802.16 compliant equipment by operators of broadband wireless access systems.

Principles:
WiMAX Forum is comprised of industry leaders who are committed to the open interoperability of all products used for broadband wireless access.

Support IEEE 802.16 standard
1. Propose and promote access profiles for their IEEE 802.16 standard
2. Certify interoperability levels both in network and the cell
3. Achieve global acceptance
4. Promote use of broadband wireless access overall

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