Mobile and Remote Workers Getting Access
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Mobility and convergence are driving dramatic growth in IP networking with businesses according to Optus which has just released a survey of IP networking.

The fourth edition of the Optus IP Index survey of Internet Protocol use in Australia has found that 37 per cent of businesses provide access to corporate networks via wireless or mobile connections.

The survey, which the number two carrier undertakes every year also found that an astonishing 47 per cent of businesses have partially or fully deployed VoIP services and that 27 per cent use IP networks for videoconferencing.

Access from home is now almost universal·with 83 per cent of businesses providing IP Virtual Private Network (VPN) access to home workers according to the survey.

The results are based on interviews with 71 senior IT&T managers with network responsibility at small, medium and large commercial and government organisations that use IP networks.

John Simon, Managing Director Optus Business, said organisations were keen to do more with their networks. “A growing proportion of IP traffic is over wireless or mobile networks. 37 per cent of businesses currently provide wireless access via WiFi, GPRS or 3G with 27 per cent providing access for employees via a mobile broadband connection.”

“The shift to IP telephony and network convergence is also gaining momentum. 47 per cent of businesses have partially or fully deployed VoIP, up from 30 per cent in 2003; with a further 17 per cent currently evaluating VoIP solutions or conducting trials.

“Businesses are embracing VoIP in growing numbers. We are seeing the longstanding interest in VoIP now being translated into real deployments. Cost savings is a primary driver for VoIP deployment and the experience of early adopters is that VoIP really does deliver,” he said. “Among the businesses that have actually deployed VoIP, more than half report cost savings and better call management as the main benefits.

More than one in three businesses reported improvements in productivity and 39 per cent saw an improvement in customer satisfaction.

“Following VoIP, the next most common application of convergence is videoconferencing. A quarter (27 per cent) of businesses already use IP networks for videoconferencing, which is expected to double in the next 12 months.