Today IBM [2] and 3Com [3] are formally announcing the availability of 3Com's VCX suite of IP telephony (IPT) solutions for the System i. The VCX suite runs in a Linux on POWER partition on the System i, which lets you manage the solution with System i system-management tools. Many System i customers will already have enough System i bandwidth on their existing machines to add the VCX suite — which is darn cool in itself — but that doesn't preclude IBM from offering price-competitive standalone solutions, too.

3Com's VCX solution is based on IP telephony standards, particularly Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), which will make it easier to integrate with collaborative and business applications and will let ISVs deliver additional industry-focused solutions.

Infonetics Research, which specializes in data networking and telecom, projects IPT adoption among small and medium businesses to triple by 2010 in North America. IBM studies, the company says, show that only 20 percent of System i companies have installed IPT solutions so far but that the majority of the remaining 80 percent is interested or actively pursuing IPT options, making the System i world a perfect growth market for this solution. To read more about the importance of the IPT on the System i, check out System i Network's "IP Telephony on System i Is Bigger Than You Think." [4]

 

Customers and business partners are already taking advantage of IBM System i IP Telephony in their companies. IBM says that early customers include The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM), which is a Southern California-based college, and Polar Beverages, which is New England’s largest independent soft drink bottler. Both expect the System i IP Telephony offering to lower costs, improve customer service, and increase employee productivity. Typex, an IBM business partner, plans to both sell the solution to its customers and use it in its own business.

 

For additional details, see the IBM U.S. Announcement Letter [5] or 3Com's IP Telephony for IBM System i Web pages [6].