I can't begin to articulate all the depth and breadth of IP Multimedia Subsytems (IMS). It's another complex technology area that means different things to different people.

I bring it up because here in our VoIP-centric world, we view our niche as the leading, cutting edge in many ways. But the truth is that VoIP is a bridging technology. VoIP alone will have a long lifetime, and definitely provides a great convergence fit for many business operations. But VoIP is a bridge to an integrated IP service suite of the future. Today we call that view into the future IMS.

Colleague Martin Geddes posted an IMS Reality Check on the IMS Insider blog that I've been mulling over in preparation. He reviews some of the promise of IMS for our consideration.

• Promise # 1. New Revenue Opportunities: From silo to a horizontal business model
• Promise # 2. New services: Multimedia rich services that make operator's offerings "stickier"
• Promise 3. Faster time to Market: Standard network elements drastically decrease application development and rollout
• Promise 4. Investment Protection: Future service compatibility is assured through established interfaces
• Promise 5. Lower OPEX: Through infrastructure reuse for new services
• Promise 6. Fixed Mobile Convergence: Similar systems are used for fixed or mobile and can be bridged to offer ubiquitous service
• Promise 7. Higher control of the network: Operators become service providers instead of fat pipes

I've been digging into IMS and what it all means for corporate operations in preparation for an interview I'll be doing with BridgePort Networks next week. I've got at least one other IMS-focused interview on the horizon. We'll be exploring IMS a bit as we consider not just VoIP, but how VoIP bridges the gap to IMS in the next generation of corporate networks.



Technorati Tags: VoIP, IMS, IP Multimedia Subsystems, Promises of IMS