Harnessing Hyperconnectivity
by Net Payne, Vice President, North American Marketing, Nortel

We live in an exciting time. The devices and applications we use to communicate, garner information and entertain are increasingly becoming connected to the network. Everything and everyone that would benefit from being connected will be connected. At Nortel we refer to this as Hyperconnnectivity and believe it is the next mega-trend in communications.

We have already started to see hard evidence that the hyperconnected world is here to stay. Its influence on business and personal life will only become more persuasive in the future.

Consider the results of a recent Nortel-sponsored IDC survey. 16 percent of today’s workforce is hyperconnected. That is, they use a minimum of seven devices for work and personal use plus 9 applications such as IM, text-messaging, web conferencing and social networks. The number of hyperconnected workers is expected to explode to 40 percent in 5 years.

There are other indicators that we are living in a culture of connectivity. On the heels of those who are hyperconnected is a segment which represents 36 percent of the workforce, defined as increasingly-connected. They use a minimum of four devices for work and personal access and six or more applications.

It is important for businesses to understand what drives the hyperconnected individual, both employee and customer, and how they can capitalize on this emerging trend:

Technology underpins the hyperconnected. 47% of respondents to the IDC study said that a network outage at work would have an extreme impact on them.

Simplicity is required to create order from the chaos of the multiple devices and applications.

A rich communications environment will become a pre-requisite for attracting and retaining talent. 60 percent of hyperconnected workers are under 35.

Hyperconnectivity is a defining moment for enterprise. Those that embrace it are presented with tremendous opportunities – a chance to improve productivity, attract and retain employees and advance competitive position in the global marketplace. Those that ignore it risk losing ground and profitability.

Innovation is central to meeting the need. New solutions and technologies will be required. For over 100 years Nortel has been a proud innovator. We have seen hyperconnectivity emerging and are ready to help enterprise seize its opportunities.

There are three interrelated elements. Business-optimized communications are being addressed through unified communications (UC). The complexity created by multiple devices and applications is made simple by combining telephony, video, IM, email, voicemail, presence and other features in a single user experience across multiple devices, mobile and fixed. Enterprises that implement UC not only realize personal productivity benefits but also enhanced group productivity resulting from the increased ability to collaborate effectively.

Business-optimized communications requires a solid foundation on which to function effectively. The plethora of devices and applications will escalate the demand for bandwidth, and without proper planning could cause corresponding dramatic increases in energy consumption.

Rising energy prices and shrinking IT budgets will add additional pressure on enterprises to seek network infrastructure solutions that offer energy efficiency without compromising performance. Independent testing from the Tolly Group demonstrated that Nortel data network solutions use up to 50 percent less energy as compared to competitive offerings, while providing 20 times the performance and up to seven times the resiliency. Our energy efficiency calculator shows enterprises how implementing Nortel energy efficient data network solutions can save them a lot of money.

To properly implement and support a solution optimized for hyperconnectivity requires expert knowledge. These solutions go well beyond traditional telephony. They are the complex integration of networks, applications and voice into a single user experience and the right expert can ensure these elements function as a simple and easy-to-use experience. Nortel has a long history in converged networking and communications and is committed to providing professional integration services built on years of experience.

As hyperconnectivity evolves into the fabric of our work and personal lives, our research and development will continue to focus on staying ahead of curve. Along with our channel partners, we will continue to work hard to put the technology required into the hands of customers who want to realize its benefits.