Telcomine: A Telecom & Technology Newsletter http://www.infozech.com/telcomine.html *****TELCOMINE************ Wealth of Information about Telecommunications Volume 2, February 1998 IN THIS ISSUE 1. Build your own Internet PBX (Part II) 2. US Survey says 346,000 more skilled IT workers required... 3. ... and salaries for IS professionals soar amid shortages 4. News & Tips a. 7 Mbs ip Connection for just $40 a month! b. 10 Technologies to watch in 1998 c. Callback As Toll-free or Reverse Billed Callback d. So you have left your watch at home... e. Delegating Effectively 5. eBill : Billing Solution for Telecom Services 6. Infozech : Recruitment Services Provider *************************************************** Build Your Own Internet PBX (Part II) *************************************************** In the last issue, we introduced Internet Telephony - the hot topic of telecom industry these days. Continuing our article, we discuss different implementations of Internet PBXs: SOFTWARE ONLY This implementation is the easiest as you can use TAPI modems and voice cards already available in the market. Also CoDecs, echo cancellation and call handling modules can be easily implemented in the software running on the host CPU. The development cost of this solution is low.However you can not scale this solution beyond a few ports per system. You also require a Windows 95 or Windows NT Workstation. The typical applications are small business Internet telephony gateway for inter-office calls or for customer support lines. DSP BASED CARD WITH ON-BOARD SOFTWARE This solution has better performance than software only solution. Being scalable, it permits many cards per system. DSP cards offload computationally intensive tasks like real-time audio compression, decompression and echo cancellation from the host CPU to reduce delays. Local DSP processing provides improved CoDec and echo cancellation performance. You can also make this solution OS independent by proper implementation. However this solution is harder to implement with significant developmental cost. The card mounts on PC or PBX backplane where required space should be available. This solution is ideal for small to large business Internet Telephony gateway for inter-office calls or for customer support lines. PBX INTEGRATED MODULE This solution envisages a completely self-contained card or module which on one side, connects to the PBX's backplane or switching fabric and on the other, provides 10BaseT Ethernet interface. Integrating seamlessly with telephone system, it enables multiple systems to function as a super system. It is scalable to higher port density than PC based solution. However this solution is as complex as DSP Card Development except the module is integrated into base PBX system.The typical applications are Internet enabled PBX that treats the Internet or a corporate WAN as a shared group of trunk lines. This solution can also be used for bonding PBXs in multiple offices into one enterprise telephone system STANDALONE APPLIANCE Another implementation is the standalone appliance that is completely independent of Telephone system. Such a device does not need a PC and can be packaged as a low cost solution. However this solution is as complex as DSP Card Development. = Compatibility with Internet Telephony software is likely to be an issue. The typical applications are gateway to connect telephone system to Wide Area Network and can also be used as a public dial-in system if H.323 compatible. ****************************************** Next Issue of Telcomine will discuss * Technical Challenges ****************************************** ***************************************** US Survey says 346,000 more skilled IT workers required... ****************************************** The shortage of skilled IT professionals in the United States may even be worse than the alarming numbers reported just 14 months ago. Preliminary results of a survey released by Information Technology Association of America and Virginia Polytechnic Institute in January 1998 show that at least 346,000 IT positions are currently unfilled. An earlier survey by the same organization released in November 1996 showed 190,000 unfilled IT positions in the U.S. The ITAA says that the IT skill shortage is "large and growing" and a "national crisis". This big increase is due in part to survey methodology differences. The earlier survey looked at companies with 500 or more employees and the new survey examined companies with 100 or more employees. The survey still got attention of federal officials. Clinton = Administration announced plans to invest $28 million to train more IT workers. Part of the funding will go to retraining laid-off workers in other sectors as IT workers. Some will be used to build a web site for posting IT job openings and resumes. Main observations of the survey are: - Shortage is more pronounced in non-IT vendors. Companies implementing IT systems (rather than selling them) have 217,000 openings while vendors have 190,000 opening. - Shortage is more acute in jobs requiring higher credentials - computer engineering and computer science. Such jobs are 12% of the total openings. By comparison, programming and system analyst jobs constitute 10% of the openings. - There is no significant difference in these openings by geographic regions. The ITAA has constituted six task forces made up of educators, government officials and vendor representatives to study and report on aspects of the IT labor shortage. The Task forces will also recommend on how to improve the public image of IT professionals and how to attract more women, minorities and vocational students to IT profession. ******************************************** ... and salaries for IS professionals soar amid shortages ******************************************** While it may not sound very glamorous, the job of system administrator is the place for high salaries. A new study shows that salaries of experienced information system managers are surging - an average 14% rise in 1997. Also increases are higher for higher salaries, with biggest increases going to administrators earning more than $70,000. At the same time, the data supports fears among the management that there are not enough people to fill all the jobs. The companies are almost "terrorized" by fear of losing their system administrators and system security people as there is no way to replace them. There are no schools or sources of talents in that area. As companies are moving to more complex and diverse systems, for example blending of UNIX with Windows NT. So they need administrators that can manage a mixed environment. While a company may standardize on one environment, this will not stop them from buying another company that uses a different environment.Companies are managing by importing people from other departments. However this migration creates salary anomalies. **************************** News & Tips ***************************** (a) 7 Mbs ip Connection for just $40 a month! US West Communications Group is offering an ultra-fast (up to 7 MB per second) Internet and data service to residential and business customers using its new ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) service in first half of 1998. This available service will cost just $40 a month for home users and $65 a month for business users. Since it uses company's existing copper-wire phone network, it is termed as "renaissance of the copper phone network". ADSL connections give customers a constant link to the Internet by eliminating the waiting time required by modems to dial up and connect to the network and thereby provide near-instantaneous retrieval of information from web sites. US West says that its ADSL system will meet industry standards set by majors like Microsoft, Intel and Cisco Systems and six major US local phone carriers. Several Baby Bell phone companies have also announced similar plans. (b) 10 Technologies to watch in 1998 NOT RIPE FOR FULFILLING THEIR PROMISES Biometrics Electronic Cash AWAITING A CATALYST TO BOOST THEM INTO WIDESPREAD ACCEPTANCE Push Technology Smart Cards Network Computers ACHIEVED GENERAL ACCEPTANCE Speech Recognition Desktop Videoconferencing Personal Digital Assistants WILL ACHIEVE GENERAL ACCEPTANCE IN NEXT 2 YEARS Database Mining Document Imaging (c) Callback As Toll-free or Reverse Billed Callback You can use Callback for Toll-free effectively. The user calls the DID number and hangs up after 2 minutes. The computer stores the user's phone number and then calls the host for DID. Once the called party's representative comes on-line, the computer calls the stored user number and completes the Reverse billed CALLBACK call. This is like REVERSE billed CALLBACK! Also instead of calling DELL or Microsoft and waiting 40 minutes on hold, one could call the DID number and then get a callback as soon as operator is free. The called party saves 40 minutes of long-distance tariff and the calling party saves 40 minutes of waiting. So do you think this can work? (d) So you have left your watch at home... Working in overdrive for your new product or it is just that time of the year, you have left your watch at home because you do not want to drive yourself crazy looking at it. So learn these lessons... #1: Prepare your family for those 17 hour killers Talk to your family before committing to stretch Tell them why they are important. Your family needs to buy these commitments. If they don't, it will weigh on you and you will not achieve your goals. #2: Work hours that suit you best Decide your most productive hours and reschedule around them. No need to come at 5.00 am with the milkmen and leave at 10.00 p.m. with the cleaners. #3: Recharge at the point of diminishing returns Do not feel guilty when you realize that you are tired. Take a break however small. Surf the web or chat with your colleagues. #4: Learn to move on If you can not solve a problem, keep it aside. Move on the next task. Return to the problem later. #5: Power-down after the project After completing a big project, be sure to take a vacation. Pay back your family in terms of time. Decompress. Power-down. Prepare for the next project - physically, mentally and emotionally. (e) Delegating Effectively 1. Do not fall in to the "I can do it quicker and better" syndrome. If you do, you are not managing. You will stay in a rut and so will your subordinates. 2. Clarify the task in your mind before delegating. Visualize what the finished task or product will look like. So you will not be disappointed just because you were not clear on what you wanted. 3. Clarify your needs by writing them down. It will help you verbalize your needs more clearly. 4. Enlist your delegatee's help. Tell him that you want his help to improve your delegating skills. 5. Have him write out your verbal instructions. Do not ask him to repeat what you said. Ask him to repeat what he heard to ensure that you are being clear. 6. Don't be a perfectionist. If you get back work that is not what you expected, discuss the problem so that you can fix the misunderstanding. If the work is acceptable, say that it is fine this time. But next time you need it done your way. Having someone continually redoing the work is = demoralizing, frustrating and a waste of time. 7. Put a due date and time on the task. If it is not possible to complete the task within the deadline, the delegatee must renegotiate the time or have you assign the work to someone else. (continued in next issue) *************************************** eBill Billing Solution for Telecom Services *************************************** eBill is a modular Billing software solution for all types of telecommunications services like * Callback * Toll free Numbers (800/888) * Fax * Calling Card * Internet Services ***** Contact Infozech for more details ***** ******************************************** INFOZECH Recruitment Services Provider ****************************************** Infozech as VALUE-FOR-MONEY Recruitment Assist Company will help you tap the vast Indian IT Professionals' pool. We have always prided ourselves for providing the right candidates at most competitive fee. We endeavor to provide a unique mix of advantages to all our clients: 1. Technically Qualified Recruiters Being a 100% Export oriented Software Development House working for US Clients for last 7 years, we understand the concerns and challenges of overseas recruitment. Unlike most other recruiters, our software development managers interview the possible candidates for effective recruitment. 2. IT Professionals available for immediate placement Besides recruiting professionals from all over India, we have fully trained and qualified employees who have worked on software projects for US Clients. These employees are also available for consulting positions after completion of their current development modules. 3. Long and fruitful experience We started sending trained IT professionals to US Clients in 1991. Our entire placement effort has been to full satisfaction for both employers and employees. *********************************** Information supplied on as is basis If you have found Telcomine useful, please consider telling somebody else about it E-mail: Telcomine@infozech.com Fax: 408-490-2840 Voice Mail: 408-490-2842 Wealth of Information about Telecommunications Volume 2, February 1998 Please visit us at http://www.infozech.com ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01BEA3B3.D8048180--