August 18, 2010

A Q&A With ITEXPO West 2010 Exhibitor IVR Technologies Inc.

By Erin Monda
TMCnet Contributor

IVR Technologies (News - Alert) Inc.  is a leading software development company in the SIP space for VoIP-enhanced services and real-time billing solutions.  It aims to be the leading supplier of interactive voice response products incorporating real-time billing for next generation Voice over IP networks.

IVR will also be exhibiting at TMC’s ITEXPO West 2010 – which is a great opportunity for the company to share its growth with the world.

Barry Sher, vice president of business development at IVR, sat down with Rich Tehrani, CEO, to discuss some important trends in the communications industry.

Rich: What is the most significant trend in communications today? Why?

Barry: We see a growing number of service providers now offering a full suite of consumer and business VoIP services via the cloud. There are many compelling reasons driving this migration and services adoption such as; no CAPEX, lower OPEX, no long term contracts or need to hire specialized engineers since the infrastructure and services are managed for the provider.

Rich: What is the one product or service the market is most in need of?

Barry: A critical market driver is the need for presence based communication services and location based services that stand to offer a more intelligent and automated approach to how we communicate today both as consumers and businesses.

Rich: How is your company leveraging the growth of social media to enhance your own business?

Barry: We are using it to connect with our customers and partners through social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and our corporate blog to disseminate corporate news, product information and industry perspectives in a timely and efficient manner. 

Rich: Nearly every phone manufacturer is now incorporating support for wideband codecs.  Will we finally see widespread HD voice deployments in 2011?

Barry: IVR Technologies was one of the first application server companies to adopt HD voice and incorporate it across all of our services such as; HD conferencing, HD PBX, HD call center and others. The HD quality is a game changer and as more and more communications travel across an all IP network the adoption rate of it will sky rocket much like when HD TV was first introduced.

Rich: What are your thoughts on the viability of mobile video chat or conferencing?

Barry: Mobile video and conferencing are definitely poised to gain attention this year through products like Skype (News - Alert), Fring and Apple’s recently released Facetime app. It will still take a few more years to begin to reach critical mass when these services are not dependent on WiFi connections and can be made across mobile platforms and between mobile devices and personal computers. 

Rich: Which wireless operating system (Android, iOS4, Microsoft (News - Alert), etc.) will see the greatest success over the next three years?  Why?

Barry: We believe that the Android and iOS4 are the best positioned in the mobile space with Blackberry and Windows Mobile following. This comes down to ease of use and available applications. Recent quarterly reports show the Andriod sales surpassing the iPhone (News - Alert) for the first time, however the iPhone still holds a much higher user satisfaction rating (71% vs 89%).

Rich: Some have suggested wireless networking will soon replace wired networks in the enterprise.  Do you agree? Why or why not?

Barry: Wired networks are less susceptible to hacking and interference and are able to achieve higher bandwidth than wireless networks so depending on application and location wired networks will continue to have a place in the enterprise but in existing facilities and where wireless performance exceeds network requirements wireless networks will have a place and offer a time and cost advantage.

Rich: What impact has the growth of cloud-based services had on your business?

Barry: In May of this year IVR Technologies virtualized its Talking SIP platform in the Amazon EC2 cloud in order to offer the next-generation service provider a way to reduce CAPEX, OPEX and to improve their time to market all while reducing their need to hire and train engineers to manage a SIP network. This initiative has continued to show our leadership in the market and the flexibility of our solution for providing services in any configuration. When coupled with the high level of technical support our team offers, it makes for an easy decision by the carrier to build their business in our Talking SIP cloud.   

Rich: If you had the opportunity to decide the Net neutrality debate, how would you rule?

Barry: Tiered pricing is necessary to help fund capacity increases and to help manage usage especially with TV and video streaming becoming more popular (Hulu , Netflix) and with 3D TV/video coming down the “pipe”. As long as the consumer achieves full disclosure in regards to their Internet service’s performance, bandwidth and caps then I have no problem with the tiered model (buy what you need and can afford) but pipe providers should never be able to discriminate against or prioritize lawful internet content. In addition, I don’t support two Internet pipes we should be building and increasing bandwidth and network efficiencies on one global, publically accessible and open Internet.

Rich: You are exhibiting at ITEXPO (News - Alert) West 2010.  What is the most exciting thing attendees will see at your booth?

Barry: We will be presenting our real-time SIP trunking solutions and our revenue generating suite of in-demand consumer/business applications. Whether facilities-based or in the cloud, we will be educating the next-generation service provider on how our solutions can help them reduce fraud, improve cash flow, generate higher margin revenues and attract and retain subscribers. 

Rich: What is the one technology development that will have the greatest impact in 2011?

Barry: Cloud computing – we are seeing tremendous time-to-market advantage and reduced OPEX and CAPEX that make this technology so compelling in so many areas (e.g. web services, grid computing, telephony).