Convergence Overview - 11 : Choosing Convergence

So, we've talked briefly about infrastructure convergence, protocol convergence, and application convergence. Convergence will happen - it is just a matter of time. And in business, time is money. Some companies will determine their need for convergence is immediate and will implement convergence today, even with some of its limitations. Other companies will wait 6 months or a year for newer capabilities to emerge. Other companies will wait even longer, and some may never adopt convergence.

The length of time corporations wait is determined by the company's belief in convergence, their need for convergence, the cost of convergence, and other factors.

Think of some of the other changes that technology has evolved, like going from horses to cars, and then to planes. Then there was a move from propeller planes to jets. Airplane technology has been around for a long time, but some people still won't fly.

What we're talking about here is a paradigm shift. A paradigm shift must occur for companies to embrace convergence: they must change the way they think about their communication systems.

Just as computers evolved to replace most typewriters, convergence is coming. So, what do you think the major factors are that a business manager must consider before moving to a converged environment?