Steven J. Johnson is President of Ingate Systems (News - Alert), Inc., and a well-respected figure in the IP communications industry. I was fortunate enough to catch up with Johnson and ask him several questions about his company, Ingate, as well as the trends that are currently shaping our collective IP communications future.

 

 

SJ: We are seeing a strong adoption of SIP in enterprises of all sizes and this adoption has been accelerated by SIP trunking as a service from multiple ITSPs. From our experience with customers, we’ve found that cost benefits of SIP trunking seem to be most pronounced in organizations of up to 500 people. We are also noticing that other services are now being delivered over SIP networks, including video for the hearing impaired and unified communications, which is revolutionizing the way enterprises communicate.

 

SJ: Yes. We have seen a nice uptick in our revenues that has propelled us to new quarterly revenue averages and most importantly the revenue is being generated from multiple segments, verticals and partners.

 

SJ: We really believe that 2008 will be the breakout year for SIP. The signs are there for a very strong year in 2008.

 

SJ: SIP and SIP trunking have both been at the forefront of the growth in the IP communications revolution.

 

SJ: I think that Skype has shown enterprises the way to a different paradigm. I don’t believe that enterprises are embracing Skype as their mode of communications. But I do think that Skype in the home has shown managers that IP telephony can work and as a result they have begun to install IP telephony in the workplace, but with more controls. That has been a definite plus for Ingate, since we can offer them the ability to enable SIP communications without sacrificing control of the network.

 

SJ: There is no doubt that they are powerhouses on the desktop. Microsoft especially has an opportunity to dramatically change how people communicate through tools already installed on the PCs. Google has the financial horsepower to change the dynamics of communications in different ways. It will be interesting to see how each plays their cards in the next year or two and whether enterprises are willing to cede their phone systems to those that are providing other productivity tools.

 

SJ: I think it has the possibility of truly reshaping the wireless landscape, but I won’t predict who will win the spectrum and how they will use it.

 

SJ: Our business is focused on helping organizations enable SIP in their networks. We have some very strong partnerships with IP PBX vendors and ITSPs that we value very highly. We enable SIP trunking in a way that is both easy and controlled and our position in the network gives us the opportunity to really help customers do the things they really want to do with communications, but which otherwise would be very difficult to accomplish. So our brightest spots are the application of our technology and products to solve difficult problems for enterprises and our relationships with others in the space who see the value that Ingate provides to their installations.

 

SJ: There is a strong need for accurate information about SIP, security and IP communications in general. That’s why we’re working with TMC, BroadSoft and other industry leaders to produce the SIP trunking seminars at the ITEXPO (News - Alert) in January, to provide an educational venue where end-users, VARs and others in the industry can learn about SIP and SIP trunking. Also, there is always the possibility of a slowdown in the adoption cycle, but we haven’t seen any indications of that yet.

 

SJ: They will learn much more about SIP trunking, its benefits, and the means by which Ingate can help bring it to reality.

 

SJ: Anyone who represents an enterprise that is considering migrating to Voice over IP.

 

SJ: My focus will be on the network edge and the tools that are necessary to deliver SIP inside the network without compromising security.

 

SJ: Communications will stop being focused on the handset and will be increasingly about desktop tools and connections from anywhere.

 

SJ: Sweden will take 12 gold medals in the Beijing Olympics making them the second nation after the U.S.