In the build-up to next week's VoiceCon Conference in Orlando, our own Michael F. Finneran of dBrn Associates, Inc. has announced the release of his first Annual Review of Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) and Mobile UC Products and Services. Michael chairs the mobility track at VoiceCon and will be moderating the panels on the "Four Flavors of FMC" and "Integrating Mobility and UC" among others.I got the chance to talk to him about the report and to catch up with him on developments in the mobility space.
EK: I've never seen this kind of ranking done with FMC, how did you come up with it?
MF: This kind of matrix has been used in countless environments, but it's desperately needed for an area that's as diverse as this. I've been following the FMC/MobUC space for the past five years. We have solutions from PBX and UC vendors, cellular carriers, PBX adjuncts, handset manufacturers, Web-based services, and who knows who else. I looked at the best in breed in virtually every one of those areas and came up with one succinct snapshot of how the vendors were lining up with regard to one another and to the user requirements as a whole.
EK: How did you establish the positions?
MF: I started with a detailed review of over 40 products from two dozen separate vendors. Then I talked to consultants, analysts, and lots of customers. The initial positions were set using a scoring mechanism I developed, and then I adjusted them to take into account market share, alliances, and the overall dynamics of the market. So it's a combination of quantitative analysis and hard core business assessment.
EK: So, how are they doing?
MF: Well you'll notice there's a lot of white space over toward the right side of the chart where the best product offerings would be found. Frankly, the vendors have a lot of work to do with regard to rounding out their product lines to address the full range of requirements and to do so with a set of offerings that offer a consistent look, feel, and range of capabilities. They talk about product consistency and concepts like "one experience" today, but when you see their mobility product line, it looks like a used car lot.
EK: So are these things selling?
MF: Not as well as they should be given the impact that mobility has had on our personal lives. Part of that is due to slow uptake on UC in general, but when it comes to mobility the customers aren't buying because the vendors still haven't come up with a compelling product that meets their requirements, and fits with their overall plans and policies regarding mobility.
EK: I see some of the names we most associate with FMC like DiVitas and Agito are in the "Laggards" portion of the Product axis. Why is that?
MF: Those two certainly have been the most visible part of the FMC rooting section, but when you get right down to it, they only have one product: dual-mode Wi-Fi/cellular. Users have a variety of mobility requirements that call for a variety of solutions. You don't make it to the right side of the chart with one product. Polycom and Vocera are there for the same reason, and they've sold a lot more product than Agito or DiVitas.
EK: I see RIM didn't make it across that line either.
MF: RIM makes a great product, with a user interface that everyone can learn from. I rank them best-in-class for enterprise mobile smartphones, and a platform that must be supported on any FMC/MobUC solution that's going to be successful. On the other hand their FMC offering, the BlackBerry MVS, not so much.
EK: So any big things users should be shopping for in mobility at VoiceCon?
MF: You hit the nail on the head: shop for mobility, not mobile products. Any radio system will allow for mobility, you begin by identifying all of the different tasks that may have to be mobilized and look for solutions that give you the most latitude with regard to platforms, capabilities, and network options. Start with questions like "Who's mobile, where are they going, and what do they have to do when they get there?" Then you can go looking for intelligent answers.
The report will be available on April 15, and information can be found at dBrn Associates' web site.
