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Story URL: http://networks.silicon.com/lans/0,39024663,10005375,00.htm

ROI is king for reckless IP wannabes
Show me the money... not the security...

By Jo Best

Published: Wednesday 30 July 2003

Return on investment is the top priority for senior execs debating whether or not to invest in IP telephony and convergence, with security overlooked in favour of financial concerns.

A survey conducted by global services company Damovo has shown that 50 per cent of top brass consider return on investment to be the deciding factor in taking the IP plunge.

Randy Perry, industry networking strategy VP at IDC believes that by focusing on the cold, hard cash element of IP investment, decision makers aren't seeing the less tangible but equally important benefits of convergence.

"The numbers tell the story, but not the whole story. Some benefits may not be quantifiable today in terms of dollars [such as] ease of use, competitive advantage [and] customer loyalty. However, these benefits are still worth including in the value story," said Perry in a statement.

Given the relative infancy of converged communications, unsurprisingly, concerns about the technology itself were also rife. From the 100 high-ranking executives surveyed, around a fifth stated they were concerned about the reliability of the technology and the same number were worried about its maturity.

Security issues, however, was only the major concern for a mere 11 per cent of those surveyed.