Enterprise Networks and Telephony

Transcription

1 Enterprise Networks and Telephony

2 Springer London Berlin Heidelberg New York Barcelona Hong Kong Milan Paris Santa Clara Singapore Tokyo

3 Solange Ghernaouti-Helie and Arnaud Dufour Enterprise Networks and Telephony From Technology to Business Strategy With 97 Figures i Springer

4 Solange Ghernaouti-HeIie, PhD Arnaud Dufour, PhD University of Lausanne, Ecole des HEC, Institute d'iriformatique, CH-IOIS Lausanne, Switzerland Translator Ian Murrell [SBN-13: E [SBN-13: [: / British Cataloguing in Publication Data Ghernaoutie-Helie, Solange Enterprise networks and telephony: from technology to business strategy I. Business enterprises - Computer networks 2. Management information systems 3. Telephone systems 1. Title II. Dufour, Arnoud 658'. 05' 467 ISBN Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. Masson, Editeur, Paris, 1995 English translation Springer-Verlag London Limited 1998 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1998 The original edition of this book was published in French by Editions Masson as Reseaux Locaux et Telephonie. Technologies - maitrise - integration.![) Masson, Paris, 1995 Published with the help of the Ministere de la Culture The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Typeset by Gray Publishing, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. 69/ Printed on acid-free paper

5 Dedicated to you, the reader, without whom this book has no reason for being, to Veronique, to Boby.

6 Preface "Very long ago, the trees, the animals, birds and fish and also the grass and rocks and mountains and all things in nature could talk together, including people, who in turn talked to them. And so all things came to know and to understand each other better." Words of a wise old Hopi Indian as he repeats a story his grandmother had told him, when he was a small boy, about a time when people were much closer to the other animals, and all tried to live together in harmony (Wild Brothers of the Indians as Pictured by the Ancient Americans by A. Welsche). This modest reference to the Hopi culture bears witness to our conviction that our environment must exist in harmony. This harmony with nature, which suffers ruptures in its equilibrium in order to find new balance, of a mythical and sacred character for the Hopi Indians, is just as necessary in the enterprise environment. It is certain that the source of harmony for an enterprise is to be found in the quality of its organisation and its communications. Indeed, an enterprise's creativity, its capacity to innovate and to adapt to new markets, depends, in part, on its ability to master new technologies of information processing and communication. A large number of communication tools exists, their level of integration and the quality of their implementation and administration affect the overall performance and competitiveness of the enterprise. This book, which is an especially adapted and updated version of the French book Reseaux Locaux et Telephonie. Technologies - maitrise - integration, treats issues concerning the control of the enterprise networks by considering technical subjects in a organisational and managerial context. The authors extend their thanks to Ian Murrell, sales account manager for IF ATEC, France, for his active contribution to the English version of this book, and Nicholas Pinfield, editorial manager of Springer-Verlag, London, for his confidence in the project. vii

7 Contents Introduction... xiii 1 The Communicating Enterprise Introduction Networked Economy and Business Stakes Networked Enterprise and Added Value..., Networks Macrocosm Conclusion Enterprise Local Area Network Features and Operating Mode Introduction Notion of Service Hardware Components Software Components Network Interconnection Issues "Man ware" components Conclusion Services and Applications Introduction File Management Services... " Printing Services Database Servers Groupware and Office Automation... " Electronic Mail Internet Access The Web The Enterprise Intranet Conclusion Network Operating System Stakes The Particular Case of Peer to Peer Networking Network Operating Systems Features Additional Functions Conclusion IX

8 x Enterprise Networks and Telephony 5 Local Area Network Administration Managing LANs in a Professional Way The Network Administrator's Key Roles The Network Administrator's Day-to-day Tasks Conclusion High-speed Local Area Networks Evolution of Local Networks Fibre-distributed Data Interface (FDDI) Fast Ethernet Local Area Networks and ATM Conclusion Voice-Data-Image Telecommunications Introduction Telephony: Voice Telecommunications Data Telecommunication Voice-Data Hybrid Satellite Systems Image Telecommunication Support Networks Conclusion PBX Introduction PBX Features The PBX: A Central Communication Node CENTREX Conclusion Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) Introduction From Utopia to Reality Reasons for Integrating Computing and Telephony Call Centres Applications and Services Actors and Strategies Conclusion Mastering Telecommunications Introduction Strategic Planning Telecommunications Planning Modelling and Simulation Quality Assurance Conclusion Network Management Introduction Network Management: The Strategic Viewpoint

9 Contents xi 11.3 Network Management: The Tactical Viewpoint Network Management: The Operational Viewpoint Outsourcing and Facilities Management Normative Considerations Conclusion Network Security Management Introduction IT Risk Management Security Policy Threats to the Network Conclusion Network Audit Introduction Different Types of Audit Computer Management Control Computer Operations Management Internal Control Information Systems Audit Audit, Quality and ISO 9000 Certification Conclusion Index

10 Introduction This book offers a pragmatic insight into aspects concerning the control and integration of information technology and telecommunications. It approaches them from the angle of their conception, setup and management. Under no circumstances does this work attempt to define for the nth time the purely conceptual features of what a local area network or switch should be. Particular attention is paid to the engineering of enterprise communications. That is, the study of communications as an industrial project taking into account all its aspects (technical, economic, financial and social) and demanding the co-ordination of teams of specialists. A compromise has been made in order to give the reader a global vision of technical and management knowledge that every actor in the communications environment should possess. The first chapter describes the stakes and the problems associated with the control of information and telecommunication technologies. Chapter 2 presents the constituent elements of the operational mode of local enterprise networks with the emphasis on the notion of service. Chapter 3 continues on this theme by making the distinction between the different types and levels of service, and defines the way they are created, put into service and managed. Chapters 4 and 5 deal with the operational management of a local network and analyse, in a practical way, features of the "network" operating system and the role of the local network administrator. Growing communication needs and technological advances have provoked the development of new local networks. These same developments push them beyond their original geographical boundaries, by linking them with different types of telephone or computer networks, and increase throughput. Chapter 6 presents virtual and high-speed local network characteristics and technologies. Chapters 7-9 concentrate on issues concerning the integration of "voice-data" with particular emphasis on: voice-data-image communication tools and services (Chapter 7); the physical integration of computing and telephone networks at PBX level (Chapter 8); applications integration (Chapter 9). The more "management" -oriented aspects of methodologies, tools and procedures concerning administration, auditing, security and control, are treated in Chapters Xlll