There will be no shortage of VoIP PBXs, phones and gateways on display at this week's VoiceCon conference, but such infrastructure components could get overshadowed by a slew of announcements about new management tools for converged networks. The conference, which takes place in Orlando, will showcase VoIP plans by companies such as Bank of America, Delta Air Lines and Lehman Brothers. Cisco and Nortel executives will face off in a debate, and 103 exhibitors will pitch their wares before a crowd that show organizers estimate will hit 4,500, up 25% from last year. According to a Computing Technology Industry Association survey of 500 businesses, more than half of those planning phone system upgrades this year are considering converged systems, either hybrid or pure-IP platforms. Either way experts advise potential VoIP customers to invest in tools they can use to ready their data networks to transport voice and later troubleshoot the converged networks when problems arise.
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