Reduced Cellular Costs

DiVitas’ Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) solution is now available as a nimble web-client that can run on any browser-enabled smartphone, such as iPhone, Blackberry and Android. This move by DiVitas enables companies to implement a BYO phone (bring your own phone) policy in which an employee’s personal smartphone doubles as their business phone.

What does this mean to organizations that are looking for an affordable way to mobilize more of their workforce without over-taxing their busy IT staff? A BYO policy means the as-yet un-mobilized workforce (such as corridor warriors) can use their personal smartphones – such as iPhone, Blackberry or Android – to double as a mobile work phone. And this enterprise mobility magic happens with little-to-no overhead because companies need not purchase a phone for every mobile worker (they are using their own devices). Also, there is no additional burden on the IT department to support individual devices (everything is managed as software at the server level).

This BYO strategy simply takes advantage of a major mobile-communications trend already under way. As much as 90 percent of mobile devices used in the workforce today are already personally owned, with only monthly cell bills expensed to the company. Furthermore, as browser-enabled devices such as iPhone, Blackberry and Android continue to gain in popularity, these mini/mobile-computers are predicted to become the de facto phone for business users.

With DiVitas’ secure Web client running on a personal iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids:

• Personal devices become a mobilized business deskphone – the smartphone carries the business number, eliminating the confusion caused when colleagues are reachable by two numbers (deskphone and cellular).
   
• There is nothing to download, upgrade or delete (the DiVitas app is accessed strictly via smartphone’s web browser) – there is no additional tax on the device or IT department because the application resides on the DiVitas Server.

• The web client can be accessed by a desktop browser.
   
• Companies still subsidize individual cellular costs, but they eliminate hardware overhead (additional device-purchase costs) in mobilizing the entire workforce, including traditionally un-mobilized corridor warriors.
   
• Even though devices are personally owned, they are as secure as deskphones and corporate-liable phones because the Mobile UC server is web-based and under IT control – should a phone become lost or an individual change employers, IT staff simply updates the server to disallow server access by that client.
   
• Individuals have access to smartphone-friendly Enterprise Social Networking capabilities (Mobile Presence and Status) to make them aware of one another's reachability. The ability to scroll through an interface-based directory to see who is available and where they are located is a powerful tool for ensuring colleagues connect on the first try.

A BYO enterprise mobility strategy saves money on overhead (no need to buy additional smartphone hardware for non-mobilized workers.) It also makes your employees happy – and hence more productive – to be using their favorite phone by day (work) and night (pleasure) rather than juggle two sets of phone instructions.

Want to know how to affordably mobilize your workforce? Implement a BYO phone (bring your own phone) policy in which an employee’s personal smartphone doubles as their business phone. This works for iPhone, Blackberry, Android or any other web-enabled mobile devices.

Let's face it. Popular devices such as iPhone are quickly making their way into the workplace. And a BYO enterprise mobility strategy saves money on overhead (no need to buy additional smartphone hardware for non-mobilized workers.) It also makes your employees happy – and hence more productive – to be using their favorite phone by day (work) and night (pleasure) rather than juggle two sets of phone instructions.

In keeping with this strategy, I read an interesting FierceWireless blog posted by IDC analyst Stephen Drake about what companies can do to best take advantage of this “individual-liable” trend in enterprise mobility.
 
[Note: Drake defines "Individual-Liable" devices as either: 1) Purchased by the user and expensed back, but not reimbursed formally by a company-established policy, or 2) Purchased outright by the individual user, brought into the workplace, and used for either corporate or standalone business applications.]

Says Drake in his article How businesses can embrace individual-liable smartphones, “With the smartphone market expected to outshine the overall mobile phone market for the foreseeable future, the growing influence of new devices and platforms, including Apple, RIM [Blackberry], Android, Palm, etc. … the critical nature of the individual-liable business device is evident.”

In fact, IDC’s Drake predicts the individual-liable business-use mobile phone will experience more growth than corporate-liable devices. Also, the researcher says it’s seeing a trend in which large companies begin to move towards the individual-liable business use device model.

The benefit, he says, is “a slowdown on costs and provides better choice, user control and delivers an image that IT is being progressive in enabling such choice to its worker base.”

“Add that to the growing number of smartphones coming on the market. Certainly the strong popularity of the iPhone, continued consumer push from RIM and  the large Windows Mobile OEM base drives much of the individual-liable business use in the U.S. In addition, devices such as the Palm Pre, Nokia's E Series (in particular the E71) and the new Android tide rolling in all speak to the importance of this individual-liable business use case.”

In his blog, Drake lays out a list of advice-points to be heeded by any company following the BYO phone strategy for enterprise mobility.

As for DiVitas, we recommend pairing the BYO phone strategy with Mobile Unified Communications Mobile UC) web client, which is under IT control and which enables the smartphone to carry the deskphone number. At the same time the device and business number tie in with voice, IM and social networking (Mobile Presence and Status) to help employees connect on the first try – and eliminate missed calls to further reduce cellular costs.

With DiVitas’ secure Web client running on an individual-liable iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids:

• There is nothing to download, upgrade or delete (app is accessed strictly via smartphone’s web browser.)
   
• The web client can be accessed by any device (handsets or desktops.)
   
• Companies still subsidize individual cellular costs, but they eliminate hardware overhead (additional device-purchase costs) in mobilizing the entire workforce, including traditionally unmobilized corridor warriors.
   
• Individual-liable devices are as secure as deskphones and corporate-liable phones because the Mobile UC is web-based and under IT control.
   
• Individuals have access to Enterprise Social Networking capabilities to make individuals aware of one another's reachability.

Mobile VoIP is a hot commodity despite global economic woes, according to consultancy Research and Markets. This is because the Voice over IP technology reduces telecom costs for companies, even as they invest in their mobile workforce.

The researcher sites “improved technology solutions” as a major factor leading to “a robust VoIP market in recent years.” The researcher is also anticipating growth to continue throughout the year, despite the economic downturn of 2009.

Noting the cost-saving benefits offered by VoIP, Research and Market said, “… while security and reliability concerns still need to be resolved; consumers and business are turning to VoIP in an effort to save costs.”

Continuing, the company noted global market trends, saying, “Japan, China and the USA continue to be some of the world's hottest markets for IP telephony. Over the last couple years, Europe has also become a prime innovator in VoIP services, whether stand-alone, bundled as a triple play offer, or through fixed mobile convergence packages.”

DiVitas’ VoIP solution helps companies reduce their cellular costs by mobilizing the business number onto smartphones in order to make it easier and less expensive for colleagues to reach one another. Companies can leverage DiVitas’ seamless roaming (FMC) to allow VoIP calls to hand off seamlessly between WiFi and cellular networks, which results in substantially reduced cellular costs.

Delivering Mobile UC (deskphone number, social networking, voice and IM) onto smartphones as a Web-based application lets organizations inexpensively transform themselves into a secure collaborative, mobile community.

The business market is currently underserved on both the mobility and social networking fronts –frequently leaving billions of employees out of touch and unproductive. Without mobile phones, colleagues can’t collaborate with one another when they are away from their desk, which makes it difficult to do their jobs. And all too often employees close the mobility gap by using their personal phones for business communication.

The fact is, only 30% of the people using their mobile phone for work get compensated. On the other hand almost everyone is provided a desk phone for use at work.

Given that total mobile market penetration in the US has almost reached 90%, there is a massive benefit to mobilizing existing work deskphones on to smartphones. This will give people single number reach, letting them use the same device to make and receive business and/or personal calls.

By using a Web-based Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) app to deliver deskphone number, social networking (Mobile Presence and Status), voice and IM (mobile Instant Messaging) onto personal smartphones, companies reduce cellular costs while gaining productivity. This is because these businesses gain mobile VoIP while avoid having to buy additional smartphones for non-mobilized employees.

At the same time they have the assurance of enterprise security because the Mobile UC solution is delivered to personal mobile devices as a Web app that is under IT control. Just as with phones on the PBX system, only authorized users with a PBX managed extension or DID can be part of the community.

In addition to mobilizing their deskphone numbers, users have access to social messaging tools that create a collaborative community that is equally secure.

• Mobile Presence is displayed on the phone’s interface (icon similar to Yahoo IM showing a happy face to say if you are available, not available, etc.), which communicates a person’s location, availability, activity and network connectivity. Various Presence components allow people to obtain information about others and use that information to engage in the most efficient and economical way. For example, if I can see via your Presence that you are in London and on cellular, I would much rather IM you than talk (to save on international dialing costs). However, if your Mobile Presence information said that you were on WiFi, I could choose to talk because the call is free and I might prefer a voice conversation.
   
• Status – a Status message is coupled with the Mobile Presence icon to give an additional level of detail to availability about where you are and what you are doing (i.e. at the airport waiting for a 5pm flight).
   
• Secure Social Networking - Similar to corporate email, this is a closed, enterprise 2.0 solution so access is limited to authorized group of people (colleagues within your organization).

Mobile devices by their very nature (first-and-foremost a communications device) are the perfect delivery platform for integrating voice, IM and the deskphone number with secure social networking. Using a Web-based solution, companies can securely mobilize more of their workforce – and realize the benefits of mobile enterprise mobility and collaboration – without purchasing additional phones for every individual.

DiVitas CEO Vivek Khuller recently sat down with editors from the San Jose Business Journal to talk about our company.

Explaining how DiVitas enables Enterprise 2.0 social networking capabilities on a mobile phone running Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) to affordably create a more mobile workforce.

“… DiVitas sells software that enables businesses to mobilize employees’ deskphones onto their smartphones. DiVitas is differentiated in two ways: First, the product combines voice with familiar social networking tools such as instant messaging, status updates and presence on either device. Second, DiVitas allows users to roam freely between cellular networks and WiFi hotspots without dropping calls.”

He also highlighted a few of our mobile VoIP customers who have benefitted from reduced missed calls and reduced cellular costs, as well as improved enterprise mobility.

“…the U.S., the rail giant CSX Corp. uses DiVitas to keep its rail operations personnel accessible on mobile phones in areas without cellular coverage. VoIP carriers Sawtel Inc. and Clearfly Communications Inc. use DiVitas to mobilize their existing VoIP fixed lines and offer new services. In Finland, midsize company SGN Group uses DiVitas to make all its employees accessible via company desk-phone numbers and instant messaging using mobile”

To read the complete article visit the San Jose Business Journal.

Being able to check my colleagues’ Mobile Presence and status message before contacting them is as habit-forming as checking online traffic conditions before getting in my car. Just as I would avoid highway 880 when the Sig Alert website shows congestion, I would choose IM (mobile Instant Messaging) over voice when my colleagues are unavailable for calls.

The common denominator in each of these scenarios – checking traffic online and checking my colleagues’ availability – is that knowledge of a situation breeds efficiency. In fact, I have grown so accustomed to tools that provide that critical prior knowledge, it feels like I can’t be a productive human being without them.

For example, let’s say I need to contact Vivek, my CEO. One glance at my Nokia screen and I’ll know if he’s available, how he’s available, where he is, what he’s doing, etc. While that level of knowledge may sound Big Brotheresque, sharing these details means we colleagues can connect with one another on the first try.

• Looking at Vivek’s Mobile Presence, I see from the smiley face icon that he is available by voice or text, so I can either call or IM him. (I choose IM because I simply need to tell him that our 3pm meeting has been cancelled.)
   
• Reading his Status message, I see that he’s at the airport and catching a 5pm flight to New York – in other words I have a specific window of time when I can reach him before he is incommunicado for several hours. (Hence I know not to reschedule our 3pm meeting for today.)

From a business perspective, I save myself the time and effort of roaming the building looking for people. If I’m offsite, I save my company the expense of wasted cell minutes on missed calls and help reduce cellular costs (and hence overall reduce telecom costs). I am more productive and the cost of supporting my business communications needs has become minimal due to these mobile VoIP capabilities.

Knowledge at a glance is a powerful thing because it helps me make informed decisions throughout the day. After finishing this blog I have to call my doctor’s office to make an appointment. If only I could view the appointment desk’s Presence ahead of time so that I’d know if it’s a good time to call to avoid waiting on hold.

Deploying a Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) solution is a very straightforward process. However, before you get started, you want to make sure your WLAN is up to spec in terms of being mobile VoIP-ready. Following are five survey questions to ask yourself first, and some answers to help fend off any potential problems.

1- Do you have an adequate number of WiFi Access Points (APs)?

Typically the answer to this question is “no.”

Organizations that have an existing WiFi infrastructure installed have most likely configured it for data.  Because voice is a real-time application, a WLAN that is configured for data will not be adequate for VoIP (Voice over IP).  Research suggests that businesses typically have as much as 20% fewer APs installed than what they really need for reliable VoIP coverage. This means there can be major coverage gaps in areas in between APs, which will cause WiFi calls to drop (similar to how cell calls drop when you roam in to gaps between tower coverage).

Be sure to create overlapping AP coverage in order to avoid WiFi signal gaps – and dropped calls.
 
2- Have you overlooked any high voice-traffic areas in placing your APs?

Businesses typically forget to include off-hand locations such as storage rooms, stairwells and elevator shafts in the AP plan. However, these are examples of quite popular areas where people tend to pass through during their busy day while on their phones. These places also offer weak or no cellular and may therefore benefit from WiFi for extended coverage in order to take advantage of seamless roaming and the benefits of reduced cellular costs (and hence reduced telecom costs).

Your voice over WiFi (VoWiFi) scheme needs to prepare for the idiosyncrasies of mobile VoIP – like the fact that mobile calls rarely happen at a predictable moment or location (like inside a storage room.) It is a common oversight because people typically think data first, and then plan around that need. These are key considerations when seeking to maximize enterprise mobility.

The lesson learned is: Watch traffic patterns among your own company’s mobile phone users when assessing your AP coverage. If your top sales people tend to use their phones in the stairwell, for example, or in front of the office building, you will want to put up some APs in those locations to make sure their calls don’t drop before closing a deal! Also, you want to give emlployees as much opportunity as possible to take advantage of free WiFi calls.

3- Is your WLAN future-proofed?

Choose a vendor that doesn’t require you to eventually replace your existing infrastructure. Some of the older WLANs required that businesses do a rip-and-replace in the event of a mobile VoIP-driven upgrade. Choosing a switched-based WLAN means you can extend your network very easily – a good thing because you want to be able to leverage your existing infrastructure.

4- Is your campus exactly like every other?

The answer is “absolutely not” because no two implementations are alike. Therefore, plan for the unexpected.

One installation I did in Hawaii, for example, dealt with an Army hospital that was built in the 40’s, and which therefore had walls so thick they had to put an access point in every room. (There was no hope for cellular penetration so WiFi was a wonderful mobile-communications alternative.)

Lesson learned: The older your building is, the harder it is to bring RF into it.

5- Make sure you are not trying to implement on the cheap.  

The lowest cost AP from even a highly reputable vendor may not be suitable for VOIP. Read case studies and do other research to identify a proven solution first.

Voice over WiFi Lessons Learned

One of my favorite WiFi-coverage mystery stories of all times, and one which can easily provide a learning lesson for anybody preparing their WLAN for the VoIP onslaught, is this one …

There was one deployment –a popular chain of lingerie stores – that called us for support one day (I was working for a well-known WiFi-phone manufacturer at the time.) We got the “911” WiFi-emergency alert when calls suddenly started dropping like crazy at one of the lingerie store locations, after having worked perfectly for months. Guess what we found? They had put up a dressing room with mirrors in the middle of the store. This caused shadows of RF that weren’t originally there, and Voila, a rash of dropped calls.

The solution: Adding more APs completed their WiFi coverage. In general, the more complete your coverage, the better your mobile VoIP experience will be.

Service Provider Clearfly Communications is now offering DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) as a managed mobile VoIP service to SMBs.

With DiVitas, Clearfly’s users are able to use WiFi to reduce cellular costs (free WiFi calls) and improve mobile voice quality. In enabling this mobile workforce, these users are also leveraging their PBX investments because DiVitas transforms a smartphone into a mobile deskphone – a DiVitas phone carries the corporate phone number (and caller ID) and mobilizes deskphone features (extension dialing, call transfer, hold, etc.).

Read more about how Clearfly and DiVitas are making enterprise mobility affordable and pervasive here.

By Jenni Adair

Being able to check my phone to see another person’s Mobile Presence and Status message (part of Enterprise Social Networking) has become such a habit that I get kind of annoyed when I can’t.

See, my work phone, a Nokia E71 running DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC), displays Mobile Presence and Status information, which means I can tell what my colleagues are doing at any given moment. And when you stop to consider that a large percentage of your waking hours are spent doing your job, you can see how habit-forming checking Presence can be.

Here’s what happens. I periodically scroll through the contact list on my DiVitas phone to see who’s doing what – even if I don’t necessarily need to talk to that person (and even if it’s the weekend and I’m not technically working. That’s the definition of a habit, right?). At the moment, for example, it’s 2:13 p.m. on a Tuesday and I can see that Amanda is busy writing (according to her microblog Status message) and not available to take my call (according to her Mobile Presence icon). Nancy is in a meeting – also not taking calls, but she’s available to chat by IM (mobile Instant Messaging). And Vivek is grabbing a coffee and free to talk or chat via IM. This information translates to:  

• Don’t waste my time or cell minutes calling Amanda right now because she won’t answer.
   
• Don’t waste my time or cell minutes calling Nancy either, but send her a brief IM letting her know she can take her time in her meeting because our 2pm has cancelled.
   
• I can call Vivek or send him an IM – or even walk down the street and join him – because it’s one of those rare moments when he’s not busy.

From a business perspective, I save myself the time and effort of roaming the building looking for people. I am part of a highly mobile workforce and this on-the-go status defines my day. If I’m offsite, I save my company the expense of wasted cell minutes because I reduce missed calls and hence reduce cellular costs. I am more productive and the cost of supporting my business communications needs has become minimal. By using these Enterprise 2.0 capabilities I have contributed to more affordable telecommunications.

From a personal perspective, I can’t wait for the day when my cell company offers a service like this on my personal phone. I have grown so accustomed to Presence and Status Messages that I want it in my everyday life. 

Anybody second guessing the benefits of telecommuting is in for some enlightenment. Networking giant Cisco – and the $10 million annual savings it’s enjoying by letting employees work from home – is proof that telecommuting works as advertised. It helps reduce mobile telecom costs.

According to a recent NetworkWorld article, Cisco Sends Employees Home to Work, the networking giant has already realized productivity savings of $277 million thanks to its 18-month-old telework program. The company based its productivity savings on the “number of billed hours at an average of $91 per hour.” 

Ironically, the original intent behind Cisco’ Telework program – a program requested by CEO John Chambers and which began with 20,000 employees – was to “… evaluate the social, economic and environmental impacts associated with telecommuting …”, according to NetworkWorld. The actual cost savings, says Cisco, are a bonus.

While Cisco’s productivity savings are significant, just imagine if you were to add DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC), which runs seamlessly in a Cisco environment, to the telecommuting equation. You would begin to see hard cost savings from reduced cellular costs as well.

For example, because a DiVitas smartphone behaves just like a deskphone (carries the corporate phone number and performs call forward, extension dialing, etc.), telecommuters would be reachable by a single device – a mobile phone that runs over WiFi, which would result in several telecom cost reducing benefits:

• Free WiFi phone calls - callers benefit from free international calls on WiFi and local calls on WiFi.
• Only one device (a smartphone) needs to be purchased and managed for each telecommuter.
• Companies can discontinue subsidizing home-phone service for telecommuters.
• Costly cellular data plans are only necessary for highly mobile telecommuters i.e. sales; telecommuters working strictly from a home office can place and receive voice calls strictly via WiFi.

In addition to traditional desktop collaboration tools used for enabling telecommuting programs, DiVitas offers specific Mobile UC-related benefits:  
 

• Single Number reach and Caller ID on the DiVitas handset shows the company direct dial number – nobody knows that the individual is working from home.
• Has integrated mobile social networking capabilities such as Mobile Presence and mobile Instant Messaging (IM) and Status message.
• Is integrated with the corporate directory, so placing a call or addressing an email or IM can be done directly from the smartphone interface.
• Supports Dual Persona, which allows personal calls to be routed through a native cellular number (Personal Persona) and business calls to be routed through a mobile phone (Business Persona ); highly mobile telecommuters need only carry one device.
• Supports Fixed Mobile Convergence (seamless roaming), allowing phones calls to hand off seamlessly between WiFi and cellular.
• Has landline-like voice quality over WiFi.
• Is under IT control and supports remote over the air (OTA) installation, configuration and update management.
• Supports Visual Voicemail and Single Voicemail Inbox, allowing individuals to retrieve messages directly from their smartphones and eyeball which messages have priority status.

Cisco’s telecommuting results are very promising in the argument for companies instituting telecommuting policies.

According to NetworkWorld, “91% of the nearly 2,000 respondents to a late 2008 survey [of Cisco] believed the ability to telecommute is “somewhat or very important” to their overall satisfaction on the job.”

Also, “69% of employees surveyed cited higher productivity when working from home and 75% said the timeliness of their work improved.”

Like Cisco, we at DiVitas practice what we preach – we use our own solution to the point that our company can share the news about productivity and cost-savings benefits.

Known for their love of the iPhone, universities have begun rolling out mobile applications to give students on-the-go access to campus information such as current and next-quarter course listings, interactive campus maps and homework alerts. The next wave in this iPhone/university love fest is to unify the now-fragmented communication among students and faculty using secure collaboration software.

Gone are the days of the traditional student directory with its tidy, reliable list of university-supplied phone numbers and email addresses. Instead, students today are reachable by using a hodgepodge of private cell phones and email addresses. Or they blast their whereabouts, and read about their fellow campus dwellers, using one of many social networking applications (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.).

Given this variety of communication mediums, it can be difficult to find contact information for a fellow student in, say, your math class. Individual, private contact information simply isn’t published by universities.

The Enterprsie Social Networking capabilities of Mobile UC (Mobile Unified Communications) running on the iPhone is changing all this. It is helping universities overcome the digital divide to recreate a sense of campus community.
 
By deploying mobile Enterprise 2.0 (Mobile Presence and Status) on an iPhone, campus dwellers are reachable by a single phone number (a university number), by a single email address (university email) and on a single device that they are familiar with (iPhone). What does this mean? Students can call, email or IM each other by using contact information they find in the student directory – and which is accessible directly from their iPhone. And they are using a university phone to communicate – just like they did back in the day.  

Adding to this communications story, campus members can also use Mobile UC on their iPhone to broadcast their Mobile Presence and Status message (available by voice and/or text, or unavailable). Or they can customize their Mobile Presence and Status by editing their Status message to state what they are doing and where they are doing it (i.e. studying at the library 4th floor).

By making this information available, it transforms communication and reachability into real-time, and it eliminates expensive telephone tag – no more wasted minutes on missed calls, which results in reduced cellular costs.

With Enterprise Social Networking, students can also be notified via iPhone of any changes in class schedules, campus events, or campus emergencies because that info is pushed out to students via Status Update Message, or a custom-built bulletin board application.

The iPhone has become known for many wonderful features. The spotlight is now on its ability to be a key secure collaboration software platform for enhancing the university experience.

Managed Service Providers are leveraging DiVitas for a major revenue opportunity that is particularly timely given the down economy.

Clearfly Communications, an infrastructure-based provider of integrated communications solutions for the small and medium business community, is among them. The company is selling its Mobile UC solution branded, “Mobile SIP”, as a managed service to its customers throughout the Western United States.

Clearfly offers integrated service packages in 14 Western states, excluding California and Nevada. It is deploying DiVitas Mobile UC to its customers, which range in size from 10 to 500 employees, as a managed service; the DiVitas solution is helping these organizations reduce cellular costs and improve productivity while leveraging their PBX and WiFi investments.

“Layering DiVitas Mobile UC on top of an existing mobile-communications infrastructure is painless for our customers, and they begin realizing benefits from day one,” says Mauro Calvi, CEO, Clearfly Communications. “Cellular bills drop immediately, and voice quality improves right away – our customers are on the way to realizing cost savings and improved productivity as soon as they start using DiVitas.”

This managed-services model for Mobile UC is practical for the SMB-sized customer Clearfly serves. As IT organizations downsize, or are expected to do more with the same staffs, they are turning to third parties and managed services.

This cost saving benefit has great appeal to companies needing to cut costs without sacrificing productivity. With Mobile UC, voice calls are mobilized and coverage is increased, but free WiFi calls offload cellular minutes to reduce costs. For example, the average Clearfly customer spends about $90 to $100 per mobile user, per month, and saves up to 30 percent off that cost by deploying DiVitas to displace cellular with WiFi.
    
“The tougher the financial conditions, the harder organizations look for ways to stretch their dollars,” continued Calvi. “Companies want to take advantage of the significant investment they’ve already made in their PBXs and their wireless LANs, and they want maximum value from their corporate smartphone purchases. DiVitas Mobile UC meets these challenges head on.”

Mobile Presence is a cornerstone component of Unified Communications (UC). It is also one of several UC features that set Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) apart from Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) solutions. UC and Mobile UC focus on applications, whereas FMC primarily offers seamless roaming between WiFi and cellular networks — no UC capabilities.
 
Mobile Presence has become an important application to businesses today because it helps mobile-colleagues stay apprised of one another’s availability. Using Presence to broadcast and read a Status message (i.e. available by phone, text or currently on the phone), individuals can make more intelligent communication choices and eliminate time wasted making and/or returning missed-calls. Individuals in a highly mobile workforce can connect with one another on the first try.

Whether they are in the office or on the road, Mobile Presence ensures that voice or text-based conversations will be processed in the most efficient manner. And when combined with microblogging (a.k.a. your Status Update message), Presence is elevated to the level of “mobile social networking” that provides the ability to broadcast specifics about an individual.

For example, an individual’s Presence may show “available by text” and his micro-blog Status Update could say “in a customer meeting until 2:00 pm”. Broadcasting Presence and a Status Update message together says it all — how to best reach an individual and a personal message that indicates where they are, what they are doing, and/or how long they will be unavailable.

However, not all approaches to Mobile Presence are created equal — it’s not enough for Presence to simply register a user as online or offline. For Presence to be an effective bi-directional tool — and efficiently inform you about a colleague’s availability to accept a call or read/reply to mobile Instant Messaging (IM) or e-mail — this application requires several capabilities:

• Needs to broadcast ALL scenarios: On voice and text; On voice only; On text only; Not available (a.k.a. Do Not Disturb); or On the Phone. Note: Available/Unavailable is not sufficient; without these additional functions, there is no indication of a missed voice or text message.
  
  
• Needs to be displayed as an icon on the smartphone client GUI.  Note: Without client GUI display, the end user is often forced to manually peruse a PC based contact list.
  
  
• Needs to enable individuals to directly call, email or send mobile Instant Messaging (IM) straight from the smartphone client GUI.  Note: Forcing end users to toggle between smartphone and PC or deskphone to complete communication is inefficient and clumsy.
  
  
• Needs Twitter/Facebook-like option for writing a customized Status Update message (i.e. working at home, in a meeting, at the airport, running late, on a coffee break at Starbucks, etc.) to supplement the presence status state. Note: Pairing a Status Update message that tells “how” you’re available with a mobile Presence icon that broadcasts “if” you’re available means that fewer calls will be missed, less time will be wasted listening to voicemail and returning missed calls, and fewer meetings will be interrupted by a voice call when a simple IM will do the trick.
  
  
• Needs to be federated in order to display entire corporate contact list and individual’s availability. Note: Avoids the manual task of checking each “buddy’s” online/offline status.
  
  
• Needs to combine forces with other UC applications, including mobile Instant Messaging (IM) and Visual Voicemail. Note: Without complementary UC applications, it is nearly impossible achieve the goal of efficiently completing the communication cycle.
  
  
• Needs mobilized business number so the deskphone is moved onto a smartphone and all productivity apps are unified with secure collaboration software features. This enables single number reach in order to make individuals more reachable in ordre to enable companies to reduce missed calls and reduce cellular costs.

At some point in the future, a system’s “Presence” services will be integrated into the enterprise associate PIM (Personal Information Manager), which will enhance the management of the Presence state automatically based on date, time of day, calendar, and email availability.
 
Presence becomes more critical to effective enterprise mobility and mobile communications, the required information richness must go beyond simple “available” or “not available”. This comes into play when the secure, collaborative Enterprise 2.0 capabilites of DiVitas are the underlying platform.

Earlier this month Avaya made a major announcement, naming DiVitas as its preferred dual-mode solution. This is exciting news for the Mobile Unified Communications space given Avaya’s size (number one in North America’s PBX market) – and given the fact that DiVitas is a startup company in an hot market.

And if that news wasn’t exciting enough, we already have a joint customer to talk about – a leading railroad company based in Jacksonville, Fla. – to demonstrate how the integrated Avaya-DiVitas solution can save companies $10,000+ dollars per month in cellular costs. Free WiFi phone calls go a long way toward reduced cellular costs and creating affordable telecommunications.

Freightrail-giant CSX has turned to Avaya and DiVitas to help reduce cellular calling costs and eliminate multiple handsets used by train operations personnel who roam the workplace and communicate frequently on urgent events.

For more than five years, Dori Meade, senior telecom architect for voice systems at CSX, sought a wireless dual-mode solution to reduce communications costs and eliminate the need for users to carry multiple mobile devices.  One long-standing business need has been to enable rail operations employees at the Jacksonville train dispatch center to be instantly reachable to help resolve urgent problems that might slow on-time arrival or reduce safety margins.  Routine duties in the dispatch center often cause key personnel to be away from their desks.

CSX supported these workers with both desk phone and cell phone, but cell coverage was spotty in the hardened facility.  In the late 1990’s, CSX deployed a carrier-based in-building cellular antenna system to solve the problem. Then five years ago when the in-building cellular system was no longer supported, CSX began to explore the possibility of dual-mode capabilities. At the time, a stable dual-mode solution was not yet available and CSX adopted a 900-Mhz in-building only voice solution instead. Handling multiple devices and contact numbers remained a nuisance for the users.  

From a cost-control perspective, users did not always use the lower-cost 900-Mhz handset and expensive cell minutes were still consumed in-building. Besides adding cost, the multiple systems did not provide a seamless mobile communications experience or the unified communications (UC) functionality that CSX was looking to adopt.  

Last year, a solution meeting Meade’s goals became possible.  As CSX standardized and began to deploy a popular wireless LAN offering, she also learned about the dual-mode telephony capability of DiVitas Networks’ Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) solution. At the same time, upgrades to Avaya Communication Manager were underway, which will eventually support more than 5,000 Jacksonville employees.  

They linked to the DiVitas Mobile UC solution via Avaya’s SIP Enablement Services and the result is that Avaya user extensions are transparently supported on a dual-mode mobile phone.  The Mobile Unified Communications solution gives mobile users the ability to access corporate enterprise voice communications via WiFi on CSX premises with a single device via a single number.  The solution further enables WiFi access from home or potentially from any WiFi hotspot and takes advantage of seamless roaming between WiFi and cellullar to avoid call interruption.

Today users at the dispatch center connect to the system through Nokia dual-mode E-51 and E-71 handsets loaded with the DiVitas Client.  When dispatch managers are on the move, DiVitas automatically makes roaming decisions between WiFi and cellular networks to sustain the call, using the best voice quality and least-cost connection available. Meade identifies a potential rollout to hundreds of campus employees over the next two years as the Avaya Communication Manager upgrades are completed.  

Savings from reduced cellular minutes:  With dual-mode communications, cell plan minutes can be substantially reduced for on-campus mobile workers and even more so for field-workers. CSX calculates it has the potential to reduce cellular calling costs by ten to thirty percent, and foresees that a single user community within the company could alone generate savings of up to $10,000 per month.

Mobilized deskphone, Presence and Instant Messaging:  The DiVitas Mobile UC solution gives access to Avaya Communication Manager features including call transfer and conferencing, as well as access to CSX’s low-cost long distance and international calling plan.  The DiVitas solution also includes Unified Communications capabilities such as mobile Presence and mobile Instant Messaging (IM) to provide yet more options for improving reachability and productivity among mobile workers. Visual Voicemail is another feature users can take advantage of in their quest for affordable mobile telecommunications and a fast Fixed Mobile Convergence ROI.

One number for all your calls (single number reach): CSX professionals can manage their availability when away from the office and can receive their calls via their corporate number on their DiVitas dual-mode handset. Callers don’t need to know CSX workers’ cell numbers or home numbers, enhancing privacy, security and work-life balance. When calls are unanswered, the call is delivered to the corporate Avaya voicemail system, not the cell phone voicemail. This eliminates the wasteful (time and money) practice of missed calls and having to check multiple locations for business messages.

CSX is an innovator when it comes to being a green transportation company, and it makes it a priority to reduce its footprint on our planet. Now CSX is following this same green strategy with it's cost-reducing mobile-communications strategy.

I often get asked about cellular-only alternatives to Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) when I’m sitting on various industry panels at tradeshows and elsewhere. Members of these audiences have cut their mobile teeth on cell phones, and are understandably loyal to this technology. They are still learning about how they can add WiFi to the mix in order to reduce mobile-communications costs while improving productivity.

I always explain that cellular-only options such as a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) or Picocells have several serious shortcomings. And these shortcomings are especially significant in today’s tough economic climate.

DAS and Picocell systems are horrifically expensive to deploy: A company can spend as much as $100,000 on the DAS or picocell equipment and implementation alone – unless they are subsidized by a carrier. If so there will likely be payback in form of a very large and/or long service plan. In contrast, DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications (which includes Fixed Mobile Convergence technology for seamless roaming) is a software solution that integrates with any vendor’s communications-infrastructure equipment (WLAN, PBX, handset, carrier etc.). It is a fraction of the DAS or picocell cost to deploy because, most often, the WiFi network has already been deployed by the hosting enterprise. And it is managed in-house by a company’s IT department as opposed to a carrier.  Don’t get me wrong – DiVitas utilizes and respects the carriers for the great cellular wideservices they offer, but IT departments both want and need to control mobile phone usage in a similar way they control desk phone usage.

DAS and picocell systems are horrifically expensive to maintain: Many of our customers have mobile workers who spend all (or the majority of) their time in-building. If a company were to use a cellular-only solution i.e. DAS or picocells, it would cause mobile workers to use precious cell minutes to make every call when away from their desks – even if they are just across the building. While reachability has been increased, so has the cost of mobilizing their employees. They also lose out on Mobile Unified Communications capabilities such like “one number reach” and PBX functionality.

In contrast, if they were using a Fixed Mobile Convergence solution, all in-building calls would take place over free WiFi. There is no cost to place or receive calls via WiFi. As a cost-savings example, we have one customer who is replacing their DAS with a DiVitas Mobile UC solution in order to significantly reduce their nearly $40,000-per-month cell bill. And DiVitas voice quality over WiFi is toll quality, making it equal to a desk phone.

DAS and picocell systems fail to integrate with, or take advantage of, PBX features: This means cellular-only, in-building systems don’t do extension-dialing, forward calls to co-workers, etc.

In contrast, Mobile UC integrates with the PBX, extending the deskphone to the mobile phone so that mobile workers can be reached, regardless of where they are. And they can still communicate as if they were sitting in their office, using their deskphone.

Femtocells are another option floating around out there, but they are primarily targeted at home users and small businesses vs. enterprises. They do, however, serve to highlight yet another major shortcoming of an all cellular-approach to increasing reachability: When you deploy Femtocells, you are paying to make up for a deficiency in your carrier’s coverage, according to Michael Finneran in his blog Femtocell Reality Check. Finneran is also not too keen on how Femtocells rely on your broadband connection to work, so if there is a power outage, poof you have no cell phone service.

Yes, DiVitas is of the mind that a solution that provides seamless roaming based on Fixed Mobile Convergence technology vs. cellular-only technology is an obvious choice. But it’s not to say that carriers don’t have a pivotal role in the Fixed Mobile Convergence (and Mobile UC) space. In fact, DiVitas is successfully partnering with carriers today.

For example, we have a carrier customer – Sawtel of Hartford, Conn. – which is deploying Mobile UC to 200,000 subscribers worldwide. Sawtel is leaping ahead of its competition, saving itself years of development time – and millions of dollars in engineering resources – by working with DiVitas.

Cell-based calls have their place – when mobile workers are out of WiFi range. The more cost-effective solution for mobilizing workers in-building, or anywhere on-campus, is one that uses WiFi for free calling whenever possible. The goal is to let companies reduce costs - without sacrificing their ability to remain competitive.

I have some new and interesting data that is related to mobile Instant Messaging (IM) and how this method of communication is experiencing a growth trend. Why? Because it can significantly reduce monthly cellular bills.

IM is a part of Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) – and it is a tool that can be used to communicate brief messages for free, rather than wasting precious cell minutes. Like IM, text messaging is another alternative to calling, but there is a per-message cost that is associated with sending a text message. In contrast, IM messages can be free.

For example, by using DiVitas Mobile UC, mobile workers can communicate via IM for free when they are in WiFi. And there is no additional charge for using IM in cellular because the fee is included in the monthly data plan.

This is how U.K.-based Portio Research sums it up in a recently published study, Mobile Messaging Futures 2008 – 2013  (as reported in the article, Worldwide messaging revenues exceed USD 224 billion by 2013).

- The rising star in the mobile messaging constellation is Mobile Instant Messaging (IM).
- Portio predicts exponential growth in mobile IM users, surging from a worldwide total of 111 million users in 2008 to hit a massive 867 million users by the close of 2013.
- This massive growth in users will be accompanied by an equally impressive 5-fold increase in revenues from approximately USD 2.5 billion in 2008 to approximately USD 12.4 billion in 2013.

This prediction is important news to current and future Mobile IM users because it reveals the underlying gains offered by Mobile UC. After all why place a costly cell call when a simple, free IM will do?  And if its use is so high – given the current economic climate and emphasis on reduction of business costs – there is something to be learned by this trend. And that is, anytime you can replace an expensive cell minute with free communication, your organization reduces costs.

ROI blog series (#4 of 4):  DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications can achieve ROI based on international toll-cost savings alone.

Professionals living outside the United States pay incredibly high cellular costs on outbound calls. But inbound calls are significantly less expensive -- and in some cases even free. Transparent Callback™ is a capability offered by DiVitas that lowers the cost of outbound cellular calls, making them equal to the cost of inbound calls. International travelers can take advantage of Transparent Callback while traveling on business as well. But it is important to note that in order to benefit from the lower incoming call rate (and avoid additional cellular roaming charges); the caller must have a SIM for the country in which the caller is currently located within and calling from. 

How Transparent Callback works

As stated in my previously posts in this blog series, calls placed via DiVitas are always executed and managed by the DiVitas server. This process enables the DiVitas server to honor rules and policies that have been instituted by the PBX. It also allows DiVitas to bypass the expensive cellular carrier in many cases

When an individual places a call via the DiVitas client, it initiates a call request to the DiVitas server.   

The request is processed by the DiVitas Unified Communications server, which then simultaneously places one call to the intended recipient and one call back to the originating requestor. This happens transparently to the caller and is performed in a matter of seconds. Technically both the caller and the recipient are now communicating via two inbound calls. 

All outbound calls made internationally in this manner using DiVitas are now billed as inbound calls – which are significantly less expensive (or even free) than the outbound call would be. It is interesting to note that Transparent Callback is used for virtually all calls placed through DiVitas, but because of the fee structure imposed by international carriers, it is only those calls where the savings is so significant.

Without DiVitas:

USA To:	Cost per minute	Typical cost for 5 hours a month	Cost per Year	Cost for 100 Employees per Year
Canada	0.49	$147	$1,764	$176,400
Europe	0.99	$297	$3,564	$356,400
South America	2.99	$897	$10,764	$1,076,400
Japan	1.99	$597	$7,164	$716,400
China	2.99	$897	$10,764	$1,076,400
India	2.99	$897	$10,764	$1,076,400

With DiVitas:

USA To:	Cost per minute	Typical cost for 5 hours a month	Cost per Year	Cost for 100 Employees per Year	Savings per Year Using DiVitas
Canada	$0.15	$44	$529	$52,920	$123,480
Europe	$0.30	$89	$1,069	$106,920	$249,480
South America	$0.90	$269	$3,229	$322,920	$753,480
Japan	$0.60	$179	$2,149	$214,920	$501,480
China	$0.90	$269	$3,229	$322,920	$753,480
India	$0.90	$269	$3,229	$322,920	$753,480

ROI blog series (# 3 of 4):  DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications can achieve ROI based on international toll-cost savings alone.

A fact of life companies have to deal with today is the fact that cellular roaming charges jack up the cost of international business travel. However, not placing that business call because it’s expensive is not an option. As we all know, maintaining communication is what keeps business moving.

In my last blog, I addressed free international dialing from the U.S. and now we're going to tackle the free costs associated with the "oh-so" convenient hotspot calling. (Our cost-comparison charts in this blog series are very illuminating, so be sure to scroll down and check them out. Also, click on links to related blogs on his topic.)

There is a solution to this business challenge. The way to avoid high cellular charges while travelling internationally is to place calls over WiFi using a DiVitas Mobile Unified Communication handset vs. standard cell-only device (which lack Unified Communications ass i.e. Presnce and IM). Although it is difficult to predict when and where WiFi will be available when in mobile mode (traveling internationally or domestically), there are two ways an individual can avoid roaming to cellular, hence saving companies gobs of money:

• Find a WiFi Hotspot
• Create a WiFi Hotspot

Finding WiFi Hotspots

Business professionals can find WiFi hotspots in several locations while traveling – both domestically and internationally. Travelers will find WiFi hotspots (enabled gy seamless roaming, which is enabled by fixed mobile convergence etechnology)  in some airports and in public places such as coffee shops and book stores. Although some of these WiFi connections are private and require a password, many are public and do not. (There are solutions that automatically log you in to WiFi networks that you regularly visit. For more info read Current Analysis analyst Brian Riggs' blog addressing partners that enable DiVitas' hotspot flexibility).  Some hotels offer WiFi in public areas, such as the lobby, that can easily be leveraged for free. Leveraging free WiFi hotspots enables calls to be made at zero cost to the calling party, significantly reducing cellular costs while traveling.

Creating a WiFi Hotspot

Anyone who has WiFi at home has essentially created their own personal WiFi Hotspot and reap the benefits of Mobile VoIP, regardless of location. Home WiFi can be both protected and unprotected based on the decision to or not to enable security. Hotspots can be created anywhere there is access to live Ethernet/Internet connection. It is easy to create a WiFi hotspot in any hotel room where the establishment offers in-room WiFi – either free or for a nominal charge. All that is needed is a portable Wireless Ethernet router and a live Ethernet cable.  Simply plug the cable into the wireless router and proceed to make free mobile calls over WiFi. A laptop can simultaneously share the wireless router with a DiVitas Mobile UC client, allowing the caller to participate in calls where a laptop computer is needed to display supportive information, such as slides.

Cost Without DiVitas

To:	Cost per minute	Typical cost for 5 hours a month	Cost per Year	Cost for 100 Employees per Year
Canada	0.49	$147	$1,764	$176,400
Europe	0.99	$297	$3,564	$356,400
South America	2.99	$897	$10,764	$1,076,400
Japan	1.99	$597	$7,164	$716,400
China	2.99	$897	$10,764	$1,076,400
India	2.99	$897	$10,764	$1,076,400

Cost Savings With DiVitas

To:	Cost per minute	Typical cost for 5 hours a month	Cost per Year	Cost for 100 Employees per Year	Savings per Year Using DiVitas
Canada	$0	$0	$0	$0	$176,400
Europe	$0	$0	$0	$0	$356,400
South America	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1,076,400
Japan	$0	$0	$0	$0	$716,400
China	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1,076,400
India	$0	$0	$0	$0	$1,076,400

ROI blog series (#1 of 4. ):  DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications can achieve ROI based on international toll-cost savings alone.

1- DiVitas Lets Companies ROI on International Cell Cost Reduction Alone
2- WiFi calls initiated from the United States to an international destination cost: $00.00 per minute (free)
3- WiFi hotspots reduce international call costs to ... free
4- Reduce Costs on Outbound Calls From International locations

WiFi hotspots reduce international call costs to ... free
DiVitas has an exceptional ROI story. And by exceptional, I mean extremely fast. In fact, a company deploying a DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) solution can achieve a return on their investment based on international toll-cost savings alone. Skeptical? I have the proof and I will be dedicating a few blogs to this topic. DiVitas can save organizations thousands of dollars on international cellular costs (whether they are made from within or outside the United Status) … and the magic doesn’t happen by limiting the number of calls being placed. Saving money by not placing international business calls is simply not an option.

Scenario #1:

Mobile call initiated from the United States to an international destination. In this example, it is important to note that all cellular calls made from a mobile handset are billed at *international cellular call rates.

Without DiVitas

USA  to:	Cost per minute	Typical cost for 5 hours a month	Cost per Year	Cost for 100 Employees per Year
Canada	$0.19	$57	$684	$68,400
Europe	$0.69	$207	$2,484	$248,400
South America	$0.99	$297	$3,564	$356,400
Japan	$0.69	$207	$2,484	$248,400
China	$1.49	$447	$5,364	$536,400
India	$1.49	$447	$5,364	$536,400

With DiVitas

DiVitas integrates with any IP PBX, taking on all of the attributes and capabilities offered through that PBX. When placing or receiving a cellular call via the DiVitas Mobile UC handset, all calls are routed through the organization’s PBX, which avoids the high price levied by the wireless carrier. The cost of the international call will be based on the PBX-based calling rates negotiated with an organization’s carrier of choice. In this example we used the rates we negotiated with our carrier. 

USA to:	Cost per minute	Typical cost for 5 hours a month	Cost per Year	Cost for 100 Employees per Year	Savings per Year Using Divitas
Canada	$0.02	$6	$72	$7,200	$61,200
Europe	$0.04	$12	$144	$14,400	$234,000
South America	$0.17	$51	$612	$61,200	$295,200
Japan	$0.06	$18	$216	$21,600	$226,800
China	$0.15	$45	$540	$54,000	$482,400
India	$0.25	$75	$900	$90,000	$446,400

*The numbers used in the scenarios below were taken from a large carrier’s published pricing.  Because this carrier offers very aggressive and competitive pricing – comparing DiVitas with other carriers will result in even greater savings.  This information is not meant to indicate the competitiveness of the carrier.  Rather, it is to support our claim that in every case an international call made through DiVitas will be less expensive than calls made by a cell phone at carrier rates. And in some cases international calls made through DiVitas will actually be free.

As I mentioned in my last blog, DiVitas is a strategic cost-savings tool in these tough economic times. But it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is, and talk about actual customers who have stopped feeling the pinch, thanks to DiVitas.

 

THE 13TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT OF NEW MEXICO

 

After deploying the DiVitas Mobile Unified Communications (Mobile UC) solution, the 13th Judicial District Court of New Mexico is saving the tax payer serious dollars by replacing cell minutes with WiFi minutes.

 

Similar to commercial businesses, the Albuquerque 13th District Court System had a major requirement to improve its mobile communication capabilities. From presiding judges to probation officers, employees of the court system move about constantly, whether they are in the field, changing between the four court-house locations or simply roaming among rooms within a single courthouse. This court system is growing very rapidly. At approximately 100 employees, it has doubled the size of its staff in five years and will continue this rate of growth through 2013.

 

“With four separate court locations, you can imagine that every time we want to have a meeting in one place, the probability is that the majority of attendees are going to be elsewhere, on-site at some other court,” says Greg Ireland, CEO for Board of Judges in Albuquerque.

 

The last thing the court wants is for meetings to incur extra cellular costs. But under the old system, with mobile workers equipped with cell-only phones, this was difficult to avoid. In contrast, with dual-mode clients (and seamless roaming), the court is able to  avert this problem. By using WiFi when appropriate, it makes a business phone number available via any mobile phone – business meetings are carried on without a hitch, and without additional cellular minutes spent.

 

“We are placing more and more people out in the field and historically they had been carrying just regular cell phones – sometimes they have service, sometimes they don’t, so communication was irregular – and expensive. Meanwhile, the desktop phones we use cost $800-900 per unit – it’s crazy to keep buying them at that price when they don’t address our need for mobility,” says Ireland. “We were interested in saving a lot of money in carrier and equipment costs, while simultaneously making our mobile employees – who represent a significant part of the court staff – more productive and accessible.”

 

DiVitas weighs in as a solid mobile-communications cost-reduction tool

 

“After installing the DiVitas Mobile UC solution, we have noticed a significant drop in our cell phone minute usage because we are now leveraging our WiFi network for placing and receiving calls. Our cell phone costs are going way down thanks to the DiVitas solution,” says Ireland.

 

The court used to pay for limited cell phone plans for its entire mobile staff, and they would each regularly go over their allowance by almost 1,000 minutes per month.

 

“Now we are only paying for a 5,000-minute pool of minutes for eight phones and we are seeing a major savings on our cell phone costs,” continued Ireland.