COMPUTERS AND TELEPHONES: SOUNDS OF WEDDING BELLS?

Citation

Arthur Mihram, G. and Mihram, D. (1999), "COMPUTERS AND TELEPHONES: SOUNDS OF WEDDING BELLS?", Library Hi Tech News, Vol. 16 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhtn.1999.23916gac.002

COMPUTERS AND TELEPHONES: SOUNDS OF WEDDING BELLS?

G. Arthur Mihram and Danielle Mihram

Introduction

The Ninth Annual Computer Telephony Expo Spring, which claims to be the largest Computer Telephony [CT] event, was held March 1-5, 1999 at the Los Angeles (Calif.) Convention Center.

The Conference's Exposition featured 550 exhibitors and the Conference, though essentially a trade show on the convergence of computers and telephony, had about 270 authors whose presentations dealt with the ongoing activities and advances in the converging fields. Perhaps since pre-registration for the exhibition was free (about 33,000 pre-registrants), the actual number of registrants who appeared at the Conference and Exposition was not available at this writing.

Though this was the ninth of the "Computer Telephony" Conferences to be held in Los Angeles, the organisation of the meetings was turned over to Miller Freeman, Inc. (a part of United News and Media of the UK). Beginning in 1998, that organization is now presenting not only both a CT Spring (Los Angeles) and a CT Fall (New York City) but also a Call Center Demo and Conference, the first of which was held April 29-30, 1999 at Lake Buena Vista, Florida. (The CT Fall 99 Meeting will be at the Javitz Convention Center, September 14-16, 1999, in New York City.)

The Conference does not prepare as a record of the proceedings the authors' papers and/or presentations. However, audiotapes of the eight keynote addresses, the Conference's seven Workshops, and its 40 classes (for each of these classes, the payment of an additional registration surcharge was required) are available @ $13.00 ppd from Nationwide Recording Services [PO Box 270548; Flower Mound, Texas 75027: 972-484-8273, #14; or, www.nrstaping.com]. It was not clear whether the Nationwide Recording Services or the Miller Freeman organization is to, or will soon, register the tapes with the US Copyright Office. Many of the sessions did provide valuable information on the status of computer telephony, so that providing the Library of Congress with a copy of the audiotapes could be of value to future researchers.

Being primarily a trade show, the presentations were less scholarly in format than those which one would find at a professional, or academic, conference. For example, the Conference's six keynote addresses (plus two special presentations by Harry Newton, a co-founder of the Computer Telephony conferences) were divided so that two each began the morning of each of the three days: March 2, 3, and 4, 1999. Each keynote address was presented by a CEO, a President, or a Vice-President of a leading industrial company in the computer-telephony enterprise.

A Moore's Law for Software?

Robert Schechter, Chairman and CEO of Natural MicroSystems http://www.qualitytoday.com/1p2000.htm on Tuesday (March 2) presented "When Worlds Collide: Paths to Prosperity in the Brave New (Telecom) World" and therein revealed the formation of a "partnership" of software developers, one which intends to make freely available software source code to members/partners ("Open Source": see http://www.opensource.org) the hope being to improve the quality of the computer telephony software being developed by otherwise competing firms. A visit to the Open Source Web site is indeed recommended as it contains much about the participants' underlying "philosophy" in a section on "Frequently Asked Questions".

Schechter's report brought to mind Admiral Imhoff's efforts in the early 1980s to form a (primarily) hardware consortium of computer companies as a response to the then threatening advances of foreign, particularly Japanese, enterprises. We were a bit puzzled that Mr Schechter did not mention any concern for copyright (protection) of software, since the proposed partnership would seem to have considerable difficulty in rewarding the actual authors (= programmers) of their pertinent contributions via the copyright registration process. Indeed, without a governmentally-secured "electronic postmark" (Mihram and Mihram, 1997a), one which verifies which portions of a resulting software package had emanated from which member/author site, the proposal appeared a bit perilous.

Schechter's announcement of an "open access to working source code" promises also to facilitate software interoperability as well as reducing the time-to-market for products. Of course, though not arising within such a presumably contractually formed consortium, the "Y2K problem" is actually an example of what can go wrong whenever many, many programmers fail to notice that their acquiescence to a "programming strategy" can require very costly corrective action later.

Mr Schechter stated that it is his hope that the result of the partnership of telephony software developers will be a "Moore's Law" for software development (much like the highly touted Moore's Law for hardware and for communication).

Telecom Implies a Shift in the Formula for Successful Business?

Janice P. Anderson, Vice-President at Lucent Technologies (http://www.lucent.com/), presented later on the Tuesday morning "Customer Relationship Management for Strategic Advantage", in which she attempted to place the effect of computer telephony on the "formula" for business success.

She noted that early in history, success depended upon the formula: "land + labour", which in the nineteenth century became "land + labour + capital" (though she might well have added that early capitalism was founded almost exclusively on the premise that, by joining together several persons' savings, then one could form a corporate body of sufficient wealth to begin an enterprise, usually in manufacturing or production, which no single one of the contributors could otherwise have started, an attitude quite distinct from the modern-day evolution of capitalism in which profits are used to purchase other, even competing, enterprises in an exercise termed a "merger").

She felt that telephony has now made the three elements quite interchangeable: For example, one can acquire customers today by standing still, rather than circulating to find them (though she should have noted that the mail-order businesses of Montgomery Wards, JC Penny, and others beginning late in the nineteenthth century, had demonstrated considerable success "by standing still").

She does feel that computer telephony can enhance customer service (and, therefore, customer retention), noting that recent reports indicate that, over a five-year period, many businesses today are experiencing a 50 percent turnover in customers.

Perhaps computer telephony will assist greatly in reconnecting any particular employee or agent or representative who had successfully fulfilled the expectations of that customer earlier, but, as she noted, there must be training of staff to ensure consistency in meeting one's promises to customers.

The applicability of the first two keynote addresses to the library community was not obviously high, though librarians who are already experiencing difficulties either in the software packages or in the subsequent services provided by the vendor can be aware that a number of shortcomings still exist in electronic marketing, or "E-commerce". However, the Engineering Reference Librarian may find useful Lucent Technologies' Web site as it provides full text access to two Bell Lab publications (Click on "ideas, ideas, ideas") and a large number of full text brochures on communications software (Click on "communications software").

Dialogic/ALCATEL/Microsoft

Howard Bubb, President and CEO of Dialogic Corporation (http://www.dialogic.com), announced the merger (see discussion above about modern-day capitalism) of his company with Alcatel and MicroSoft (for ALCATEL see: http://www.dialogic.com/company/presroom/pressrel/alan.htm; for MicroSoft see: http://www.dialogic.com/company/presroom/pressrel/msan.htm), and therefore included in his presentation hour Jean-Luc Fournier of ALCATEL (a European firm). Fournier announced the introduction of a solar power-based system and underscored the ongoing convergence of technologies by noting the electronic transmission, from computer to computer, of voice, FAX, E-mail, and data transmissions, mentioning his awareness of the additional convergent technologies: first, video and cable TV; then, wireless (personal, broadcast radio, and broadcast TV). The goal is to provide a "turn-key accessible, an open yet standards-based, and a cost-effective" communications server.

Librarians should be alert not only to recognise that the coming decade is likely to see a continuing stream of computer-based communications products but also to keep in mind the report by Yale University that the cost of the move from the archive of printed/written works to that of the computer-directed digital works is proving exceedingly greater than the earlier prognostications. (For more information, the reader should look at papers on INTERNET LIBRARIAN '98.)

Mr Bubb defended the merger by noting:

1. 1.

   it would facilitate licensing;

2. 2.

   it would allow developments to extend the platforms, thereby allowing everyone (else) to implement their applications more quickly; and

3. 3.

   it would permit a significant equity to be invested in Dialogic.

He sees the merged companies' efforts resulting in an enabling of communications services: e.g. voice will be just another data track; and E-commerce will be conducted via "phone calls" which are made not by dialing digits but by speaking to the computer, in effect "telling" it to look up the number of the named party, dial it, and advise of the resulting successful connexion.

Of course, with video capabilities obviously on the technological horizon of computer telephonists, we can rapidly expect to have audio/visual conversations over (within) a Web-page shortly.

MicroSoft now has available an "Open CT Server" for the converged networks of data and voice telephonics. The availability of the voice-enabled telephone directory is imminent. Bubb, perhaps just a bit hyperbolically, added that voice-recognition technology could "replace the keyboard" and, soon, the "text-to-speech" (TTS) technology (software) will be permitting one to have read back to himself, via a distant voice-enabled computer, his own office's E-mails.

CTI

A preponderant theme at Computer Telephony '99 was that of "Computer-Telephony Integration [CTI]", the actual title of the address by John Myers of Nortel [Northern Telecom] Network (http://www.nortelnetworks.com/).

Myers reviewed some of the language pertinent to call centers, now becoming so widespread that the Miller Freeman group organized the separate conference (Orlando, Florida area: Call Center Demo, April 29-30, 1999) on the subject: e.g., a "7-by-24" call center is one open 7 days a week, 24 hours per day, and is made more and more possible because of the speech recognition ­ and, in the security context, speech identification (Mihram and Mihram, 1997b) ­ software.

He added that the speech-recognition technology (though he might well have added, the speaker-identification software) can be used even on the front end of a call center, can record the incoming call and/or pass the message on to a human who might then and there key in a response!

Mr Myers did note a number of hurdles, or barriers, which now have to be jumped, or crossed, in implementing voice-activated computer telephony:

• •

  a lack of standards regarding unified messaging (= voice-video-text), so that already implemented Email and computer-voice software will need to be replaced;

• •

  reduction of the complexity of systems;

• •

  enhancement of the reliability of systems;

• •

  reduction of the cost of systems; and,

• •

  overcoming each organization's own internal barriers, between those who service voice telephones and those who maintain data telephony.

On the reliability issue, he noted that much of the voice-telephony personnel are accustomed to speaking in terms of "two 9's", implying 99 percent reliability, whereas the data-telephonists speak in terms of "four 9s", implying a search for 99.99 percent reliability.

One should note that Mr Myers touched here on another interesting industry-wide hurdle: viz. the need for a new "Computer Telephony Engineer (CTE)". Indeed, on the final day of the CT'99 Conference, the Computer Telephony Institute offered and presented a "CTE Boot Camp".

Fundamentals of Internet Security

Probably the most scholarly presentation of CT'99 was that of John O'Leary, of the Computer Security Institute (http://www.gocsi.com), a San Francisco-based organization: "Internet Security Fundamentals". His presentation was the first in the track of papers on "Business Solutions", itself one of five concurrent tracks held throughout the afternoons of March 3 and 4. (Each track had a series of eight presentations.)

Mr O'Leary reviewed the notions of Gordon Moore, who 30 years ago posited the "law" that every year both:

• •

  the amount of storage in a fixed space of every computer would double; and

• •

  the speed of the computer's central processor would double.

Moore later altered his predictive "laws" by noting that the doubling would occur even more rapidly: every eight months, not every 12, adding that, in addition, the cost of computers would be cut in half.

To illustrate how the Internet has indeed become big business, Mr O'Leary noted that CISCO even opted to place a (very expensive) advertisement during the 1999 Super Bowl broadcast, even though it does not provide a "grocery-store" product.

Further the Internet has indeed been much like an electronic "Bulletin Board Service" (BBS) because its security is virtually non-existent. He noted, under clarifying questions from the audience, that the idea of implementation of a "firewall" to obstruct electronic access to your (institution's) computer-based files requires a separate, additional, computer for that purpose.

He noted also that, though the DARPANET in 1968 was originally designed to ensure that governmental/military communications could remain connected even after a nuclear attack, the release of the technology to form the Internet has meant that there is indeed a "liberated, free-formatted network" allowing routing and re-routing of messages without the need for human intervention in the process. Even though there is an Internet Society (ISOC) and an Internet Engineers Task Force (IETF), their use of an electronic RFC (request-for-comment) board does not demand nor result in standards for security over the Internet.

He related a number of cases by which "hackers" have been able not only to "tap" computer memories but also to overload a single computer addressable over the Internet. He added that, because of the openness of the Internet, nations like Iraq had already implemented its very technology so that our military learned ­ during the so-called Gulf War ­ that the apparently successful bombing of the Iraqi communications centers had not disabled the Iraqi military's communications: their military had already implemented its own Internet system!

The Computer Security Institute provides to its members a large number of editorials in the field of information protection. As a public service, the Institute provides, on its Web site, a sampling of full text editorials culled from the monthly Computer Security Alert and the quarterly Computer Security Journal (see: http://www.gocsi.com/exceropt.htm).

When asked from the floor (O'Leary and Mihram, 1999) about our earlier published call (Mihram and Mihram, 1997a) for a governmentally-secured (and operated) telecommunications line, Mr O'Leary responded rather affirmatively, but added that "the genie is already out of the bottle" and that many in the computer telephony industry might oppose the idea. We, of course, have noted in these pages that history has taught us that one of the (limited) functions of government is to provide for a secure person-to-person communications network.

Mr O'Leary did recommend a number of Web-sites on Internet security by listing their Web address:

• •

  CERT® Coordination Center (at Carnegie Mellon's Software Institute): http://www.cert.org (he also noted their mailing list: cert-advisory-request@cert.org);

• •

  The US Department of Energy's Computer Incident Advisory Capability: http://www.ciac.org;

• •

  The Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams: http://www.FIRST.org; and

• •

  http://www.stego.com (for holograms useful in protecting the copyright of digitised musical recordings).

A visit to each of these four sites is quite informative, particularly the CERT Web site where the reader will find not only tips, full text notes, but also the full text dissertation of John D. Howard, "An Analysis of Security Incidents on the Internet 1989-1995" submitted on April 7, 1997 at Carnegie Mellon. A word of caution, however: the last site (stego) provides access not only to free source code, but also access to a site of pornographic images.

Software and MicroSoft

Eric Giler, of Brooktrout Technology (http://www.brooktrout.com/), at the first keynote address on Thursday morning, March 4, 1999, made two interesting observations re computer telephony: first, CT companies will be moving more to "applications support" than "hardware distribution", selling products through distributors (like Ingram Micro) rather than doing direct marketing.

Second, it will be software, rather than the hardware, of CT which will make the convergence of data and voice telephonies advance.

In the address immediately following, Thomas Koll (Vice-President of MicroSoft's Internet Customer Unit (ICU) felt compelled to add that his sub-organization's acronym is not an intensive care unit in the medical profession.

He underscored MicroSoft's corporate move into the communications industry, which (upon reflexion) only seems natural in view of Eric Giler's comment that it is the software portion of the computer software-hardware duo which is to become the center of the computer-telephony integration. Of course, with MicroSoft already moving into the (cable) broadcasting medium via its MSNBC channel, one can only wonder whether the current governmental suit against MicroSoft might not have been inspired by the arrival of a new power in the broadcasting circle (TIME Magazine, 1974).

Mr Koll, perhaps a bit hyperbolically, expressed the opinion that the "convergence of computers and communications is driving today's economy" and views the expression, "Things that think will link" as the description of CT's future: "intelligent" operating systems will link telephone and date functions readily.

MicroSoft's Windows 2000, he added, will provide "enhanced security" for Internet transmissions. Mr Koll also sees shortly the incorporation into the Internet of: wireless (perhaps to become the most important), LANs, Cable TV, wireless phones, pagers, phones, and cellular phones. He sees the PBX becoming a call center itself, but one including voice-activated switching with data communication channels being "controlled" by computer-calculated paths and packet-forwarding, even including switches driven by data content itself!

Mr Koll also felt that MicroSoft's Windows NT will be the multi-service operating system, guiding not only one's Internet traffic but also tele-commuting, enhanced telephony, and ­ of more direct pertinence to librarians and educators ­ distance learning.

Deborah Dubrow, of his staff, conducted a demonstration using Windows NT Networks, in which the Web allows live pictures of the persons responding to an Internet-placed telephone call. Additional information on MicroSoft's Internet activities can be found at:

• •

  http://www.microsoft.com/communications

• •

  with specific pages relating to the Conference at: http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/commserv/news/msnw/CTEsprg99.asp and

• •

  http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/commserv/news/msnw/CTExpoFAQ.asp

• •

  and an email address at: Winntreq@microsoft.com

Other Comments

Kurt Jacobs, of Sphere Communications (http://www.spherecom.com), spoke on the role of the PBX once the computer is in the telephony network and referred to his "SpheriCall" architecture, noting that voice traffic, which is readily transmitted via asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), provides for a "ready switching fabric", so that the ATM switches become the PBX itself. For more details about this service go to: http://www.spherecom.comb_revolution.htm His presentation, together with that of Reed Henry of Vertical Networks ( http://www.vertical.com/news/pressreleases/033199award.html), were in a session entitled "CommFusion", a rather clever alternative way of describing the convergence of data and voice telephony.

John Jainschigg, editor-in-chief of Teleconnect Magazine, advised his audience ("The New Voice Network") that one will soon be able, merely upon driving into or near one's residence, to have all or some of his/her work calls transmitted directly to home.

John Shaw, of Cisco Systems (http://www.cisco.com), cited from AT&T's 1997 Annual Report: "Starting later this year, customers will be able to make voice calls over AT&T's Internet backbone network. They'll get [sic] basic, reliable Internet-based telephony at very competitive prices, less than 10c/minute..." He even predicts that there will soon be, in telephony circuits, programmable switches which an owner/user can use to direct traffic (e.g. "VIP" calls).

Mr Shaw also added a historical note ­ Ca 1876 (public voice), Ca. 1948 (public video), Ca. 1969 (public data) ­ so that our "New World" can incorporate all three. He noted that telephony now is data-centric, asking "How can its net carry voice?", quite in opposition to the earlier voice-centric telephony's "How can a voice net carry data?"

In a session on "Automating Customer Support Using Telephone Speech Recognition," Richard Rosinski of Periphonics (http://www.periphonics.com) noted that last year (1998) over 24 large companies had already begun to use speech recognition software, many no longer finding the need for lengthy menus over the voice phone from touch-tone phones. Speech merely can control many more options than can touch-tone menus.

He was followed by Stuart Patterson of Speech Works (http://www.speechworks.com/company/letter.htm), whose software allows only to talk to computers [Try 1­888: SAYDEMO for an example!], so that natural language is becoming a "second language" to be learned by computers. Mr Patterson was much more aware than Mr Rosinski of the need for voice-identification ­ as opposed to just voice-recognition ­ software, particularly as this involves the security of voice-activated business transactions over the Internet (Mihram and Mihram, 1997b). He recommends heartily that, if one is to implement any voice-activated telephonic/Internet services, one should use one's own employees first in testing the system ­ as thoroughly as possible.

Conclusion

The Computer Telephony Shows could become of ever greater interest to library professionals, particularly were they to include even more material on authentication and on security, such as the issue of copyright protection (Mihram and Mihram, 1998) for digitised materials, particularly as this will affect the library's role in whatever inroads distance education will make into tertiary education.

The CT'99 Spring Expo showed an increased awareness by the computer-telephonists that their convergence is but a portion of the much larger "Convergence" that has been under way (Mihram and Mihram, 1995): wireless and video (both pre-recorded and broadcast) will soon be transmitted over the Internet "under the direction" of the online computer.

STAY TUNED!

G. Arthur Mihram is author and consultant from Princeton, New Jersey.Danielle Mihram is Assistant Dean for the Leavey Library, University of Southern California, located in Los Angeles, California: dmihram@usc.edu

They have published books and papers both on tele-communications policy and on the biological character of the Scientific Method.