Users are driving convergence and taking it well beyond what techies in lab coats could have dreamed up. The services and applications that characterise convergence are based on the network and data centre infrastructure and conveniently hidden from the user, who benefits from the service without having to understand how it works.

Tabi Tabe, Product Manager, Communications and Security Services at Business Connexion contends that the ‘consumerisation’ of technology is driving the acceptance of advanced concepts such as Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing, but that gearing the model for business takes a little more consideration.

“No-one saw Web 2.0 applications like Facebook and Twitter coming, which today are part of everyday society,” says Tabe. “And while we don’t think of them as such, these are perfect examples of SaaS and cloud computing models. They’re driven not by businesses or technologists, but rather by a public which is able to very easily use and consume services which add value to their lives.”

What underpins these sorts of applications is massive storage and processing capacity, all of which is completely hidden from the end user. “These applications are super-simple for the end user, but rely on practically unprecedented data centre capacity and scale. As such, these ‘simple’ applications provide an outstanding example of how and where computing is going,” Tabe says.

Web 2.0 is ushering in a dynamic change in the application environment. Applications and how they are used are being driven by the people using it and not the industry. Development is taking its cue from the demands of the user. Simultaneously, the people accessing these applications are no longer either at home or at work, blurring the roles of industry and user.

This blurring reinforces the contention that the Web 2.0 model has the potential to be just as applicable for the programmes used by businesses. “It’s not just the applications; the way corporations communicate with the consumer of their products and services is becoming more collaborative and more interactional.

What the user is thinking is becoming more important and more relevant.”

Putting applications into the cloud and making them available when, how and where business users need them requires some changes, says Tabe. These are primarily geared around security and an application billing model. “Facebook and Twitter have proven that the model works. The capacity that users need is in the cloud and scales to meet their needs,” he says.

While these organisations can provide their services on a ‘best effort’ basis and have no real obligation to guarantee uptime or capacity, it changes when applications which are necessary for the successful operation of a business are delivered.

Connectivity also comes into the equation; reliability of the connection is critical, as is the cost and availability of different transport modes (wireless or wired and the many permutations of each).

The real advantages of a move to converged business services analogous to ‘personal’ services like Facebook, is that they will offer unmatched flexibility and convenience to companies. “The convenience of Facebook is substantial. It can be accessed wherever and through whatever device is handy, be it a smart phone, a terminal or a notebook. Similarly, business systems powered by converged networks and infrastructure in the cloud, will be easily and conveniently accessible,” says Tabe.

The fl exibility brings a massive advantage, “You could open shop in a new town and have all the applications you need to do business practically immediately.

Telephones, accounting, productivity applications – with these residing in the cloud, all that is required is a connection to the Internet and all the workers in the offi ce can be provisioned with everything they need, right away.”

Paying for services can be done on a ‘per use’ basis, allowing the business to accurately match its technology and application consumption with its performance and need.

“It’s the future of computing and it’s being driven by customer requirements which are overwhelmingly geared towards convenience and improved quality of life,” Tabe concludes.