OfficeVenue: technical summary

With OfficeVenue, the physical location of an individual worker becomes to a large degree irrelevant.

All employees are linked via a managed IP network. This network may be based on the public Internet or alternatively, may rely on a private IP network. The latter option provides a defined Quality of Service and Service Level Guarantee but entails additional cost.

The managed IP network handles all communication between personnel including both voice and data traffic. The network is set up in such a manner that the service is charged at a fixed monthly rate. Personnel therefore have access to unlimited voice and data traffic without incurring metered (per minute) call charges.

Ideally, each user should be connected to the IP network by some type of broadband connection—typically using cable or ADSL services. Leased lines may also be employed. Where broadband services are unavailable, ISDN2 connections can be used.

Each remote worker requires the following equipment:

• Personal computer running Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP
• IP telephone (special type of phone which connects to the same network as the PC)
• Router/firewall
• Connection to the IP network (typically using cable, ADSL or ISDN2) [1]

The following additional infrastructure is required within the organisation:

OfficeVenue Server

This device can accommodate several hundred users and is responsible for co-ordinating all user activity and for linking OfficeVenue users to the appropriate services.

Voice Server

Device which manages all voice calls and provides access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to allow users to make and receive external telephone calls. Typically, a single Voice Server can service in excess of 1000 users.

Both the OfficeVenue Server and the Voice Server can be installed within the organisation’s offices or, if preferred, they can be supplied as externally hosted, managed services. C

[1] Satellite connections can also be utilised but there are some performance limitations