BT Connect:

BT Connect: A New Dimension of Intelligent Networks for Business

BT today announced a significant update to BT Connect, its innovative portfolio of networking solutions for Irish organisations. The move establishes 'intelligence' as a new dimension for the definition of network performance alongside speed, availability, scope, security and resilience.

BT Connect customers in Ireland will benefit from new IP and Ethernet VPN services and features which will improve network performance and increase Chief Information Officers’ control over their own infrastructure. The BT portfolio update includes:

• IP Connect – the next generation in IP VPN networks – an intelligent, reliable, resilient network to connect different sites with different needs. It simplifies communications by converging voice, video and data applications onto a single IP network. It provides access to hosted 'cloud' applications and has the flexibility to meet changing needs and reduce costs.
• A new tool called BT Connect IQ evaluator that will allow Chief Information Officers to assess and improve their network’s intelligence. The tool will allow CIOs to benchmark their network performance and see ways to fine-tune their networking solution to best align it with their business strategy. The output includes a multi-dimensional rating of maturity and a network IQ roadmap based on gaps between customers “current” and desired 'future' state. They will be able to plan for the unexpected and operate in a more effective way, helping their business compete in global markets.
• A new suite of BT Connect applications, including a web performance monitoring service allowing customers to have a full view of the efficiency of end-user web experience and improve their online business operations, and a Connect Acceleration Monitoring service for customers to track what’s running on their network, resolve IT performance problems faster and lower IT management costs.
• A new unified dashboard for the Connect applications portfolio, presenting all of the reporting features of application and web performance monitoring in one single view. This will enable better decision making for different stakeholders who are either involved in service delivery or affected by it.

BT is at the forefront of the roll-out of next generation networks in Ireland, and IP Connect is the latest addition to its portfolio of intelligent network solutions. IP Connect is an efficient and economical way for private and public sector organisations to connect all locations to a single private IP VPN for voice, data and and video applications. It offers multiple access speeds and technologies, from ADSL to Ethernet, to enable businesses to connect sites of all sizes, from the home worker to the largest data centre. It enables organisations to prioritise network traffic to ensure that each business application performs well across the network whether voice, video or email. It reduces total cost of ownership because all of the complexities of designing, maintaining and managing the network are the responsibility of BT.

For companies that require global reach, BT has the ability to deliver services in 197 countries and territories and provides speeds of anything from 64Kbps-1Gbps globally with future plans for even faster access.

Shay Walsh, Managing Director Business, BT Ireland said:

Our customers see network services as a vital asset at the very heart of their business strategies. They rely on the network to compete effectively, address economic challenges and take advantage of opportunities to grow. By investing to reinforce our capabilities in the traditional criteria of speed, availability, reach and cost, and by introducing a new dimension of network intelligence, we aim to give our customers a real competitive edge and greater value.

David Molony, Principal Analyst, Ovum Enterprise Telecoms, said:

An intelligent network has the potential to transform the role of CIOs and their teams because they can be freed from project-by-project resource building, allocation and oversight to spend more time with their C-level peers, focusing on the strategic challenges that will help drive their business forward.
The intelligent network is becoming more relevant than ever. There are a multitude of personal devices, including smartphones, tablets, and e-readers. There are new sources of content from public resources, new applications data, and a regeneration of voice-as-data, video, and other multimedia. These factors are combining to give existing networks the workout of their lives. An intelligent network has the capability to address mixed end-user and customer requirements and manage traffic across a heterogeneous set of access points and underlying transport bearers.

To read more about BT Connect, and download the Ovum whitepaper 'The Intelligent Network and the Future of the CIO', please visit http://www.btireland.com/solutions_connect_ipconnect.shtml