With people more widely available and more connected than
ever before, an unintended and unexpected communications
paradox has emerged. Users need to manage multiple identi-
ties for each of the devices and networks that they want to
use. Determining the best way to reach a person and managing
a contact list for these multiple identities can be staggering.
Simply put, communications today has become device-cen-
tric, not user-centric.
This part outlines how SIP is one innovative technology that
actually helps improve communications without complicat-
ing these issues.
What Is SIP?
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP, pronounced just like sip, as in
sipping from a fire hose on a hot day) is an open signaling
protocol for establishing any kind of real-time communication
session. The communication session can involve voice, video,
or instant messaging, and can take place on one of many
devices that people use for communicating: laptop computer,
PDA, cell phone, IM client, IP phone, and so on. SIP has been
developed in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) by
common participation from various vendors, including Avaya.
SIP builds on a number of existing communications proto-
cols. Developers and system administrators can easily work
with SIP, customize it, and program with it. It is rapidly
becoming a standard for service integration (how new serv-
ices and applications are created and combined) within a
variety of wireless and carrier networks, and is gaining
momentum within enterprises. This growing acceptance in
both enterprise and service provider networks offers the
promise of a single unifying protocol that will transform not
only communications within an enterprise, but communica-
tions between the enterprise and its ecosystem of partners,
suppliers, and customers. Is SIP a refreshing solution to sim-
plifying communications? For companies who need to sort
out and reconnect the current tangle of disparate communi-
cations protocols and programs: Yes!
To understand the power behind this protocol, you need to
examine some of the key factors that are driving SIP’s momen-
tum across all aspects of enterprise communications.
SIP Communications For Dummies, Avaya Custom Edition
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SIP Communications For Dummies, Avaya Custom Edition
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