Dear Sir or Madam,
 We would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a successful start to the New Year!
Topics in this issue:
We are focusing on the subject of “TC system investments” in the December newsletter. The matter is becoming increasingly complex, where can competent information be obtained, which criteria play a role in the purchasing decision? Furthermore you will learn more about new features at Clarity. And our book tip on the subject of Web 2.0! We hope you enjoy browsing through the topics!
Your Clarity AG
 The acquisition of a telephone system has become one of the most complex investment decisions that any company has to make. The respective technology was still relatively simple a few years ago, and the number of parameters that decision-makers needed to take into consideration was also limited. However, modern telecommunication systems have achieved a level of complexity that is comparable to that of ERP Systems. How can purchasers, IT specialists and managers access useable, objective information? Market surveys, which gather the opinions of a wide range of companies regarding the use of ITC systems as well as the expertise and reliability of providers, or furnish information on current market prices, provide a reliable basis for making decisions. In order to be able to carry out high-quality surveys and create an inter-company network that provides ITC decisions-makers with the possibility to exchange experiences and information, Berlecon Research and Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC) have established the ICT Research Board together with the market research company Psephos. According to the operator, more than 180 ITC managers had already signed up shortly after the official start. Within the scope of the Research Board, ITC decision-makers are questioned about their opinions and experiences with relevant technologies on a regular basis. Companies who utilize such technologies can then compare the results of these surveys with their own experiences and their own environments. Providers can use the results to obtain better insight into the needs of potential customers.
ITC decision-makers are invited to participate actively in the ICT-Research Board. In return for participating in the surveys and expert discussions, they receive valuable knowledge that can help them when making investment decisions. Providers, on the other hand, can use the results to better assess whether they are addressing the problems faced by “average” companies in an adequate manner and whether their portfolio of solutions is geared towards solving the problems of a wide range of customers.
 There has already been a great deal of talk about this: it looks like the Deutsche Telekom will be replacing its ISDN connections with so-called “Sip Access” by 2014. No official announcements have been made by the German telephone giant as yet. However, the termination of all business and private “comfort” connections in the middle of the year by the Deutsche Telekom, as well as their offer of switching these to their IP-based “Call & Surf” service, speaks volumes. Everybody is talking about All IP at the moment, including those responsible for the Telekom’s internal telephone network, which means you don’t have to be a prophet in order to be able to predict the end of ISDN. There is one problem however: no successor standard exists!
A new forum throws light on the situation
The Deutscher Verband fuer Post, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation e.V. (DVPT – the German Association for Post, Information Technology and Telecommunications), Germany’s largest interest group for business users, is concerned about this development. “Those who use ISDN connections for business purposes cannot plan any future investments in technology at the moment”, complained Wolff, Head of the Executive Board of the DVPT. The DVPT has now established the “VOICE+IP Germany” forum together with the VAF Bundesverband Telekommunikation e.V. (The German Telecommunications Association) and the BITKOM e.V. (The Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media), in order to answer the questions posed by users and providers and start a qualified discussion in this area.
Information straight from the source
Germany’s most important international convention for TC, IT and mobile communication took place on the 3. and 4. November. During this conference, the potential consequences of a discontinuation of ISDN offers were discussed, among other things. Would you like to obtain information regarding the results of the conference straight from the source and download the lectures? You can obtain access to the “VOICE+IP Germany Community” after registering via the link below: http://www.voice-ip-germany.de/index.php?mod=10
We will keep you up-to-date
The future belongs to IP-based services and applications. Clarity is watching the technological developments in this area very carefully, and can already show you what possibilities the future will bring. Christoph Pfeiffer, Clarity’s CEO, explains: “It will be possible to operate the current TC systems from Clarity with any available standards in future, as our software-based systems can be flexibly adapted to match any conditions. Customers are therefore purchasing security for the future. Furthermore, expensive hardware can be dispensed with, as the complex conversion between internal VoIP and ISDN/PSTN systems will no longer be needed.”
Have you got any questions regarding New Generation Telephony, the ISDN changeover, etc.? We would be happy to help you!
We would like to use this section in future to inform you about new features and updates that have not been announced in the “Coming Soon” rubric. The following improvements were released recently:
Clarity Mobile Server can now be used with foreign devices
 The following function primarily affects users of the Clarity Mobile Server. However, as our editor was so impressed with this new option, which he found out about during his visit to Clarity’s development manager, he would like to take the opportunity to inform “those who are not yet using the Clarity Mobile Server” about it: The Clarity Mobile Server allows you to establish a standard exchange line to your telephone, no matter where you are in the world. You therefore only pay the call charges incurred by the internal telephone system. Until now, authentication was required, which meant the telephone system needed to “know” your telephone. That has now changed however, as the Clarity Mobile Server can now be used with foreign devices. All you need to do is enter a PIN. This will enable you to reduce your telephone costs considerably in future, especially if your company has a low-cost telephone tariff.
Extended MWI Indicator
“The telephone is informing me that somebody has called”: In future, Snom telephones will not only inform users that there is a message in their mailbox – it will also show the number of new and previous messages on the display.
Would you like to find out more about this and other new features? We would be happy to provide you with further information!
 Twitter, Facebook, Blog: thanks to Web 2.0 features, the Internet has finally become a real interactive medium, which provides every participant with the possibility to make their voices heard. Clever company founders and marketing strategists have not taken long to recognize the areas in which Web 2.0 applications can be used in their businesses.
“Interactive Marketing in Web 2.0+” provides interested marketing professionals with a solid understanding of the new sales mechanisms in the market as well as valuable suggestions and tips for successful marketing management on the Internet. This collection sets a milestone in the area of marketing, and its dynamism will influence marketing reality to a significant degree in the future. Target group: this booked is aimed at managers, corporate consultants, managing directors and board members in companies and agencies as well as students and teachers in the economic science area, above all those focusing on marketing.
We have 3 copies to give away. Simply send us an e-mail with the subject “Book tip” to newsletter.feedback@clarity-ag.net and you will be entered into the prize draw. Entry deadline is the 31. December 2009, the judge’s decision is final. Good luck!
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