Despite cultural differences and compatibility problems, integration of computers and telephony is fast becoming reality
Russell Kay, Technical Editor
The wait is over. After years of broken promises and incompatible "standards," CTI (computer telephony integration) is ready. Hundreds of vendors have introduced products -- from headsets, to vertical-market telephony applications, to development and design tools, to turnkey phone systems -- that will enable your telephones, computers, and networks to work together.
Tying together today's two most important connectivity technologies isn't a new idea. CTI's promise has been discussed for years. But radically different technologies, competing interests, and incompatible standards have, until recently, put the connection process on hold. Now all that is changing.
Lo
ok at the histories and business practices of the telephone and computer industries, and you might wonder how they could ever find common ground. For a variety of technical, economic, and legal reasons, the two industries have walked vastly different paths. But the potential has become too great to ignore. Savvy computer users now realize that harnessing the link between phone and computer can increase users' efficiency and improve customer relations -- two code terms for making money.
In "Standard Issue," James Burton discusses the basic technical issues of CTI. Architectural and standards issues are far from settled, and the company that wants to use CTI has to make important decisions concerning a bewildering variety of APIs, standards, protocols, and hardware configurations. Burton sorts through this mass of conflicting information and three-letter acronyms, identifying the major issues and players.
In "Building Telephony Applications," Burton looks at the types of applications that CTI make
s possible. Since CTI is still in its early stages, it's probable that you'll have to develop your own custom CTI application. Burton discusses what you should look for in evaluating and choosing a development toolkit.
Finally, in "Telephony's Killer App?," John P. Mello Jr. looks at several of the most interesting new telephony applications to be found.
Collision!
