It’s been painful, in many cases, but also telling from a business perspective, in other cases, to witness some of the success stories of this slower economy.

 

As TMCnet reported last week, Waterloo, Ontario-based Research In Motion Limited has announced a 7.9 percent increase in revenues, to $2.78 billion, for the quarter ended Nov. 29. The figure marks a 66.3 percent increase from the year-ago quarter for the BlackBerry (News - Alert) smartphone makers, who say that the company shipped about 6.7 million smartphones during the three-month period.

 

That’s because, as we’ve discussed, mobile solutions are emerging as an attractive cost-saver in this economy.

 

As this recession takes hold, more and more businesses are looking to leverage technology to save money.

 

That’s part of why Mill Valley, California-based CommuniGate Systems offers its customers so much.

 

The company consolidates several forms of IP communications into one address space, making the single address for email, IM, VoIP and video calling, more productive, portable, and independent of tariffs and tolls of closed network topologies.

 

As Jon R. Doyle, the company’s vice president of business development, told me in an interview recently, printed in full below, CommuniGate helps customers by allowing them to offer UC as SaaS (News - Alert) with value-added services such as mobility, video on demand and Web 2.0 applications.

 

In listening to Doyle, who will be speaking at the Internet Telephony Conference & Expo in February, I also came to admire what he had to say about where he sees this nation and the IT and telecom space headed. Among other things, he reminds us that the iPhone (News - Alert) should be a source of pride for American innovation and manufacturing.

 

Our exchange follows.

 

 

Jon R. Doyle (pictured left): For me it is hard to single out a hero, but for sure there are several people in the industry that I admire and have influenced me. One person is Paul Klipsch whom was said to be able to apply himself to any task with excellence, even if it means huge swings from one industry to another. Mr. Klipsch is very respected by me and many many others for his attentions to excellence in quality and efficiency.

 

This is something I believe American product manufacturing, whether it be a spoon and fork or a sophisticated computer control system should adhere to: quality matters. I also have a lot of respect and admiration to John Lasseter, let me say the “magic behind the scenes guy” that truly is an inspiration for the creative works and creative people that made breaking records time and time again seem routine when everyone in the industry said it was simply impossible. There is a lot of strength or power a person leading a group can achieve by showing or emanating inspiration and vision through their passion for the tasks at hand. These guys are legends of the American dream for innovation and for me will inspire generations ahead, no matter what you are making or leading.

 

 

 

JRD: The speed of evolution. Thirty years ago the fax machine was a milestone, it changed business communications and the way people worked. The next massive revolution was e-mail, a simple text message that changed the entire way we communicate in business. People go to work today, and the interface to the business is the e-mail client. The e-mail client is more important than the first cup of coffee or even talking to other colleagues in the office. Checking e-mail is part of the whole day, and disconnection from e-mail can bring a business to a halt.

 

The next fundamental change in our business life is becoming mobile, and not tied to a desk, a phone or a computer. With Unified Communications, clients must adapt to our lifestyle of being mobile. Web 2.0 provides true mobility and freedom, in business and private life functions. A single address space to access any form of communications on any device allows us to move from location to location and from device to device while staying in contact. This is revolutionary and provides independence from place, time and device. Finally, the sender is the core of communications and presence information drives the medium and connection.

 

 

JRD: For my company, I would love to have more time to spend in the field with the customers around the world.

 

 

JRD: In the service provider and carrier market, we help our customers differentiate from competitors and enable them with a UC platform to offer UC as SaaS with value-added services like mobility, video on demand and Web 2.0 applications. We help them increase subscriber loyalty and ARPU and to decrease churn rates. And to build a platform for growth with unlimited scalability when it comes to the number of subscribers and multi-tenancy. At the end of the day they can offer more and earn more while reduce complex architectures and prepare for the transition from fixed to mobile devices. Robust Wireless Voice and Data Capabilities will be key for any carrier.

 

 

JRD: We are close to our 18th anniversary now in the market. The basis of our success is highly efficient and reliable software development and being always one step ahead in building today that which our customers will require to serve their customers tomorrow.

 

 

JRD: Something that can be connected to the Internet around the globe without and sense of toll or location tariff. Ubiquitous Internet access is at the heart of Web 3.0.

 

 

JRD: Bring back pride in American products and manufacturing. Turn your iPhone over and look at where it was designed. There is a lot of value and innovation in this country that can cross industry lines with proper leadership.

 

 

JRD: Inspiration of collaboration.

 

 

JRD: Microsoft already is a leader in communications just looking at their footprint of Exchange, MSN, or Mobile platforms. Microsoft will always have competition when it comes to quietly, efficiency and security from more nimble and oftentimes much smaller innovative companies.

 

 

First, Apple (News - Alert) moving into the enterprise quickly. Second, the rapid fluctuations in energy costs. Third, more sad than surprised: the bailouts that kept the failed management on.

 

Assuming we need it (and who couldn’t use some extra cash), what do we tell Congress to get a multibillion dollar U.S. government communications bailout?

 

I do not believe bailouts or rewards should be given to failures. I propose we think more about rewarding success, whether that is in innovation of technology, and putting national support behind it, or in education and fostering development of business in great places like California that lead not just a country, but the world in ideas.

 

 

JRD: I do not think so. Saving the environment is a necessary thing, and technologies that are more efficient, including fusion nuclear power, are a benefit to all, whether it is those that create and build the technology or all of us that benefit from better air to breathe. Today we are going backwards, building more coal and gas plants and shutting down wind and nuclear power because of bad policies. Green and future power technologies should never be tied to oil price or any economical challenges.

 

 

JRD: IP or Internet-based communications are more effective because they span many networks compared to some fixed or closed network. Unified Communications will flourish in the recession, because it helps to save costs for travelling and meetings plus it streamlines business processes. UC in the Software as a Service model will help SMEs to stay agile and benefit from technologies that otherwise would be too cost prohibitive for initial investments to ever see the gains in productivity.

 

 

JRD: I will speak on February 2, 2009 at 1:00 pm EST in the panel discussion “Hosted UC Alternatives” – and I feel I will bring a fresh perspective to the audience about SaaS UC and how that translates into cost-savings with huge productivity gains.

 

 

JRD: Windows 7 will be more of a failure than Vista, and Apple will begin to penetrate the corporate marketplace.