In the communications industry, the term convergence is defined as the integration of all forms of communication - data, voice, and video - onto a single (IP-based) network. In practice, enterprises have multiple business objectives for pursuing network convergence, such as:

• Network simplification
• Access flexibility
• Bandwidth optimization
• Service uniformity
• Supporting an increasingly mobile workforce
• Establishing a platform for new and advanced forms of communication (e.g., unified communications)

Each of these objectives in turn leads to cost savings which is increasingly important in the current economic situation.

Yet, for its part, the industry has spent a considerable amount of time and money on developing what it labels as "converged" solutions. While captivating, this industry activity can also be confusing to businesses if they are left to wonder whether service provider converged solutions actually correspond to the same set of objectives they, business organizations, have with regard to convergence and whether and how soon cost savings will be realized.

In this paper, Stratecast - a division of Frost and Sullivan - will explain that to alleviate this uncertainty the converged objectives put forth by the industry must tightly align with the objectives of businesses.