The Rise and Fall of ISDN
ISDN Basics
The competition for video conferencing is growing each day. Companies have to decide on the system that fits their needs and budget best. At one time, ISDN systems were considered an affordable option. Failure in customer service and compatibility has hurt the popularity of ISDN.
ISDN was designed to be used for video conferencing. It can be installed anywhere that there are phones jacks. The system is separate from the main network of computers, making it a more secured system to use. You can have a video conference without exposing your entire company network to hackers, viruses and bugs. ISDN can be installed just about anywhere and the monthly service fee can be minimal compared to other systems. ISDN is not a bad option for companies who do very little video conferencing.
The Downside of ISDN
ISDN has many disadvantages when compared to its competition. ISDN does not play well with other systems which limits the use between contacts. Endpoint installation can break the budget. Each terminal has to have its own endpoint in order for the system to function. Endpoint can not be shared and can cost several thousands of dollars to wire an office. This can suddenly make an affordable system costly.
Endpoints are notorious for causing havoc to the system. ISDN was not designed with the ability to maintain any monitoring or service features that let you know if there is a malfunction. If any part of the endpoint or line has a problem, any communication can be delayed or not transmitted at all. ISDN is an active system and only is connected during communication transference. Therefore, if you have a normally low usage rate it may take a while before you are even aware of a malfunction. Since ISDN will not work with other systems, once your system is down, you have no other choice but to wait for it to be repaired.
ISDN also has a bad reputation when it comes to Technical Support. TELCO was supposed to provide subscribers with all the support services that they would ever need. Instead, customers where given support staff that was unknowledgeable and unable to fix problems with the system. If a support staff could address the concerns or fix the problems they normally were unable to prevent reoccurrence. Speed and efficient service was not part of the customer care package. TELCO and ISDN have both suffered bad reputations due to this. Customers who are willing to pay for a service want help fixing it when there is a problem.
ISDN is trying to recover by developing technology that makes the system compatible with other video conferencing systems. New emerging IP technology permits the ISDN system to exchange communication with different systems. Security and monitoring services are also being improved in order to alert users when there is something wrong. With these alterations, the overall cost of ISDN will most likely increase; despite that fact that users already pay additional fees for using the system. With so many other options available in video conferencing, ISDN may have missed its chance. Only time will tell.
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