LDAP gets a voice - Lightweight Directory Access Protocol works with voice as well as data - Technology Information

Lightweight directory access protocol helps enterprises integrate voice and data directories.

Directory services are becoming a critical component of an organization's overall information systems infrastructure. As information systems and networks continue to evolve and grow, applications and users are becoming more dependent upon access to some type of directory information. Activities associated with the movement of people throughout an organization affect many different systems and databases (voice and computing alike), each with its own directory and administration interface, resulting in increased workload, duplication of effort, inconsistency in information, and untimely user service.

START WITH VOICE IN MIND

Voice systems need to be included in directory services planning activities from the beginning. As data and voice communications continue to converge, the need for integration between their respective directory services and administration of them becomes more important and strategic.

Often omitted from directory service planning is the most recognizable directory service within the organization--the telephone directory. Voice communications have been dependent upon directory services since telephone networks were first developed. In the public telephone network, directory services are provided as a value-added service; users call these services (e.g., 411) and request a number to be looked up. More recently, these telephone directories have evolved into online services on the Internet.

There are also typically many different directories supporting voice communications within an enterprise. At a minimum, most organizations have a telephone directory detailing the telephone extensions for employees, conference rooms, services, etc. The telephone directory resident in voice systems is an inherent functional element allowing advanced functions and call routing across voice networks. However, there can be many more voice directories in use by an enterprise, including those supporting voice-mail services, enhanced-911, cable management, computer telephony integration (CTI) applications, call centers (e.g., ACD-based systems), and voice-over-IP services. In many cases, these directories are separate from one another.

Voice directories have assumed many different forms within an organization. Most organizations still distribute hard (paper) copies of the internal telephone directory. Such a directory can contain many types of information beyond employee name and phone number, including department, division, location, mailcode, administrative assistant, secondary numbers for the individual (e.g., pager), and even electronic mail address.

The production of these directories is also of concern to the enterprise. The phone directory is compiled manually or produced via a report generated from the human resource systems or a custom created database. Many enterprises with a network of PBXs output the information for the directory from the switches themselves. The PBX relies on the directory information not only for information about the devices attached to its ports but to provide call routing across voice networks or advanced services. An example of these advanced services is the ability to display the name of the calling or called individual on telephones equipped with LCD displays, or to provide the extension number and location when 911 is dialed on an internal phone (i.e., enhanced-911 services).

DOUBLE-UP DIRECTORIES

Until recently, these voice directories have been just another stand-alone directory to be managed within an organization. However, voice communications vendors are beginning to enable the integration of their proprietary directory services with each other, creating more data network-oriented directories within an enterprise. Like many of the data network equipment vendors, the voice equipment vendors are achieving this integration through the use of Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP). LDAP is an IETF standard designed to simplify access and management of information in a directory service. Using LDAP, an enterprise can develop a single, logical directory service.

Enabling the voice systems' directories with LDAP allows voice systems (e.g., PBXs, voice-mail systems) to be an integral part of an enterprise's integrated directory service. Telephone information about a user can be shared directly with other enterprise directories that rely on that same data. Entries for phone system users in other enterprise directories (e.g., electronic mail, security, human resources) can be automatically updated with phone information housed in the voice directory, as opposed to manually entering the information multiple times. Moves, adds, and changes (e.g., new hires, dismissals, and transfers) within an organization can be entered into a central system (e.g., human resources) and propagated through the various directory services affected, as opposed to having to manually enter these changes into multiple directory systems.

Furthermore, LDAP-enabled voice directories can share information between one another. In the future, information contained within an LDAP-enabled PBX directory can be queried by an LDAP-enabled adjunct voice service such as voicemail or enhanced-911. Many voice communications systems within an organization are specialized "best-of-breed" systems as opposed to integrated solutions from a single vendor, so LDAP-enabled directories can provide tighter integration between these different voice-related systems.

Not only does LDAP integration provide voice-enabled directory services, but it is also an easy, non-disruptive first step in an organization's migration path towards fully-integrated directory services.

INTEGRATE WITH LDAP

Many organizations have already combined voice and data network groups into a single organization reporting to the same manager. In addition, voice and data networks are converging with the advent of voice-over-IP and LAN-based PBX systems. The processes for moves, adds, and changes for voice and data systems are becoming more closely related, increasing the amount of coordination required between their respective directories in fact this is occurring on its own.

The necessity of a coordinated directory services environment to an organization's information technology infrastructure continues to grow. Any organization considering integrated directory services across its enterprise needs to consider not only data-related directories but also the voice services. By including voice systems in the overall strategy, an organization can minimize the administrative activities associated with moves, adds, and changes and provide a mechanism to share common information across systems and databases.

All organizations need to begin planning for integrated directory services. The sooner these planning activities take place, the better positioned an organization will be to obtain benefits.

Johnson is manager, advanced networking technologies, Mitel Corp., Kanata, ON, Canada.

Circle 264 for more information from Mitel Corp.

COPYRIGHT 1998 Nelson Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group