IP Convergence: Beyond VoIP, Beyond Cost Savings

David Siegel, director of data services product development at Global Crossing, has been involved with Internet network engineering since 1992, when he founded an Internet service provider in Tucson, Arizona. Siegel has been with Global Crossing since 1998 in various roles, including vice president of IP engineering and vice president of global network architecture and long range planning. Prior to joining Global Crossing, he was the principal consultant at Siegel Internet Engineering, providing network development and disaster recovery analysis for Verio and Earthlink. He was also president and CEO of RTD Systems & Networking, Inc., a Tucson-based company providing Internet services, Unix and network consulting services, and a billing software package for the ISP segment.

The Internet Protocol has enabled the creation of a monster communications platform that has evolved the way that humans communicate with one another. The Internet has permeated our lives in many interesting ways so far, but that's just the beginnning. The innovation is just getting under way. I'll keep an eye on what's happening out there and comment on these happenings and relate the potential impact in a personal way.