Close encounter.

Rick Tillotson made my day. There the big redhead stood, in the halls of the host hotel for the VoiceCon conference in Orlando, talking with staffers Ray Peckham and Curtis Nichols, and waiting for the editor of Communications News. In a sense, he had waited since last July, when his picture

Tillotson is the telecom manager for the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), headquartered in Austin. Last July, his organization was featured as the cover story, a tale of how TASB upgraded its communications network, and Tillotson appeared oil the front cover-tangled up in communications cabling and surrounded by seven six-year-olds. That cover, entitled "Lassoed," was selected as the best of 2004 (see "2004 Editors' Choice Awards" on page 52) and, apparently, Tillotson had something to do with the setup of that photo.

"I told the photographer that I didn't want to do the blue suit, executive pose," he explained to me at VoiceCon. So, he rounded tip the kids and the cable and we received our best cover photo of the year.

He had more to say, however, when we finally met. Apparently, the article itself has had an "en lightening" effect on his organization, bringing credence to his requests for system upgrades. As he explained, there wasn't always an understanding in his organization about why network hardware, such as a 10-year-old PBX, needs to be replaced periodically.

The cover story, he added, also prompted numerous calls from colleagues around the country who were considering similar implementations or who had similar challenges. Tillotson, in fact, participated in the kind of article he finds most interesting and useful--a case study which is why others contacted him. Reading about how his peers solve their networking challenges, he offered, helps him evaluate solutions.

VoiceCon, by the way, was energized. The event organizers reported a 25% increase in attendees and 34% jump in exhibitors from 2004. Vendors were in an upbeat mood as exhibits filled with voice and data network managers particularly interested in convergence technologies. Voice over IP has definitely arrived.

The Communications News staff has evaluated three voice-related shows over the past two years, and VoiceCon is the one we have found to be most appropriate for enterprise end-users. The other two combine a mix of carrier and enterprise solutions and programming; VoiceCon is pure enterprise.

As Tillotson told me, "We have limited budget, so I can't get to a lot of the shows." Sound familiar? He chose VoiceCon.

Ken Anderberg

kanderberg@comnews.com