Patching old IT infrastructure is no different than the dangers posed by doing the same with critical physical infrastructure of our roads, bridges, and tunnels as they fall into disrepair. The US is making the largest federal investment in infrastructure in decades but our copper wire infrastructure is not a part of that. It’s still the synapse network that connects most alarm, elevator, and first responder communications lines. Neglecting it by not moving forward imperials us all.
This is the inevitable end of the lifespan of legacy infrastructure. A new digital era is beginning that will provide a more cost-effective, resilient, and reliable long-term alternative. Despite the inconvenience of change, this should be welcome news, especially for CIOs as well as building owners and local authorities who are responsible for the validity of cash registers and critical systems supporting elevators, fire, and burglar alarms as well as even FAX lines, in some industries like healthcare.
The need to digitize plain old telephone lines (POTS) is clear and now. In the telecommunications industry, this transition is called POTS transformation or POTS replacement. And it’s crucial to maintaining the uninterrupted service of critical communications to support business continuity and security, human safety, and regulatory compliance.
