Convergence in the Oil and Gas Sector
UNDERSTANDING THE ADVANTAGES OF IP NETWORKS
Burke P. Miller Infrastructure Networks
Today’s oil and gas industry faces increasing pressure to maximize the capability of its wireless infrastructure while minimizing operational and developmental costs. Unprecedented uncertainty and business volatility are transforming the landscape, as the oil and gas industry becomes more competitive, profit-oriented, and responsive to a fickle and savvy clientele. The key to developing a successful enterprise-wide networking strategy is to recognize that it is only part of a larger strategy-one in which modern oil and gas facilities must literally reinvent themselves.
Several key factors are driving this transformation:
• Consolidation – Corporate mergers and acquisitions both mandate and complicate the task of unifying workforces and infrastructure. Many companies have dozens of disparate wireless networks supporting both voice and data; these legacy systems, which are often comprised of a mixed technology base, must be unified, integrated, and standardized with emergent technology.