Paul E. Jones

I work for Cisco as an Architect in the area of voice and video communication, primarily focused on signaling and applications. The specific area of focus has been videoconferencing and VoIP protocols like H.325, H.323, and SIP, as well as instant messaging protocols like XMPP and SIMPLE. I previously served as the editor of ITU-T Recommendation H.323 and currently chair the H.323 standards committee. I also chair the H.325 standards committee, which is actively developing the next-generation multimedia system that will allow people to use any number of different devices to communicate and utilize all sorts of applications — capabilities that are missing from current systems.

The work I do has not been limited to IP Multimedia Communications (IPMC), however. I also work on web-based technologies, including REST, SOAP, and XML. Perhaps what best characterizes the type of work I do is that it is usually related to enabling communication between different applications, whether those are on the same or different physical device.

I previously worked in the healthcare industry developing a patient admission system, medical billing system, patient scheduling system, etc. I have also dabbled with encryption, hashing algorithms, and distributed file storage, producing such things as AES Crypt, an implementation of SHA-1, an implementation of OpenID, and a distributed file storage system called Hive. I also enjoy desktop publishing, web design, computer graphics, and computer algorithms. There are far more technology areas that interest me than I would ever have time to fully explore.

I also co-founded Packetizer, which is a place where people with similar interests can go to share information related to information technologies. It has proven to be an excellent vehicle through which we can share up-to-date information on various standards, provide development tips, etc. Packetizer also provides email list services in support of various industry initiatives and standards.

I have engaged in work in a number of standards organizations and supporting organizations, including the ITU, IETF, ETSI, IMTC, H.323 Forum, SIP Forum, TIA, and ATIS.

I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to speak at a number of industry events, including ones sponsored by the IMTC, UpperSide, VON, FCC, TDI, H.323 Forum, ViDe, and the ITU. I have had articles published or been interviewed for articles in numerous publications, including Internet Telephony, CPMNet Asia, ComputerWorld China, ComputerWorld Hong Kong, Telecom Asia, Voice and Data, and Light Reading.

I enjoy taking walks through cities in various countries I visit. So far, I've had the opportunity to visit Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Belgium, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, and Switzerland. I've met a world full of great people and have seen a lot of interesting places. The world is so full of interesting people and cultures, but I have also observed that people are very similar no matter where you go in the world. I am constantly amazed at how similar we all are in our hopes, dreams, and ideals. Perhaps one day the artificial curtain that seems to divide us will disappear.