Vinton G. Cerf, VP and Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, has been called the "Father of the Internet." In 1992, his "IP on Everything" T-shirt caused quite a stir at an IETF conference, where he was the keynote speaker. He was right. Meant as a tongue-in-cheek forecast of the future, the IP protocol has indeed become the world standard.
IP is indeed on everything these days. More accurately, "everything is on IP," but then the T-shirt wouldn't be fun. (Image courtesy of Boardwatch Magazine.)
Everything on IP
The IP protocol is not only the protocol of the Internet, but it has become the default protocol for local networks in almost every enterprise. In order to provide converged data and voice services, every telephone company has integrated IP networks in some manner. In 2001, Sprint was first to announce that its entire network would become voice over IP (VoIP).
The Internet, underscored by IP, has not only affected every business, information systems department and software publisher, but it has changed world communications forever. See IP telephony, VoIP, IP Multimedia Subsystem, IP network, Internet, TCP/IP, dumb network and infranet.
Analog and digital-based circuit switching are giving way to IP-based packet switching.
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