VoIP Technology » Business Telephone System

Small Business Telephone System with VoIP

admin — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:41:46 +0000

If you are changing your small business telephone system from a traditional dedicated fixed landline to the newer VoIP technology, there are some things you need to have in place to change successfully.

1. Internet Connection

To route your calls over the Internet instead of over the existing telephone fixed landlines, you need to have a powerful Internet connection and equipment to connect and communicate with.

If your small business is using a DSL or cable modem for your Internet connectivity, you need to research the bandwidth needed for of VoIP communications (Voice over Internet Protocol).

If you are one of 1-2 employees, then DSL or cable should work fine to meet your needs. DSL and cable modems are not ideal for VoIP, but they do work acceptably well for a very small office of just one or two people.

If your office grows to more than 2 users, your small business telephone system needs to grow also. It is time to consider a more robust Internet connection.

The standard DSL and cable modems offer you a quicker download than upload speed. This generally works fine for general computer usage, but it won’t work so well for voice communication.

So, you will need to make sure that your Internet connection can support both the upload and download speeds that you need to have clear and consistent voice communication.

2. How Much Bandwidth?

The industry standard is enough bandwidth for about 1/3 rd of your employees to be on the telephone at the same time … so if you have 30 lines, you should then have enough bandwidth for 10 to be used at any one time. With a business of this size, your small business telephone system will usually require a T1 connection to the Internet.

One of the best things you can do is to work with a provider who can support both your VoIP and Internet connection needs. This will insure that you have the bandwidth necessary to get both your calls and data needs taken care of.

3. Hub vs. Switch

In addition to bandwidth to the Internet, internally you should be using switches on your network rather than hubs. While hubs are fine for electronic data transmission, the transmission of voice over your network necessitates the need for switches to be used.

4. Media Gateways

If you already have a small business telephone system in place, such as a small PBX system, you can purchase a device called a “media gateway” to connect your existing phone system to the Internet without having to replace all of your phones and equipment.

This will save you money from the equipment that would have to be replaced to upgrade to VoIP services.

Moving your small business telephone system over to VoIP requires some pre-planning and consultation with an Internet provider. An experienced provider can offer the equipment and the know-how to make your move to VoIP quickly and without any inconvenience for your employees.

By: Andrew Stratton

VoIP PBX – Next Big Thing to PBX System

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:51:17 +0000

Few years back, many people thought that advanced VoIP technology is going to be the “next big thing” in the telecom domain. Yes, now VoIP has a major impact on providers in the market which has turned out to be more of a commodity than a paradigm-changer. The main reason for the popularity of voice over IP solution is mobility, flexibility and scalability. The inherent benefits such as cost effectiveness and organisational productivity cannot be ignored. As a matter of fact, these factors have motivated businesses to manage their work with utmost efficiency. For making the various things possible, one solution is VoIP PBX.

The VoIP PBX system is a hallmark for businesses to inculcate double profits in quick time. This system permits the users to save substantial amount on long distance as well as international calls. Most importantly, business that manage calls over the IP PBX VoIP solution provide comfortable integration with existing PSTN telecommunication system.

An VoIP PBX system is a Internet protocol private branch exchange. This exchange is a business telephone system which is designed to deliver voice over a data network and is interoperable with the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). With low upgradation cost, almost every business users can make the changes as it is done through a specific software. As a matter of fact, the VoIP gateways can be combined with traditional PBX functionality which enables the businesses to use their managed intranet to reduce long distance expenses as well as enjoy the benefits of a single network for voice and data. The advanced CTI features of this IP system give greater cost savings, greater mobility and increased redundancy.

To be more specific, an IP-PBX exists as a hardware object or virtually, as a software system. This is because a major part of IPBX functionality is provided in software. The best part is that this system is relatively inexpensive in nature. One can easily add other functionalities such as conferencing, XML-RPC control of live calls, Interactive voice response (IVR)and TTS/ASR (text to speech/automatic speech recognition). Moreover, these advanced system supports public switched telephone network (PSTN) interconnection ability which supports both analogue and digital circuits, Voice over IP protocols including SIP, Inter-Asterisk eXchange, H.323, Jabber and GoogleTalk.

Therefore, it can be said that this high-end technology simplifies communication infrastructure at ease. The VoIP PBX system permits the users to co-ordinate with their multiple offices all around the globe with the support of an unified platform. Interestingly, the single IP PBX VoIP server has the potential to serve more than 1,500 users at the same time. As such, it seems to be an attractive option which can support business enterprise to gain more without any concern.

In comparison with a conventional PBX system, the users require separate networks for sending and receiving the voice and data communication but, VoIP PBX employs the converged data and voice communication over a single IP network. This increases the value of systems to a significant extent.

Moreover, the IP PBX VoIP also provides flexibility to the growing or new enterprises, as it can reduce the long-term investments and maintenance costs. The biggest factor that contributes to the adoption of anything new by the enterprises is cost involved in it. In the case of the VoIP PBX solutions, the costs are within limits of the enterprises. Nowadays, the business users do not have to spend more from their pockets for this system, as cost is coming down. The users must opt for the provider that offers bundled services and features. These advanced solutions enable the business users to make the most of services such as voice extensions or updation.

To conclude, the hybrid solutions offer greater scalability advantage when compared to the traditional PBX systems.

By: Kristen Kiya

Office Phone Systems Utilizing VoIP Technology Revitalizes Operation of Small Businesses

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:51:00 +0000

For small businesses, one of the biggest challenges can be competing with the larger firms fighting for the same market. With limited resources and space, a small business must find economical and efficient ways to make up for their lack of size.

Traditionally, one of the biggest selling points for using a small enterprise is the relative ease with which the consumer can connect with the business, getting around the bureaucratic mess associated with larger offices. The easiest way to streamline a small enterprise and still stay connected to the consumer is through a creatively designed small business telephone system.

One of the newest and most exciting developments in office phone systems over the last ten years has been the creation and growth of the VoIP industry. VoIP or “Voice over Internet Protocol”, is a revolutionary plug and play phone system that allows users to make phones calls over the Internet, either to other Voice over Internet Protocol users or users to traditional landlines. With the changes in technology, Voice over Internet Protocol offers an economical phone service at a sound quality level equal to or surpassing traditional landline services. There are many, many benefits of VoIP that make it the perfect fit for growing enterprises on the move.

While VoIP may sound daunting to those only familiar with the traditional landline system, the set-up of small business telephone system using VoIP is safe and easy. VoIP relies upon existing Internet connections that require no additional installation. Using the same system that you use to reach the Internet or access email, an enterprise can now make both long distance and local calls with relative ease. Even the enterprise already using a traditional landline phone system can make the switch to VoIP with little upgrades that will use their existing phone lines to connect to the on-line calling system.

Another benefit of using Voice over Internet Protocol in your office phone system is the ease of upgrades. While more complex traditional systems might require an extensive remodel of the office layout and the actual phone lines themselves, a Voice over Internet Protocol upgrade can be as simple and easy as a software update. Likewise, with the ease of upgrades, VoIP is better suited to deal with the changing needs of businesses.

As technology changes, the small enterprises will be on the cusp of these developments as they happen. Any day now, a piece of technology could come along revolutionize how offices function in the same way that the fax machine or computer changed businesses of the past. Unlike larger corporations, the small business using a VoIP phone system will be able to change their entire phone system with relatively little downtime, adapting to whatever new technology is developed.

Likewise, since VoIP uses the Internet already, it is far easier to integrate other technologies into phone calls without having to create a complex and convoluted hodgepodge of technologies. Your Voice over Internet Protocol provider can help integrate a service like video conference calling directly into your new small business telephone system.

By consulting an experienced office phone system expert, you can weigh the costs of different packages and decide which system will best suit your needs for today and the years to come.

By: Andrew Stratton