With business firms searching for alternative ways to reduce their costs in business communications, the technology called VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) can be highly beneficial, both economically and functionally for small, medium and large business firms alike. The Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems work the same way as a regular Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), but differs in the fact that here the medium of the internet is used as the backbone for signal transmission.
One of the key advantages of the hosted VoIP PBX system is that all the services of a regular phone system such as caller ID, voicemail and conferencing are all available at much reduced costs. Here in VoIP, both the voice and data transmissions are incorporated within the same system and hence telephone communication and digital data transfers can be done almost simultaneously along the same medium, with no high costs involved for the process.
The Voice over Internet protocol phone systems are highly versatile in their operations. The system can help companies to stay connected with their employees by setting up live Ethernet ports around their company. Companies can also connect all their global offices together with these IP telephony systems and thus save huge amounts in all long distance calls made to their offshore offices in remote locations.
For companies, Voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems can also be set up using their existing computers by using headsets and installing telephone dialer softwares. Here the headset acts as the handset of your office phone and the dialer software can emulate the functions of a regular IP Phone system. This arrangement is helpful for traveling business persons as they can easily convert their laptops into a dedicated Internet protocol phone system to keep in touch with their clients, irrespective of their location. The only external requirement is to have a high speed internet connection for the communication to take place.
Today, a number of Voice over IP service providers are offering their services in a customized manner with packages suitable to varying client requirements. For starters in business, hosted PBX phone systems are also available. These systems can save huge amounts for clients as they do not require business firms to buy and maintain in-house equipments. In hosted Voice over IP systems, all the necessary equipments for the service will be hosted by the provider of the VoIP. Thus whatever hosted PBX IP phone systems are chosen, they are sure to prove highly beneficial for companies in the long run.
By: Alen Smith J
Posts Tagged ‘Voip Phone Systems’
Voice Over IP (VoIP) Phone Systems
March 21st, 2010VoIP Phone Systems – There’s a Fly in the Ointment
February 14th, 2010
The keystone that will lock in VoIP as the successor to TDM technology has yet to be hefted into place. It may in fact take another decade before we see the full potential of VoIP phone systems. The keystone we are referring to is the deployment of standards based IP infrastructure by the public carriers.
VoIP phone systems are seemingly ubiquitous. Sexy new VoIP PBX systems and VoIP business solutions are announced almost every day. The technology is credible and past issues including voice quality have been sorted out. What’s the catch?
The catch is that the benefits realized by users of VoIP business phone systems relate mainly to internal communication. Organizations with distributed national and international operations gain the most from implementing VoIP phone systems. They achieve savings because their internal communication doesn’t go via PSTNs and they achieve significant savings as a consequence. Conversely, organizations that don’t have remote operations, work from home employees or a mobile workforce need to be far more creative in making a business case to justify a VoIP deployment.
The greatest pain for business is associated with external not internal communication. Most businesses have more customers than employees. To service, retain and acquire them a business must make an increasing volume of external phone calls. As most VoIP services interoperate via PSTNs employing TDM technology they are not using end-to-end VoIP services. Before that can happen the carriers must upgrade their infrastructure from TDM to VoIP technology.
Are the carriers about to upgrade their infrastructure any time soon? It’s unlikely. Collectively Tier 1 carriers have an enormous sunken investment in Class 4 and 5 switches. They work just fine and will probably continue to work for at least another decade. No matter how cheap the replacement VoIP gear, its more expensive than hardware that’s already installed and on the balance sheet.
Tier 1 carriers also have an investment in existing business models. These models are based on using TDM infrastructure not packets of data. Change is inevitable, but it always involves risk. The carriers have demonstrated time and again that they are risk averse, at least when it comes to tinkering with their main source of revenue. It’s been a topic of discussion for more than a decade, but there’s little evidence of change.
It’s also significant that there is little or no agreement on standards for carrier VoIP. There are even differences between carriers on how they handle SIP trunking and Caller ID. In the absence of enforceable standards between carriers there is little prospect of reliable VoIP peering between carriers any time soon.
For now and the immediate future, enterprise users of VoIP phone systems must reconcile themselves to enjoying less than fifty percent of the potential upside available from their VoIP business solutions. At some point the carriers will replace their infrastructure and agree on standards for IP-based carrier services, but it may take the entrance of a new breed of carrier before that comes to pass.
By: Chris H Green
Is VoIP the Right Solution For Your Small – Medium Size Business?
January 23rd, 2010
So you think VoIP is the cats meow …. and just the right solution for all your business communication needs. Are you sure?
The truth is …. it depends what your business is as to how VOIP can support it.
VoIP technology provides two main advantages:
- Cost of monthly service from telephone company
- Seamless connection of multiple office locations with full functionality of the user handset. (Central Reception, Central Messaging, Unified Messaging (e-mails & voicemail), Intercom, Paging, Call Transfers)
It should be noted that you can utilize VoIP technology to connect multiple locations without replacing existing office phone systems. Gateways can be used with most PBX’s and Key Systems.
You can also create hybrid solutions; install VoIP Phone systems at the main office and/or remote locations; use the same local phone service which you are currently using (no loss of dial tone if the internet connection goes down) for each location or just the central location. Connect to each remote location (single VoIP phone or VoIP phone system) via the internet. The bandwidth size of the connecting internet pipe would depend on how many users are at each location.
In the short term VoIP offers cost savings; for the long term planning VoIP offers seamless connections to remote locations which creates an entirely new paradigm when planning future expansions and personnel moves.
- Store managers can be connected to the store phone system while working at another store or remote office.
- Sales personnel in widespread markets can be connected to the office via the internet and have the same functionality as being physically in the office. This eliminates drive time; improves productivity; and reduces cost (less office space needed at the main office)
- Improved customer service; because you can transfer a caller to anyone on your network the caller gets to the right person without having to make another call. Your customer is happier and your company can utilize existing personnel and not have to double staff for multiple locations (another cost savings)
Top VoIP equipment vendors are Allworx, Avaya, and Nortel.
Small business VoIP solutions are available from many different vendors including Packet8, Lingo, VoIP.com, and more. You’ll find more information on these vendors and others at Broadband Nation. For larger organizations needing an enterprise solution I suggest you take advantage of no cost consulting services through Business-VoIP-Solution.com.
By: Michael Lemm
