When a company finally comes to terms that its voice and data convergence is severely lacking, it becomes essential to establish criteria to launch a consistent, yet potentially tricky, foundation. Because businesses large and small rely on phone and data systems as a lifeline to communicate with customers, suppliers and staff members, practical decisions need to be made and failure is a real possibility.
The key to a successful transition to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) without disruption of company operations lies in the merging of familiar platforms that are currently in use, thus optimizing the existing infrastructure, says Jose Zamora, senior IT technician at ATW Management Inc.
Since VoIP can share the same CAT5e data cabling by prioritizing voice over data to protect quality, phone calls can be made without affecting data speeds. Wiring installation and maintenance costs can be controlled if not eliminated. The new architecture consists of a VoIP phone system merged with the existing data infrastructure to create a unified communications framework.
Smart Business spoke to Zamora about how accomplishing this means taking advantage of how VoIP phone systems and their features have evolved to meet the ever-changing needs of today’s businesses.
What VoIP technology is available to businesses today?
Today’s telecom manufacturers offer VoIP equipment that ranges from easy-to use ’plug and play‘ systems with limited capabilities to feature rich systems that encompass video, voice and data along with all the bells and whistles. The common thread is associated with licenses, which are necessary for connectivity and operational utility. Fortunately, basic functions are sold in bundles. Most VoIP products embrace Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), which allow interoperation within a variety of network hardware implementations and phone sets from different manufacturers that also support SIP. This gives maximum flexibility with a real potential for cost effectiveness and creativity. However, the advanced function licenses can be difficult to understand and implement. But this is also where the real creativity lies.