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Cloud answers VOIP's call

Companies may think they know about voice over Internet Protocol, but do they really?

Richard Vester
By Richard Vester, EOH divisional director of Cloud Services.
Johannesburg, 18 Apr 2016

In the decade since VOIP became available, it has become a mainstream telecommunications solution for businesses and consumers alike. Large enterprises, in particular, are increasingly participating in complex VOIP deployments as they transition from traditional telephony, gaining cost savings and other benefits along the way.

VOIP is continuing to evolve, with many businesses moving their on-premises IP PBX solutions to cloud-based hosted offerings in order to gain efficiencies, improve features, and increase productivity. However, while the advantages of VOIP are well known, many people are still unsure of what they should be looking for out of an IP telephony solution.

Buying a VOIP solution has more variables than a legacy phone system, and companies should take a number of factors into consideration when deciding which offering is best suited for their needs. Evaluating features and functions should always be the starting point, but things like network requirements and scope of services are equally important, as is deployment.

While many companies view the transition to VOIP as merely a case of investing in a new phone system, business objectives need to be taken into consideration, which often doesn't happen. The value of VOIP lies in its ability to integrate into other applications and communications as much as the efficiency of having access across multiple devices. Features such as video-conferencing and presence can fundamentally change the way a business operates, and the VOIP solution must therefore be considered with this in mind.

Stumbling blocks

In addition, the set-up of a company's network is crucial to an effective VOIP deployment. VOIP roll-outs can often stumble at this point, as existing WAN infrastructure may not support VOIP services properly. Similarly, some companies block some SIP ports and FTP traffic in order to secure the LAN.

All of these things should be evaluated prior to a VOIP roll-out, as should the different use cases. In addition, it's extremely important for businesses to have a future plan. Traditional telephony served one purpose, but VOIP is constantly evolving, with new features and applications being added regularly. To get the value from their IP telephony investments, companies should keep this in mind so as not to over- or under-capitalise.

Cloud VOIP solutions have greatly simplified VOIP deployment, effectively managing all of these considerations. While many businesses still have a mix of on-premises and cloud-based systems for their VOIP environment, companies are increasingly seeing the benefit of having a future-ready, scalable solution.

VOIP is constantly evolving, with new features and applications being added regularly.

Cloud-based IP telephony offers way more than cost savings. Location is no longer important, and a unified system is available to companies with smaller budgets. So, if an office move is on the cards, there is no need for service providers to move lines, and if staff are on the road frequently, they have access to the same kind of functionality as if they were in the office. It makes the IT department's task easier too, because it's easily integrated into the company network, and simpler to manage and administer. When all of this comes together, companies can access increased productivity and capability, just by using one tool.

Cloud solutions

In addition, not only is cloud VOIP future-proof, it's the way of the future. Applications and capabilities will continue to be added by vendors and independents alike, and features such as unified messaging are becoming more mainstream. Companies are also increasingly integrating video and teleconferencing into their day-to-day operations, and cloud-based tools are the ideal - and most scalable - solutions.

The technology is smart enough to detect and eliminate single points of failure, so it will automatically redirect data, voice, and video traffic in the case of any failures. Similarly, because it is IP-based, it easily integrates with other applications such as the e-mail agent and Web browser.

Cloud VOIP is flexible, cost-effective, scalable, and as easy to deploy as clicking a few buttons. The legacy of the shift to VOIP from traditional phone systems has resulted in a situation where telephony is managed by the operational side of the business while the network is managed by IT. This leads to many complications in the management of VOIP systems.

By allowing for easy provisioning, full visibility and control, and detailed management of the entire VOIP infrastructure, cloud VOIP alleviates this situation, while providing companies with a platform that can enhance the way they do business.

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