Johannesburg, 21 Oct 2008
The truth is that VOIP technology is really as simple as putting another IP-based application - voice and voice-related services - on to the network. And it does cut infrastructure costs, since it enables businesses to do away with the legacy voice network by digitising voice into data so that it can ride on the existing data network.
So what`s there not to love about VOIP? Well, here`s another truth: VOIP`s cost and complexity is often in the licensing.
Though VOIP technologies are simple, their licensing can be complex and costly.
Look for vendors offering straightforward licensing structures with no hidden agenda that allow you to pay as you grow from as few as 30 users to thousands of devices. That way you are able to effectively match your technology investments with your actual business needs.
The other big cost item in a VOIP infrastructure is VOIP handsets.
In effect, the total cost of a VOIP deployment, including fair licensing, must be looked at over a two- to three-year period to see the real cost savings.
However, what is really driving VOIP rollouts is not the cost savings from having voice on the data network and enjoying a medium-term reduction in total cost of ownership, but the fact that VOIP offers a strategic pathway to unified communications, which integrates various enterprise communications like e-mail, voicemail, conferencing, presence management, instant messaging, directory services and other messaging and collaboration applications in addition to multiple fixed and mobile voice devices.
This can improve business aspects like productivity, workflow, business response times, and customer service that present a positive business impact far greater than the cost savings associated with VOIP.
Our experience is that many companies are concerned about their legacy infrastructure when deploying unified communications, especially when budget is an issue. These organisations would go for a progressive migration to unified communications, starting deployments with key executives that can immediately leverage the integrated communications to streamline business processes.
The single most important factor in driving the wide acceptance and deployment of unified communications is the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) that makes various VOIP systems interoperable. Other key drivers include open source platforms like Linux and IP-based applications and Web services that can be easily integrated to tailor a unified communications system for specific business needs.
It is worthwhile to note, however, that some vendors offer SIP interoperability as an interface between their own non-SIP telephony systems. The best approach is to look for solutions that use standard SIP among end points like IP phones, video cameras, call controllers and gateways to the public network.
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