VOIP: The cost of ownership challenge

With so much enthusiasm - and `hype` - surrounding the deregulation of voice traffic over data lines in SA, many companies have failed to grasp the fact that the real challenge comes not in terms of "toll bypass" in the wide area, but in making voice over IP work within the confines of the corporate environment.

This is the view of Graham Duxbury, CEO of Duxbury Networking. He looks at the challenges facing decision-makers who have decided to opt for VOIP-enabled networks and comments on the advantages from a business perspective.

Transmitting voice traffic over data lines is not a new technology. In the past the industry had "voice over Frame Relay" and "voice over ATM" and other platforms, which did not gain very much in popularity due to technical problems and cost.

Today, however, in the spotlight of deregulation, the transfer of voice traffic over packet networks, especially voice over IP (Internet Protocol), is rapidly gaining acceptance.

Despite the suitability of voice over Frame Relay, due to its ability to save money by optimising excess network capacity, the dominance of the Internet has shifted attention in the direction of VOIP.

VOIP takes advantage of the convergence of Internet and voice traffic to form a single managed network. This concept of network convergence has opened a number of doors to novel applications.

These include interactive shopping - in which Web pages incorporate a "click to talk" button - streaming audio, and electronic white-boarding.

However, while these applications have been popularised internationally, the real business opportunities, particularly within the South African context, lie in perfecting the LAN applications of VOIP.

The convergence of voice and data within the confines of the corporate-wide LAN delivers immediate operational benefits. Because the telephony and computer networks are now one and the same, staff moves, changes and additions are simplified and automated.

The time taken to get a new staff member "up and running" is significantly shorter in a VOIP environment, compared to an analogue office.

By having a close link between voice and data in a customer service situation, such as a call centre, call routing is simplified and a host of new-generation applications can be employed to link telephone messages to sales and service personnel`s computer systems - and then to cellphones and pagers. All of which should improve communications and response times and ultimately enhance the customer experience.

One of the core advantages of a VOIP solution is the ability to manage desktop devices and platforms to provide businesses with unprecedented ease of access, personalisation and control over their communications regardless of their operating environment.

Moreover, a converged IP infrastructure sets the foundation for scalable enterprise networks that offer compelling benefits at both the user and infrastructure level when it comes to the addition of new applications, upgrades and technologies.

A VOIP platform facilitates the duplication of the business environment for disaster recovery and other purposes. This has always been easily achieved from a data-only perspective, but the ability to move data and voice to an off-site location at a moment`s notice is a new innovation.

Telkom`s ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) and modem technology are key in this and other roles where an ordinary telephone line needs to be turned into a multi-tasking access medium at short notice.

Increased security is one of the key drivers for the adoption of VOIP. The main challenges in a VOIP environment are similar to those in any network and include controlling physical access to systems, employing management tools that enable remote monitoring, and deploying software systems that detect intrusions and destroy malicious code.

However, with the new technologies available today, VOIP infrastructures present harder targets to hit. They facilitate realistically deployable, secure solutions that are easier to install and manage. The latest methods of encryption, for example, are easier to implement.

The concerns that are present in VOIP wide area networks (WANs), such as bandwidth constraints on existing telco infrastructures and voice latency problems - which cause interrupted speech patterns - are also to be found within the corporate VOIP infrastructure.

The central issue is the fact that if networks are not configured correctly and voice is not prioritised (it seldom is) then irritating interruptions to the voice stream could occur at times of peak activity.

It is important to select a VOIP partner who understands this and other key voice/data issues and is, for instance, able to save bandwidth when possible by employing voice compression standards.

While IT departments are under increasing pressure to do more with less, the addition of a VOIP technology is an opportunity to provide users with the tools they need to achieve this goal. At the same time VOIP can be used as a catalyst to improve service levels and business efficiencies across the enterprise.

That said, VOIP services can introduce their own sets of network design and optimisation issues. Users must work with suitably qualified partners who understand the important parameters and use appropriate tools to meet and overcome these challenges.