Voip Blog
News of the cool, part: the umpteenth
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
I am utterly and completely hooked on all the unusual applications for voip internet phones. They're often an elegant solution to particularly difficult problems that might well be unsolvable, but for voip's extreme flexibility. Talk about your wow factor.
For instance, Stena Drilling, a global leader in independent drilling, recently decided to heave their old PBX system overboard (well, probably not literally overboard) and replace it with voip. Their biggest complaint was a lack of flexibility. Drilling platforms tend to be somewhat mobile, which traditional phone systems have a hard time handling--imagine moving your entire office building, a la Howl's Moving Castle.
Now, with their IP-based phone system, they don't have to wait days just for engineers to get out to the rigs and reprogram telephone ports or headsets; they can configure, add and make changes to the voip system completely in-house. Their people can easily communicate on the rigs and telecommute from home and the company expects to see a significant cost savings in both what they spend and down time wasted waiting for outside engineering support. Plus, as an added and unexpected bonus, their new voip system is completely compatible with Stena's pre-existing videoconferencing hardware.
So let's recap: they solved their problems, the new voip system works with existing equipment, and they're expecting to save a bundle of money while streamlining their operation. What's not to love?
