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Business and VoIP

By Alfredo DeLorenzo, Internet Phone Writer

Published:May 18, 2006

78% of large companies are deploying IP telephony, according to the 2005 IP market survey conducted by Integrated Research. This mass migration is occurring in virtually every imaginable industry, from the smallest companies to large-scale enterprise.

Enterprise Chooses VoIP

The BAR Honda Formula 1 team chose VoIP to lower costs on international calls and keep drivers, mechanics, and engineers connected while on the road. Cost cutting technology that boosts productivity is also a priority for the Boston Red Sox, who rolled out their IP Telephony system several years ago. This surge in popularity isn't reserved for the business sector; government offices from NASA to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) have also turned to VoIP for their telecom needs.

IP Communications Offer Powerful Telephony Solutions

VoIP allows companies to streamline their communications systems into scalable, cost-effective telephony. This is the driving force behind most IP deployments, with 64% of respondents citing infrastructure costs as their determining factor and more than a third giving the end of PABX life as their reason. Increasingly, though, it's the competitive advantage gained from using IP applications that causes enterprise to consider IP telephony. Converged data and voice networks, IP based video conferencing, and unified messaging are just a few of the reasons so many companies make the switch.

Successful VoIP Deployment

Pre-deployment assessment is crucial for VoIP success. Although only 1% of all deployments failed, 55% failed in the testing phase. Vendors can provide a variety of helpful assessment tools. Once the system is in place, management software that is specific to IP telephony will ensure everything continues working the way you want it to. Finally, system performance must be monitored regularly for both applications and the networks they ride on.