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2005 is predicted to be the year of voice over IP (VoIP)
solutions for a growing number of corporate enterprises - both
large and small.
If you have been considering the benefits of implementing VoIP,
you are certainly not alone. In its just-published "2005
Telecommunications Report," Harris Interactive found that 87% of
business decision-makers are familiar with VoIP and, of that
number, 12% currently use it in their organizations.
So what's the big attraction?
Cost mainly. But lowering company telecom expenses is just one
aspect of the lure of implementing VoIP solutions. Other
advantages include the potential for value-added services and
the capability of more advanced features made possible through
the integration of voice and data (e.g. videoconferencing,
advanced voicemail features,etc.)
Sounds good, but here's the rub...it's also been estimated that
up to 85% of corporate networks are simply not ready to handle
VoIP.
Combining voice with data is a tricky proposition. After decades
of getting used to near-perfect sound quality delivered over
traditional voice networks, even the slightest delays in voip
can be very annoying.
Before diving in to a full-blown VoIP solution, it is advisable
that you conduct a voice over IP readiness assessment of your
existing network. This assessment will provide you with two very
important pieces of information:
1) The capability of your existing data network to deliver
high-quality voip calls, and;
2) the ability to evaluate the quality of these calls during a
wide variety of traffic scenarios.
Keep in mind that most data networks were not designed for VoIP,
so chances are that some upgrading of your existing network will
be necessary.
One critical requirement for VoIP to work is QoS. (Short for
Quality of Service, a networking term that specifies a
guaranteed throughput level). For QoS to work, the routers and
switches that manage the data traffic flow in your network must
be able to prioritize VoIP data packets via QoS.
4 Steps to a Successful VoIP Readiness Assessment
1) Conduct a complete inventory of your existing network.
Identify routers, switches and links in your network and store
their configuration data in a database. This step is crucial
before you can move to step 2.
2) Determine the current CPU, memory and bandwidth of your
network devices, routers and switches. This information will
give you a "baseline" of your existing network infrastructure
and current capacity.
3) Simulate and compare VoIP usage scenarios to estimate the
call capacity of the network.
4) Determine how well VoIP will perform on your network by
measuring simulated VoIP traffic and calculating call quality
based on a Mean Opinion Score (MOS).
We have recently added a VoIP bandwidth calculator tool to help
you determine various codec, MOS, and bandwidth scenarios. Go to
www.telconassociates.com for more information.
While VoIP can ride over the highways that your data currently
does, it is a new application with new rules. A VoIP readiness
assessment will give you the information you need to incorporate
a VoIP solution without unnecessary hassles and expenses due to
lack of proper planning and research.
If you are considering migrating to VoIP and need help, contact
us and we'll help guide you to the right sources.
TelCon Associates
For 32 years, TelCon Associates has helped companies of all
sizes gain control and reduce telecom spending through their
proprietary methods of telecom audits, telecom bill management
and telecom audit training. Visit www.telconassociates.com for
more information and free news and resources in the telecom
industry.
For 32 years, TelCon Associates has helped companies of all sizes gain
control and reduce telecom spending through their proprietary
methods of telecom audits, telecom bill management and telecom audit
training. Visit www.telconassociates.com for more information and
free news and resources in the telecom industry.
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