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Christian InTech Articles - VOIP
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Avoid Computer Phone Nightmares aka VoIP
Although computer phones, aka VoIP (voice over internet protocol) offer the most optimal means of communicating when considering quality and cost, free computer phones cause countless problems when unsuspecting victims download their “free”...
Getting Started with Voip
VoIP offers a great way to help you save money on your phone
bill. With a few simple steps, you can be on your way to
utilizing this new technology. Here are some tips that will help
you find the best options for your needs:
Your Internet...
Getting Started With VOIP
VOIP Basics
Voice Over Internet Protocol is a great new technology that
allows a person with a computer to call another person over the
internet for either free or an extremely inexpensive rate.
Voice Over Internet Protocol or commonly...
The Skype Approach to VoIP - A review of Skype
With internet usage reaching almost every country, and economic
class, and with its permeation throughout the western world,
applications designed to harness its potential in ever more
practical ways are constantly arising. One such application...
VoIP Telephony: Is It the Right Fit for You?
It’s everything you ever wanted to know about VoIP but were afraid to ask. That may be dramatizing it a little, but as the new technology buzz in business it may be a little intimidating for some potential users. In fact there are many residences...
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Conducting a VoIP Readiness Assessment of Your Corporate Network
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.
About the Author
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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