VOIP

Many people today are suffering from high phone bills due to international calls made . Even some businesses are faced with this problem when making calls between their branches across the nation and maybe even internationally . A good way to reduce the phone bill is by using your high speed internet connection and IT network for phone calls . This technology is known today as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP . This technology can also benefit workers since IT network can be used to combine voice and data , giving productivity to the staff and improved

customer service . So as the price of high speed or broadband internet connection drops down , it 's very worth using this IT technology for telecommunications

So what is this Voice over Internet Protocol ? Technically speaking , it is a protocol designed to operate using the internet or packet-switched networks for transmitting voice . In simple terms , it allows a person to make phone calls using the internet or a local area network , which gives a very effective and low cost solution to make phone calls . It can even deliver telephone services to remote areas as long as there is a wireless internet connection in those areas

So what are the possible benefits for an organization investing in using this technology ? First benefit is cheaper calls . Using the computer network for phone calls and data transmission , a company would definitely cut-down operating costs . In addition to this , a company could implement a call center style technology giving a good advantage over other companies . A call center style implementation in a company would improve its customer service . And also , making an international calls using VoIP technology is cheaper than using the traditional telephone system . Any person in the company could even make free calls within the company network . Another benefit of VoIP is licated infrastructure . A company can increase its call capacity without deploying added cables . Another good benefit of this is scalability Usually , a common Private Branch Exchange (PBX ) system has a limited number of sockets for telephones to connect to . Using VoIP , a larger number of `virtual users ' can connect to every network socket , thus providing flexibility and scalability . Another benefit for an organization is lower operating costs . VoIP system is not based on hardware but rather on software . This makes it a lot easier to maintain and manage . Better productivity is another benefit of VoIP . Since VoIP handles every voice call like any other data , the users can attach s or documents to voice messages and could also partake in videoconferencing or virtual meetings . VoIP is also wireless compatible Wireless mobile devices like smartphones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs ) can use the VoIP system through the company 's wireless Local Area Network (LAN . Last possible benefit of using VoIP system is reliable call management for the users . Voice-related services like caller-ID call diversion , and broadcast messaging are easier to manage and can be regularly updated by users or employees in the company

After knowing the benefits of implementing VoIP system in a company let 's now look on the potential risks of this technology . First is security . Security of every phone conversation is very important to a company since possible private issues or s within the company might be at risk . In VoIP systems , voice is transmitted as data and therefore is highly vulnerable to attack or hack compared to conventional telephone system . There are several ways a company 's security might be at risk with this technology . One is exposure to computer viruses and /or malicious attacks . Another could be unauthorized use of your network probably by hackers , to make calls for free . Last but the most important is eavesdropping or spying by other companies that could give them an advantage over your company . Next potential risk is quality of service In VoIP systems , voice is transmitted as data packets through your network . And when your network is congested or there is too much data being transmitted through the network at the same time , the possibility of voice delay , stuttering effect and loss of syllables or sometimes even words is quite high . And this is not acceptable to the users Another probable risk with VoIP is reliability . Of course a robust network is a must for a company . A lose of telephone service and also access to important data could be very disastrous . But all of these potential risks could be resolved by good implementation of VoIP system

Before implementing VoIP system within a company , a few things must be analyzed . First is to know if the computers the employees would be using are VoIP capable or ready ? Next is to identify the data and voice traffic through the network at peak times , and check whether the network has sufficient bandwidth . Next is to determine the management tools needed for this system . The cost benefit for the organization must also be analyzed . The additional cost of installing new or additional equipment must be carefully considered . The probable company savings for the company must also be assessed . Finally , you can explore other options by using VoIP system in your company like probably bypassing the public telephone system when making external calls . After all of these things in mind , a company might probably consider using VoIP system inside their organization . Reference

Voice over Internet Protocol . Retrieved December 16 , 2007 from http /www .is4profit .com /business-advice /it-telecoms /voip .html

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