Enterprise VoIP from the Vendor Perspective
November 1, 2007
by Hunter Newby
Over the course of this article series there have been several different examples of VoIP uses, benefits, implementations and perspectives. Most recently this series has explored the industry analyst perspective as it relates to data metrics and how they are used and reported in order to identify success or failure and to forecast the best possible course in the future. As we have seen, sometimes the data does not give us a full, complete picture.
It's probably wise to analyze actual enterprise VoIP implementations from the equipment vendor perspective as well. Now that VoIP is mature and has been adopted by numerous businesses globally, significant and valuable lessons can be learned from real-life experiences.
The key challenges with any VoIP equipment vendor analysis are usually the same:
- Replacing legacy phone systems
- Maximizing budgets
- Simplifying administration
- Simplifying and enhancing the user features
Keep in mind that realizing cost savings from VoIP service – both carrier and intra/inter-office – does not require VoIP handsets and/or IP-PBXs. The addition of those network elements can create added efficiencies, but they also introduce added expense. However, VoIP handsets and IP-PBXs enhance the overall benefits of VoIP and often times create enough savings from VoIP call trunking to cover the cost of the entire deployment.
The overall benefits of a full VoIP implementation typically include:
- Thousands of dollars in savings when adding new locations
- Reduction and/or elimination of toll charges
- Remote management and ease of use/maintenance
- Unified calling platform (contacts built in to the phone system)
VoIP peering certainly contains the benefit of a common standard for VoIP calls, but it can be assumed that on an internal VoIP network the user is going to deploy one system moving forward and that the system will speak the same language (probably SIP) and the same CODEC (probably G.711). The VoIP system can help an enterprise be better prepared to interface with other VoIP networks if it supports multiple protocols and CODECs, but the real savings comes from putting calls on-net between branch offices and utilizing least-cost routing for the remaining outbound calls that terminate off-net.
Hunter Newby was CEO of Allied Fiber at the time of this publishing.
Originally published in FATPIPE magazine, November 2007.
