It's been promised for a while, but IP telephony -- using your network to carry your voice calls - appears to have finally become a sensible alternative for company communications.
Voice over IP promises cost savings, simplified network management and the opportunity to build unified voice and data applications - but is it fit for corporate deployment?
Although the benefits and potential savings are well known, businesses have long been taking a wait-and-see approach to voice over IP. But will the aggressive movements of carriers and telcos force businesses to act?
Some enterprises may not be ready for the cost and complexity of internet Protocol phones, but they're still drawn to the savings and features of voice-over-IP systems.
While a VoIP-based solution is ideal for some corporates, it will be some time before consumers will enjoy access to such technology in their own homes.
With all the excitement over the iPhone, few people have noticed that 1 July was the 11th anniversary of the deregulation of Australia's telecommunications market.
Just a few days after the Australia Connected program was launched Communications Minister Helen Coonan was selling the initiative to the TV talk shows.
Or is convergence just a pipe dream that should be quietly forgotten? Given all the talk about melding voice and data networks, why aren't more companies implementing it?
Although there is precious little evidence of VoIP security attacks, organisations cannot afford to be complacent. Make no mistake, VoIP is an attractive target for hackers and malware writers.
It may have had its share of teething pains, but medical clinic chain Medi 7 has used its VoIP and open source Asterisk PABX rollout to improve call routing and slash thousands of dollars in telecommunications costs.
For Western Australia's DVG Automotive Group, the ability to move phone calls over a data network was just the beginning of a VoIP project that's on track to pay for itself in as little as seven months.
Your VoIP vendor choice will influence your deployment and maintenance processes, but following general VoIP best practices will also increase the project's success. This document identifies and explains general best methods for deploying and maintaining successful VoIP networks.
If you're thinking about voice over IP, we take a look at the steps involved in getting it set up and what's on offer from four major vendors.
It seemed to be an obvious recipe: take two popular emerging technologies and stir vigorously. But the end result isn't to everyone's taste.
By being very easy to configure and manage, the 3CX Phone System for Windows scores well on functionality and is compatible with most SIP handsets, gateways and services. However scalability could be an issue for larger organisations.
The long-awaited release of Exchange Server 2007 is fast approaching and, according to Microsoft, it will ship in "late 2006 or early 2007".
SUSE Linux 10 is a full Windows/Microsoft Office replacement on one DVD at a bargain price. Home users could do a lot worse, and even IT managers may learn to love it.
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