Evaluating VoIP Telephones and
Service for Your Business

We’ve been in the business of installing, maintaining and upgrading telephone equipment in and around Cleveland and Northeast Ohio since 1982. During this time the technology has obviously evolved tremendously. Today, VoIP or ‘voice over Internet protocol’ represents the latest in telephone system technology. With it, regular voice calls are sent over a computer network instead of traditional telephone lines. 

There has been enough buzz and media attention around office VoIP that many IT managers and companies are diving into the technology without really analyzing their potential benefits. Contrary to the assumption many potential buyers start with, an office VoIP installation is not a guaranteed way to save money. And right now, features alone are not necessarily reason enough to upgrade. However, some specific situations exist where office VoIP can make an immediate positive impact on your business.

VoIP systems CAN be appropriate for small offices and very large enterprises.

To set up a business Voice over IP system, you need several components. A central device manages the calls, the way a private branch exchange (PBX) or key system unit (KSU) does in traditional telephone systems. This can be a dedicated piece of hardware such as an IP PBX, a regular PBX that has been IP-enabled, or a server running specialized software. You will also need telephones and a data network. In many cases, you may be able to use your existing digital telephones and computer network, although you may need to upgrade some of your network hardware.

Depending on your Voice over IP setup, internal calls are routed over your existing telephone network or your computer network. Calls within the same office will typically be conveyed over your telephone network, while calls to other company locations get routed over your computer network. Calls to external telephone numbers get sent through the network to a gateway, which connects to the public telephone network. All of your calls connect seamlessly to any telephone user - there are no compatibility issues to worry about.

If your company has multiple locations – branches, telecommuters, remote sales offices – that are already connected to a company Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN), an office VoIP system may prove very beneficial.

You can share the full features of your telephone system across all your locations. In addition, even if you have one office in Connecticut and one in California, VoIP allows calls between them via extension dialing, making it a zero cost call. For businesses with hefty monthly long distance charges due to calls between locations, that can be a very attractive reason to upgrade.

In many cases, the best solution will be a system that uses existing telephone wires within the main office and VoIP for calls between locations. This combination works well if you have relatively new telecom equipment - many PBXs can be IP-enabled with software upgrades and minor hardware additions. Sticking with digital telephones internally will save you money, as well as increasing the overall reliability of your phone system. You can also set up systems that use only traditional lines and extensions at first, but support later expansion to VoIP.

Davissa would be happy to help you select the most effective combination of technology, platforms and tools based on your specific requirements. Email us or call today to set up a time to chat.

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