VoIP stands for Voice Over IP. VoIP Solutions allow a vast array of services, software, and hardware to work together to create flexible, feature-rich communication solutions with many attractive benefits. This kind of solution allows for Networked Applications like IP Telephony, Net-Meeting and Teleconferencing, Voice and Video collaborative working, etc. Voice and Data Networks play a critical role at supporting key business activities. As companies grow and spread their activities to different geographical locations, it becomes more and more costly to operate and manage the separate networks. Enterprises are migrating to VoIP Technologies to take advantage of the cost savings gained by converging voice and data traffic onto a single network structure. To ensure user satisfaction, one has to consider the ability of a network to support high-quality VoIP calls and the configuration of various hardware and software.
To help businesses converge their network to support Data and VoIP calls, extensive survey need to be done. System engineers analyze and make recommendations based on gathered information such as call patterns, phone bills, the existing equipments already in place, and all other issues required to determine how long distance calls can be cut and carrier charges rationalized.
In order to design and build an optimal Data and VoIP architecture, these are the basic requirements:
1. Prepare the Wide Area Network (WAN) for VoIP. This involves Quality of Service (QoS) and bandwidth sizing;
2. Ensure that the voice infrastructure technology is enabled for IP; and
3. Build the enterprise dial plan, ensuring that it is logical, consistent and easy to use.
Some businesses are holding back deploying Data VoIP Systems until the standards are more mature. Their perception is that standards processes for telecommunications and data networking is very complex. As a result, many people are concerned that because of the relative newness of VoIP Technology, the current standards for these solutions are not mature enough. The fear is that if they invest in a Data and VoIP Solution now, by next year, everything will change, and their investment will be worthless.
The reality is that fundamental standards for VoIP Networks and Systems are already in place; new standards will continue to emerge. In the world of technology, it can often take far less than a year for a standard to become obsolete. In the case of VoIP Solutions, most of the standards that are critical to the success of the solution have been around for some time. In fact, many people are surprised by the number of standards it takes to place an VoIP phone call today.
