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Attraction InformationConducting a VoIP Readiness Assessment of Your Corporate Net
by:
TelCon Associates, Inc
2005 is foretold
to be the year of voice over IP (VoIP) solutions for a growing number of corporate enterprises - several large and small.
If you have been considering the benefits of implementing VoIP, you are for sure not alone. In its just-published "2005 Telecommunications Report," Harris Interactive found that 87% of business decision-makers are familiar with VoIP and, of that number, 12% presently
use it in their organizations.
So what's the big attraction?
Cost mainly. But lowering institution telecommunication expenses is just one aspect of the lure of implementing VoIP solutions. Else advantages include the potential for value-added services and the capability of much advanced features ready-made possible through the integration of voice and data (e.g. videoconferencing, advanced voicemail features,etc.)
Sounds good, but here's the rub...it's likewise been calculable
that up to 85% of corporate networks are just not available to handle VoIP.
Combining voice with data is a tricky proposition. After decades of effort used to near-perfect sound quality delivered over traditional voice networks, even as the slightest delays in voip can be really annoying.
Before diving in to a full-blown VoIP solution, it is judicious that you conduct a voice over IP readiness assessment of your existing network. This assessment wish provide you with two really important pieces of information:
1) The capability of your existing data network to deliver high-quality voip calls, and; 2) the ability to assess the quality of these calls during a wide variety of traffic scenarios. Keep in mind that most data networks were not designed for VoIP, so chances are that several upgrading of your existing network wish be necessary.
One critical requirement for VoIP to activity is QoS. (Short for Quality of Service, a networking term that specifies a secured turnout
level). For QoS to work, the routers and switches that manage the data traffic flow in your network must be able to order VoIP data packets via QoS.
4 Steps to a Flourishing VoIP Readiness Assessment
1) Conduct a complete inventory of your existing network. Identify routers, switches and links in your network and store their configuration data in a database. This step is crucial before you can come to step 2.
2) Determine the current CPU, memory and information measure
of your network devices, routers and switches. This information wish give you a "baseline" of your existing network infrastructure and current capacity.
3) Simulate and compare VoIP usage scenarios to estimate the call capacity of the network.
4) Determine how well VoIP wish perform on your network by measure simulated VoIP traffic and hard call quality based on a Mean Opinion Score (MOS).
We have recently adscititious a VoIP information measure
calculator tool to help you determine various codec, MOS, and information measure
scenarios. Go to www.telconassociates.com for much information.
While VoIP can ride over the highways that your data presently
does, it is a new application with new rules. A VoIP readiness assessment wish give you the information you need to incorporate a VoIP resolution without gratuitous hassles and expenses due to lack of proper planning and research.
If you are considering migrating to VoIP and need help, contact us and we'll help manual you to the right sources.
TelCon Associates For 32 years, TelCon Associates has helped companies of all sizes gain control and reduce telecommunication defrayment through their proprietary methods of telecommunication audits, telecommunication bill management and telecommunication audit training. Visit www.telconassociates.com for much information and free news and resources in the telecommunication industry.
Just about the Author
For 32 years, TelCon Associates has helped companies of all sizes gain control and reduce telecommunication defrayment through their proprietary methods of telecommunication audits, telecommunication bill management and telecommunication audit training. Visit www.telconassociates.com for much information and free news and resources in the telecommunication industry.
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