The first thing you need to know is what are the reasons for the deployment. It is important to keep the reasons for the upgrade in mind when planning and selection of the new system, not to be drawn into the reasons less important in the process. Here are the most common reasons that we encounter:

* The old telephone system is failing or falling all the time.
* People complain about the age of the telephone system.
* It is possible monthly savings by switching to SIP trunking.
* You will hear from improving the productivity of other companies with Voice over IP systems.
* There are many new features that you need.

However, there are also other advantages for the modernization of the existing telephone system have not thought of that and in the process:

* Your old data network receives an upgrade in the cost of the new telephone system.
* The opportunity to improve business processes exists.
* There are many ways the interactions of the service consumer and provider can be improved.
* Moves faster handset, additions and alterations.

This guide assumes that you get us an idea of Voice-over IP phone system. The other options to get an acceptance on the traditional PBX or hosted VoIP system will not be discussed because they are a small part of the market at this point.

Planning to upgrade VoIP
So, where do I start? Well, this is the first step in evaluating your current telephone system and data network. You have to know what the current skills you are what people like and dislike about the system on the system as and above all as the people, the heavy users of the PBX to the customer interaction and help desk side with the existing system and improve it to.

From the perspective of computation, which means that you have a lot of things you need for each location:

* How many analog and digital phones have. With what analog devices can be low-end IP phones (usually all of them) to be replaced.
* How many outside lines do you have in the form of T-1 voice and analog ports
* Number and type of T1 data at each site. (A T1 can be used for voice, Internet, WAN or a combination).
* Wide Area Network on the bandwidth and site usage.
* LAN switches, quantity and location, the quantity of ports used by cabinet.
* Any special requirements of the ACD, IVR, call recording, paging, handset and application integration.

If you financial support for what to get you what your monthly charges pending get grip. Current monthly expenses include the costs for each location:

* Internet and network connection costs.
* Rates PBX.
* The monthly service fee PBX. The average cost for additional PBX service on a monthly basis.
* The cost for mobile phone, there may be some of them covered with Single Number Reach.
* Our monthly conferences.
* The monthly maintenance and support for all network hardware and software that can be replaced.

Once you have determined what will your monthly expenses, you are ready to determine what the budget for the new project. The best result for the new project would be the new monthly costs are lower than your current cost per month, after taking account of new services to install and everything on the new phone system instead, if they are over a period of 3 to 5 years with the purchase of a dollar at the end you have financed the new system. They can be found during this planning are necessary to get the new phone and amount of network connections in order to achieve the desired return on investment, make sure to reduce your costs and your monthly circuit of funding equipment, maintenance, and a separate system .

Select suppliers and reseller VoIP
There are two ways to make the next. An election is the manufacturer of the new phone, you want to buy to determine, is the other option to a local vendor to do the installation design and support to choose the new system. To the best price and best service on the new system you should go in a certain way. Customers in many cases it is best to do get a phone system from a manufacturer that good local dealer, the proper installation of the system in a smooth way, so do that all the functions it has, and they constantly support it. The size of the dealer, you will probably want to work with depends on the size and needs of your business. I recommend that the dealer is large enough is to run your business work, but will not be overwhelmed by it and is small enough that your business is important to them and they will lean back, take care of you .

So how do you find a dealer who has good size for you? Here you can connect the phone system manufacturers back to get a few options. The leading provider of phone systems are the best source for finding local dealers. The leading provider of Voice over IP systems, are at this point, Cisco Systems, Avaya, Mitel, ShoreTel and Digium Switchvox. If you connect these sellers online or through their local provider, you can for a recommendation of its three dealers who do a good job asking for you. After receiving the names of suppliers distributors tried his recommendation that you get to really work, then call the dealer and the other two. At this point you should have three suppliers of equipment, three dealers for these suppliers and nine great opportunities for a local company who do a great job for the VoIP upgrade.

Note that once you start the process of contacting providers will start to receive calls, because people know you are interested. Well, that may be a way you know who the most interested, can be your business but it can also give you guidance to the providers are more aggressive. Be be very clear, what is your schedule if you take your time and choose the best provider plan, and if they bug you enough to put them on the bottom of your list. By the way, you should begin this process at least six months before you want a new phone system in operation. Next, you will choose suppliers 2-3 months, another month to determine pricing and financing, and there when you say go, it takes about two months to get the hardware, and then in a month full scope to implement and reduce the new telephone system.

Expectations of the seller
What you should expect from these sellers is that they want to work with you to determine your needs, a step by step from your existing systems and find you have special needs. Then try some special features that their system is that no one else was and try to sell a demonstration of their system to see. I recommend you see the demo of their system, have to buy into any of their special features are exclusive, then ask them a list of reference customers about your size and needs, you can call and talk to see how things went.

Certainly call this reference customers and see how the dealer has in the design phase, the price competitiveness has been, as they did during the installation, and that their support was like after the sale. During this part of the commitment, if you have the most impact, and you can get most things for free. By all means take the time to get a good meal and get to know people who go potentially to know to work for you. Besides the fact the installation for you if they come from outside the state, or whether they are on site and available to support after installation. Do not be afraid to ask this question because it is completely valid and will definitely affect the results of the project and should be a deciding factor for you.

At this point you should proposals for each of your suppliers and you can begin to compare. Some vendors of PBX systems will try to give you a monthly fee for a summary description of the parties say, then, hey that’s how it works. Like most VoIP providers are on the side of the business data they expect you to miss a quote and a cost line. You can then decide what you want to fund or not. If you do not get the request in the price of online articles and the specific part and model numbers of the devices and a complete evasion, that the annual maintenance costs.

Annual maintenance is divided into three zones. Annual maintenance products, support and hardware replacement and software upgrade maintenance costs, which allows you to change applications, and a contract with local providers offering support. The three areas of maintenance are valid. The first two are very important and must be purchased in almost all cases, and a support contract must be purchased locally, if you do not have a qualified person to operate the equipment after it is installed.

Since this is a Voice over IP, you have to expect that you will be able to use the system to a new data network and not on a separate network that you are running in parallel to get there. This means that the company should voice applications over IP phone system have an excellent network capabilities and to prove that the quality of the service, the development of network equipment to differentiate between different understanding data types, and then prioritize voice traffic . It is easy to do on a LAN, a little difficult to do in a WAN, and difficult to do more firewall to connect to the Internet. If you are looking to secure SIP trunking that the seller to enforce quality of service on all roads SIP voice says.

Take a VoIP phone system decision
So at this point you should take your suggestions command line with prices, have included all the installation and maintenance, have seen the demos and got a chance for local suppliers to meet and communicate with their customers reference and asking some basic questions. Step back and asked real basic questions at this point. Ask the seller if you are missing something. Ask the seller if the parts are changed. Ask the seller if not the best price and then go further and ask the dealer if there is a way to get a better price to the seller. Sometimes there is an end of the quarter or next year and it is possible to take a few extra discount points or other concessions thrown

During this process, you probably have excluded certain suppliers of the test, because you tried your list of nine suppliers to narrow about three. For these six suppliers can call and eliminate them a good reason for them to finally know why they are out of the race and what they are doing about it in the future with other clients. For the other three, so they know they made the short list and give them a timetable for when you perform the evaluation and decision.

Go through the process of decision making used by your organization and to a single supplier. As you go through the contract negotiations with the supplier, the other two on the short list who did not call you will not stop if you let them know that you made the appointment with someone different, and they are out of the race. This is a small industry and there are not many companies that a good job in this room do I recommend you follow them to know that they do not make the cut in a manner pleasant and professional as you all appreciate the efforts it in their behalf have made. Sometime in the future, you can call for help, and would like to assure you that you have separated on good terms.

Finally, as you begin the installation with your supplier of choice, be sure to get close to her team of project management and all the information they need as quickly as possible. To ensure that your installation will go much smoother, faster and more successful.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rolf_Versluis

VOIP explained

VOIP, in addition to being the biggest buzzword in our industry has ever seen, in simple terms, a way of connecting a phone handset or calls from one place to another over a computer network son instead of the normal phone.

There are 3 main reasons to use VoIP

* VOIP Extensions (for remote workers)
* Lines VOIP (instead of traditional phone lines)
* VoIP Gateways (also for connecting PBXs at different locations)

Many people contact us about using VoIP to save money. While this can work for non-enterprise customers, it is our experience that usually loses VOIP savings accounts in the victim.

Where is VOIP advantages is the ability to have multiple sites as well as increasing productivity and sharing of resources connect. What would you have a central reception, minimize costs? Or unlimited, untimed calls between all your sites? You can make calls unanswered overflow, even if the remote locations back to headquarters. These are some real advantages to using VOIP.

Panasonic VoIP

Panasonic has long led the way with VOIP. Although the technology has existed for some time, it has never been easier to install and use. All Panasonic telephone systems we sell are a cross between a complete VoIP and traditional telephone system – a hybrid. There is no advantage in using VoIP internally in a company that only has one office location. Therefore, the traditional PBX side was retained.

By choosing a telephone system or PBX Panasonic, select an industry leading brand worldwide. Whether or not VoIP is needed is a Panasonic phone system in a position to your unique business needs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Simon_Rule

It is a disadvantage to home VOIP service, and in fact there are several disadvantages. One of the biggest problems is that it still is not consistently available in 100% of countries simply because a secure high-speed Internet service is not yet available in 100% of the country. How many countries are still covered by the service reliable high-speed Internet? It is a two-part question, simply because the word “reliable.”

The high-speed Internet service for your home is in most metropolitan areas across the country available. To use VOIP, noted that the satellite is not recommended, and wireless is also a question mark on the state of VoIP today. But even where high-speed Internet service is available, it can not reliably enough to use VoIP. Today, access to residential broadband Internet services in a surprisingly high number of homes to some miserable compared to the very “connected” countries elsewhere, as in Great Britain and Finland. Some people are at speeds that rival Putzing think speed dial, they are at high speed. If your connection “broadband” Internet is so not even try VOIP.

The reason for the mention, because many people have given VOIP a bad name because it does not work for you. What they do not realize is that this is not the VoIP provider or the VoIP service that is blowing, it’s their high-speed Internet connection that blows, and solved until the problem is, boxing can and a taut string is better function as VOIP.

But the real problem is the big disadvantage with VOIP availability. For several decades, we all have to get used to the phone, and we take it, and it almost always works, no question. If you think about it, the phone probably what you have fewer problems with anything in your home. But now with home VOIP use your high-speed Internet connection to make and receive calls. If your Internet connection or unreliable, guess what – you do not have a VoIP service. They could not call a VOIP, if your life depended on it.

What a good point – what if your life depends? Your house is burning around you, or if you tried a burglar, the door Jimmy. If your Internet connection does not work, you are not the police or fire department to get the VOIP phone, no matter how often you make the call!

VoIP is a good thing, of course, but you should be aware of what it takes for this to work, this is not something that is the VoIP provider you with the VoIP service in most cases – a reliable Internet access with high speed. In the same way as when buying tires for your car, do not see the seller, is that working in this, which is home VOIP service without a reliable broadband Internet connection such as a tire is flat.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jon_Arnold

Annual rates are lower than monthly.

Since you pay for a whole year in advance, you will receive a substantial discount on phone service. In some cases, you can save up to $ 5 a month on a monthly plan. Something else to chew on for you, there is only enough to cover these costs imposed by the government. Of course there is something in the early costs, but him a month without charge and you will be bragging to your friends. I have, and do.

Additional calling features with VOIP.

VOIP not only much cheaper than fixed, but in most cases you will receive 10, 20 or even more features free calls. It depends who you go. In comparison, most companies only give you a solid two or three strokes, and invite you to something more if you know how much each of these features add cost usually average in addition to your statement, you should be from 50% to 80% savings in the domestic telephone service by using a VoIP company.

OH! You mean that Vonage.

No, I do not Vonage. Although Vonage is one example, it is like in the south where they get all kinds of soda, Coca-Cola. Vonage is a provider of VoIP telephone services, but they are not alone, and they are certainly not the cheapest. There are many possibilities that are just as good if not better than Vonage.

Can I VOIP?

I do not think you answer a question with a question, but you have high speed Internet? Cable Internet? DSL? Broadband? If you yes to any of them, then the answer is yes. You can VOIP. VoIP phone service is available where you have a broadband Internet connection.

VOIP is where I live.

If you have broadband access available, but that does not mean a local phone number for a company near you. You only have to check and see that VoIP providers a local phone number where you live offer. Even if I on the subject of local phone numbers I might as well let you know in many cases you can keep your existing phone number when you switch from a fixed VOIP. Just to check with your preferred provider of VoIP telephone services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daymon_Hoag

Service-based software is the preferred choice of VoIP users worldwide, as many of these resources free VoIP phone service, especially if the communication happen from one PC to another over the Internet. You can have unlimited free calls unlimited long as you talk to those who use the same VoIP system on their computers.

However, calls to landlines and mobiles attract a small fee. The failure is the quality of the voices are not always as clear as a service on the hardware. In addition, this service for spam and other security threats.

The living room / office type of service requires the replacement of the existing telephone line – the one in your home or office. Once you have this type of VoIP services, signs – even online – you can do this online, you will receive a telephone adapter (ATA), which are one end into your broadband Internet (ADSL) and the other plug provided on the phone together.

You will receive a subscription to a pay-off and monthly fees thereafter. You can make unlimited local calls or calls to certain destinations, or calls for a limited time minutes. Please note that this type of service is not available in all regions of the world. The fact is that the necessary equipment is not shipped overseas and the numbers are given primarily for the residents.

Some VoIP users who “favor No monthly fee of VoIP phone service account, and if this type of service is required, sends your service provider, you need the device.’ve Set up with this system, you can get unlimited calls monthly without receiving . to make calculations, there are vendors that offer this device – but at different conditions.

With Ooma, you buy the unit entirely, but rather expensive, but use it forever with no recurring fees. MagicJack provides the device at a very low cost, but you pay a nominal amount per year. PhoneGnome, the pioneers of this type of product, the prices are affordable, but has some limitations.

You can opt for VoIP services and business solutions and buy the pack finished or adapted to suit your needs. If you want something basic, you can use the business version of VoIP services. Through the use of VoIP in a small mid-sized company, you can many useful features and significantly improve your company’s image.

When choosing the right service for your VoIP business, it is important that you make some preliminary study of the VoIP services available. You must also receive feedback from similar companies that use VoIP.

There are several reliable and reputable provider of VoIP services, which are able to lead you in choosing the right service for your business. RingCentral is, for example, the supplier of most major VoIP services and they have a customer base of around ten thousand spreading around the world.

Most people choose the VoIP telephony services, because it is much cheaper than fixed service. You can find local and national long distance VoIP service packages, including a number of functions such as call waiting, voice mail, automated attendant, call forwarding and more. You will also receive this service for less than half the cost of regular telephone services. VoIP telephony services at low prices tend to offer international long distance rates and also calls within the network are usually free. For example, a customer can call from a VoIP service provider to another client from the same supplier without any cost for the call.

You do not need a special type of phone to use VoIP services. VoIP providers offer their customers a phone adapter and plug into the customer’s cable or DSL modem and translates the electronic data from the phone’s user’s IP packets transmitted over the Internet special. All existing home phone, the telephone adapter can be connected and used for VoIP calls. The advantage of VoIP telephony service is that your VoIP phone on the road, hotels or any place with the help of broadband use. It leaves you with your employees to connect, even if you are outstation, and save your money on hotel costs by eliminating the need for call forwarding.

Calls made VoIP system and do not cost as much as conventional telephone systems, especially on international calls because they use the Internet as a means of communication, and you will no long distance charges. What you get is that you only pay for the use of the Internet and not on the call and virtual PBX service for your company save money. VoIP phone systems are web based and can create an unlimited number of extensions to a single central number have. Among the features, toll-free numbers and fax e-mail the best, and these two properties make a good name for your concern.

The quality and reliability of the VoIP service is one of the most important questions on your mind when you compare companies and try to choose the best VoIP phone service. If you can not find a provider that is perfect any time, but you usually want to a service that offers better sound quality and provides a functional service for most of the time to choose.

Software such as Skype, GTalk and Yahoo allow cats free audio-visual and conference use VOIP. You can with each other on the street, interacting without much of the infrastructure. And the best part is that when they are on an unlimited broadband plan, it does not really matter how long they can interact with people. And even if you control a plane data where you can not download more than one band, then the VoIP Billing is calculated based on socket MB per minute in contrast to PSTN. All this only leads to the enormous saving potential of VoIP technology allows users worldwide.

So if you are a platform where you can interact with your social group and new friends in real time, sought to explore the VoIP functions. You would be surprised to provide the benefits it can be seen. Most software that use the VoIP functions are reliable and secure. Especially Skype products stand out the VoIP phone. And if you are a business, you can enjoy an environment free to interact with your remote teams at no additional cost! Sun VOIP explore the skills and experience the revolution in VoIP communications.

Although VoIP services are cheaper than conventional landline or mobile phone service, many have a monthly fee. The other alternative cheap VoIP phone is the Magic Jack, which is less than $ 20 per year for phone service.

Those who should manage VoIP services with systems to ensure that many weaknesses are addressed to minimize the threats and mitigate the potential impact on flows of data and voice communications, it should attack. For VoIP, the two factors that must be examined in detail:

Encryption

can be easily intercepted and viewed by persons other than the addressee of packet sniffers and packet capture techniques to other than calls, it is necessary to send packets and voice signals the end of the encrypt and decrypt it only when required by the intended recipient.

The packages can include IP-level encrypted so that it incomprehensible to anyone who is the VoIP traffic with IPSec encryption algorithms and protocols, security begins. Encryption is also at the application level with VoIPSec (VoIP by using IPSec) that attacks be done to prevent man-in-the-middle, packet sniffing and analysis of voice traffic. Fortunately, the obstacles by using IPSec or VoIPSec as crypto engine, which slowly degrades the Quality of Service (QoS) can now by new developments, such as VoIP crypto-aware scheduler that bottlenecks are overcome encryption relieved.

Firewall

Today include, networks almost always firewalls that block traffic intrusive, invasive or malicious attempts, a LAN, WAN or even a single computer access. This is the first line of defense against attacks with all the traffic that the firewall is not blocked.

Firewalls are a blessing and a curse for VoIP networks. Since a firewall filters all traffic, it creates a bottleneck that real-time applications like VoIP hatred, for this cause latency (delay), jitter and packet loss, which is poor quality in voice quality. But leave open the alternative of certain ports to allow VoIP traffic through the system could pass through unfiltered exposure to possible attacks. On the other hand, VoIP networks configured to simplify and centralize security configurations on the gateway firewall rather than on each endpoint that will be considerably relieved.

With VoIP-enabled Application Layer Gateway (ALG), which can analyze and understand the VoIP traffic lights open and dynamic, or close the necessary ports one of the options that are used to enable VoIP signals can pass through the firewall is to . Session border controller (SBC), a special device, the firewall / NAT traversal and other security features can also be used does, though not yet widely available.

With the growing popularity of VoIP it is essential to use for designers and network administrators to view all available technologies to the problems found by the inclusion of VoIP network data to resolve resolve discrepancies. Ensure the protection of voice and data packets must also prevail, such as data loss or corruption can lead to very serious consequences.

Problems in providing

Even before the Internet telephony, a user must check the speed and bandwidth of broadband connection in progress to see if they carry the additional burden of VoIP. Typical business concern, in particular, that the overhead of the calls (increase data transmission) can adversely affect operations in the long run. Add bandwidth and speed, should be guaranteed to be sufficient for most companies.

But for companies with many calling requirements such as tele-marketing company, a more detailed analysis of the traffic volume is called the application of advanced technologies, the maximum simultaneous calls and other information required. You may be required by the service provider so it anticipate and requires the provision and / or recommend the bandwidth and speed for a certain time.

PSTN number portability

Individuals and businesses often find it necessary that the number they migrate to their new VoIP service. The portability of numbers, so-called local numbers (LNP), resulting in smooth transition to VoIP. The disadvantages are more complex, variable delay for number portability and the possibility of rejection on formal grounds. The good thing is that it takes patience, good will and thank you to navigate the complicated steps on migration issues, and resolve any rejected application.

Security issues

One stumbling block that prevents many, the switch to VoIP is often not the fear of worms, viruses, Denial of Service (DoS) attacks and Internet problems. Others are also concerned about how secure are VoIP calls and if they do not susceptible to piracy.

It is true that VoIP calls are sent as data packets, is the possibility of such damage during the transmission far enough: He checked identifiers (headers) and sending and front ends to which packets are encrypted in the rule, and the two ends the call to first-level firewalls.

More worrying is the possibility of intercepting voice that can lead to fraud and eavesdropping without charge, and can get the interception of data, sensitive information such as passwords and personal information into the wrong hands.
physical security policies, authentication mechanisms strict and stringent security measures such as disabling remote access to the graphics are some of the ways administrators can respond security concerns.

With rates increasing adoption of VoIP telephony, broadband is likely to decrease competition issues, fuel intensive research and development in this new technology. Finally, the attitude that some people were reluctant to VoIP will be a thing a thing of the past.

Here are some disadvantages of VoIP-over-IP

- Due to the IP address has been imposed and which has been specifically designed for data transmission and no consideration include advanced to the actual transport of voice packets as VOIP problems in running such networks.

- Delay in the network: – The delay in IP networks are due to the nature of the communication data from insufficient bandwidth to the end of May, a problem especially when VoIP traffic is congested in the network and heavy. This occurs even if it’s a constant struggle between the voice and data packets.

- Delay jitter: “These are changes that occur within the packets on the network, it is always a possibility that if two packets sent from the same source to the same target by the end of May under different routes through the network, which is usually done in. packet switched networks because the packets usually done through the network are independent, so that two packets between source and target can also be two different experiences have lead times for different events and congestion in the network experience a change in the overall delay through out packages.

. – Cost: “In general, the big disadvantage of a product, article or a new technology on the market nor the original cost of the wire communication is therefore certainly very profitable and by the quasi-totality of R have completed in the region, the infrastructure is already built, and the audience is primarily used to the original type of aid sources. To use VOIP more you significant and costly changes strongest and most reliable networks, will have to emerge to build a better bandwidth and better compliance with standards when new products and services are developed.

- Because of the travel data through the Internet, there is great potential dropouts, which are like, what with cell phones affect the quality of the voice.

- The architecture of some VoIP services, there is a requirement that communicators need to subscribe to this service so that the communication is complete. In cases where the software that the program has to do to install the software on both ends of the service causes.

- The VoIP requires an Internet connection, it can easily prevent a power failure / so interfere with communications.

- Another big disadvantage is when it comes to the 911 service, unlike traditional telephony, it is very difficult to locate the precise location of an IP address with a specific region.

If you’re interested in learning more about the advantages and disadvantages of VoIP sure to visit our website and a free trial of VoIP. Visit us at VoipDocument.com you be the judge!