Voice over Internet Protocol enables telephone calls to be made over the Internet. A high speed Internet connection is essential to ensure quality of service that is comparable to landline calls. When you speak into a VoIP phone or headset your voice is converted into digital packets and then it is transferred down the connection much like an email. At its destination the process is reversed. For many years VoIP was considered too unreliable for business use but now it is difficult to find organisations that are not either in the process of adopting VoIP, or at the very least contemplating how VoIP can help their business. Business analysts argue that VoIP has moved from being an ‘emerging technology’ to a ‘critical business solution’ faster than any other previous telecommunication development and this is solely due to the ongoing need to drive down costs. Market forecasts indicate phenomenal growth in VoIP deployment.

There can be a downside to implementing a VoIP solution and it certainly is not the solution for every organisation. One common problem is the quality issue with the lines. Relying on growing band width will not resolve the problem. Continuous proactive management of data and voice traffic is the key ensuring optimal performance of the network. An audit of the network is essential to ensure that it can handle both data and voice. Older networks are at greater risk and might require an upgrade. Business continuity plans must be in place and reflect that voice and data now rely on the same network: If the email goes down how are you going to call your IT support company – the telephones and the email are on the same system! Any IT provider worth their salt will be remotely monitoring the network and will be aware of problems – and rectify them - before the end user is even alerted that a problem exists.

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