Voice Over IP (VOIP) News

ECR Voice offering special for SunRocket refugees

2007-08-17T10:29:00.000-04:00

In the wake of SunRocket going out of buisness, and the need for more good prices options for VoIP for the rest of the world, ECR Voice is offering a limited time offer. $19.95 a month or $199 a year and the first month is free. I believe they do have a $29.99 set up fee though. But still, what a deal!!

SunRocket leaves customers behind

2007-07-18T09:36:00.000-04:00

By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press

VIENNA, VA. — The abrupt shutdown of Internet phone carrier SunRocket left more than 200,000 customers scrambling for alternate service Tuesday and raised questions about the viability of other stand-alone Internet phone providers.

SunRocket, like other companies that only provide phone service over broadband, attracted customers with cheap plans and innovative features. But traditional phone and cable companies also lowered prices and started bundling their services.

The competition proved too much for the No. 2 standalone Internet phone company after Vonage Holdings Corp.

SunRocket ceased operations without warning on Monday.

Nobody at SunRocket was available to explain its quick exit. SunRocket Chief Executive Lisa Hook did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday.

At the company's Tysons Corner, Va., headquarters, the phones went unanswered, the doors were locked and a cardboard sign with "Out of Business" scribbled on it hung inside the glass front door. The lights were on, and computers and fax machines remained in place, but all the artwork was gone from the walls.

Customers are out of luck. Many paid for their service well in advance, drawn by aggressively marketed service plans that cost $199 a year. It was not clear whether SunRocket customers have any recourse with government regulators.

Meanwhile, a California company that is overseeing SunRocket's liquidation, Sherwood Partners, said it is in talks with other service providers to take over portions of SunRocket's customer base. Sherwood spokesman Martin Pichison said he hoped to have such deals in place by today. He acknowledged that SunRocket customers are cutting their own deals with other companies.
Many of SunRocket's customers will opt for Vonage or another VoIP provider, some of which are posting "Welcome SunRocket" offers on their Web sites, said Stephan Beckert, research director at TeleGeography, a Washington-based research firm.

"It will give them second thoughts about prepaying a year in advance," Beckert said. The leading standalone provider, Vonage, has more than 2 million customers but it also has faced slowing growth rates and financial losses. It suffered a legal setback earlier this year when it lost a patent infringement case to Verizon Communications and a judge issued an injunction barring it from signing up new customers.

The case is on appeal and the injunction has been stayed, but Vonage has warned in court papers that its viability is precarious if the initial verdict and sanctions are allowed to stand.

Northwestern University eases into VoIP

2007-06-08T12:55:00.000-04:00

By Tim Greene, Network World, 06/08/07

Northwestern University is getting rid of its old TDM phone switches not in response to a groundswell of demand for communications options unique to its new VoIP system, but to be ready for the day when that groundswell hits.

“In some sense we are buying potential," says David Carr, director of telecommunications and networking for Northwestern, about the move to Nortel VoIP switches.

Most of the university’s 18,000 phone users on two campuses say they’d be happy with phone service just as it is, according to a poll by Carr. Others are ready to embrace VoIP, but for a limited set of features that can help them do their jobs better right away.
The new capabilities include mobility and presence integrated with applications, but Carr says users weren't looking for a specific application.

Time for upgrades
As part and parcel of the VoIP project, which started in 2003 with a review of ways to upgrade two Nortel SL 100 phone switches, the university discovered it needed to upgrade its wiring closets, stress-test its network, address QoS and consider network admission control. “They all get wrapped together," Carr says.

The two carrier-grade SL-100 phone switches, one at the university’s Chicago campus and one at its campus in Evanston, Ill., were about 20 years old.

The goal was to collapse the two separate switches into a single logical switch to reduce management complexity, he says. The school also didn’t want to replace all its digital phones at once.

It decided to upgrade to the Nortel CS 2100 VoIP switch, which supports both VoIP and TDM, so users would not be forced to switch their handsets for VoIP phones. “Those who wanted to take advantage of the VoIP value proposition could do so, and those that were happy continuing to use their current telephony features and services could do so. It allowed the community to migrate at its own pace," Carr says.

The university has installed a CS 100 at the Chicago campus and expects to have one installed at the Evanston campus next month. Until then the school has 250 IP phones working on a trial basis. “Beyond that we’re waiting until we finish these upgrades," he says.

Rest of the story here

US soldiers face tough VOIP call

2007-06-01T12:46:00.000-04:00

John Blau IDG News Service

American soldiers in South Korea face a tough call on using Internet telephony in the country.

Thursday was the last day the U.S. military community in South Korea could make VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) calls through companies based in the U.S., such as Vonage Holdings Corp. and Lingo Inc., according to a report Thursday in Stars & Stripes, a U.S. Department of Defense authorized newspaper. Beginning Friday, all new contracts must be made with South Korean VOIP providers, the report said.

For service members used to making and receiving calls to and from the U.S. for as low as US$15 a month, the move to a South Korean provider -- and a local phone number -- could ring up a pricey phone bill.

Because U.S. VOIP providers assign service members a U.S. phone number, these users can be reached from the U.S. without callers being billed for international calling charges. Prices for VOIP services in the U.S. vary from around US$15 to $25 a month for unlimited local and long-distance calls.

South Korea's major Internet service providers, including LG Dacom Corp., said in June 2006 they would block Internet calls through companies not registered under the Korean Telecommunications Business Act. But after U.S. Forces Korea Commander General Burwell Baxter Bell said the move would impact service members' quality of life, the companies agreed to delay enforcing the act until June 1, 2007.

Demand for VOIP services have surged as service members -- and many others -- seek cheap ways to communicate with their families, friends and business partners around the globe.

Vonage offers a VOIP service that replaces the traditional telephone. Customers connect their phones to an IP-transformation device, which connects to the home or small-business DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or cable modem. Vonage doesn't offer PC-to-PC VOIP service provided by companies such as Skype Ltd.

Brooke Schulz, a Vonage spokeswoman, was unable to confirm whether the company's service is no longer available in South Korea and, if so, whether Vonage plans to apply for a VOIP license with the South Korean government.

Companies registered to provide VOIP service in Korea include Korea Telecom Corp., Hanaro Telecom Inc. as well as LG Dacom Corp.

Concerns put campus VoIP deployment on hold

2007-04-27T15:48:00.000-04:00

New survey suggests that schools are experimenting with voice-over-IP service--but security, cost are barriers to more widespread deployment

By Justin Appel, Assistant Editor, eSchool

More than three-fourths of college administrators who took part in a recent survey said they feel better about the idea of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service today than they did three years ago. But security and cost are still significant hurdles to the more widespread deployment of VoIP service in college campuses across the United States and Canada, the survey suggests.

—The study, which was conducted by the Association for Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education (ACUTA), surveyed 279 schools. The web-based survey found that while 65 percent of respondents have had some experience with VoIP, 55 percent have only limited experience, with one-fourth or fewer of their phones employing VoIP service. This, in addition to the 35 percent of respondents who said they have no VoIP phones on their campus, suggests that while the trend is gaining steam among consumers, higher-education institutions have yet to truly embrace the use of VoIP.

"Our members have been seriously considering the benefits of VoIP for some time," says Jeri Semer, executive director of ACUTA. "I'd say they're doing their due diligence in learning about the technology and what applications of it might benefit their campus. It's not about acquiring the technology for its own sake, but about determining how it can best meet their particular needs on campus."

The survey reveals that of the schools that have begun using VoIP (which is the method of transmitting voice conversations through broadband internet networks, rather than traditional telephone lines), the majority have tried it in IT departments, as pilot projects, and on remote campus sites--suggesting there has been no widespread migration toward replacing traditional phone lines in administrative settings or dormitory rooms.

"Fewer and fewer students are using the campus-provided phones in their room," says Semer. "They are tending to use their cell phones more, as well as eMail and instant messaging. The actual phone usage in dorms is shrinking, to the extent that a lot of colleges have or are considering removing the phones from their dorms."

Security issues have always been a concern for some when switching to VoIP. Of the administrators who responded to ACUTA's survey, 43 percent believe the possibility of viruses and denial-of-service attacks is a major concern. A majority of respondents also feel that security concerns cannot be overcome easily.

"Security is a big issue," says Semer. "The traditional phone system has been very secure and has had a long track record of reliability. When a virus attacks your eMail program, it's a major inconvenience. But if it attacks and brings down your ability to communicate by voice, that's a major safety and security concern."

This concern is often raised when considering a switch to VoIP, says Kevin Flynn, senior manager of security technology marketing for unified communications at Cisco Systems Inc.

"In the past, people have had two separate kind of systems--voice on one wire, and data on another," Flynn said. "Now, we're talking about having both on the same wire. That doesn't mean the two data types will necessarily impact each other. The problems of having issues on the data stream affecting voice are easily fixed, and that's just part of any good unified design system."
Flynn says there is, in essence, an automatic separation between data and voice traffic in any well-designed system. This creates two separate virtual LANs, so that a virus attack on the data end will not affect the bandwidth or the quality of the voice traffic.

The ACUTA survey also shows that a majority of campus administrators believe VoIP vendors need to better disclose the full costs of service and installation, Semer says. More than half of those surveyed say vendors provide unrealistic assessments of the costs of VoIP implementation. In addition, only 19 percent felt that VoIP deployment will save their colleges and universities money over the next five years.

Rest of the story here.

Advances in VoIP and Feature-Rich Options Drive the Growth of Global Audio Conferencing Bridge Systems Markets

2007-04-19T15:12:00.000-04:00

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Global audio conferencing bridge systems market has made significant strides in the last year, driven primarily by the increasing prevalence of audio conferencing, uptake of advanced collaboration features and additional growth in the emerging markets and the enterprise arena. There is a renewed focus on enhancing audio conference bridges to better meet the needs of both service providers and enterprise vendors. This focus has led to innovative and exciting new offerings of audio conference bridge systems.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.conferencingandcollaboration.frost.com/ ), World Audio Conferencing Bridge Systems Markets, reveals that revenues in this market totaled $144.2 million in 2006, and are likely to reach $233.2 million in 2012.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides manufacturers, end users, and other industry participants with an overview of the latest analysis of the World Audio Conferencing Bridge Systems Markets, then send an e-mail to Tracy Henderson, Corporate Communications, at tracy.henderson@frost.com with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address. Upon receipt of the above information, an overview will be sent to you by e-mail.

"One of the key trends driving the audio conferencing bridge systems markets is the move towards Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), driven by the promise of cost savings and the ability to integrate it into other applications," notes Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Doreen Natukunda. "The enterprise market is increasingly embracing VoIP, and as a result, there is growing demand from new clients looking to purchase audio conferencing bridge products and services."

With VoIP gaining traction, more and more organizations continue to replace their voice conferencing infrastructure with VoIP to utilize the additional bandwidth to carry audio conferencing bridge systems. The move toward VoIP is expected to continue throughout the business market and reach a mature market cycle in the next 5-7 years.

However, competition continues from other market participants vying to pocket a slice of the audio conferencing bridge customer base. The convergence of collaboration tools means that there exist many more options that employ voice as part of the applications offered to customers. For the business community, this provides more choice, but for the audio conferencing bridge systems manufacturers, this means lower price per port options.
"As competition continues to increase among the different segments of voice conferencing markets, it is imperative that vendors for both service providers and enterprise vendors continue to expand their features and services in their respective markets," says Natukunda. "For this reason, superior features, services, and partnerships to go along with the audio conferencing bridge applications will strengthen vendors in this market."

Going forward, audio conferencing bridge systems makers must continuously strive to make the use of bridges as effortless as possible with maximum efficiency, ease-of-use and intuitive features. This will enable the promotion of additional call usage, ultimately translating to time and cost savings for information technology managers.

World Audio Conferencing Bridge Systems Markets is part of the Conferencing and Collaboration Subscription, which also includes research in the following markets: video conferencing, web conferencing, unified communications, and audio conferencing. All research included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends that have been evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants. Interviews with the press are available.

Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective, and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics.

Telecom veteran questions Verizon VOIP patents

2007-04-18T16:26:00.000-04:00

Grant Gross, IDG News Service, Washington Bureau
Two patents owned by Verizon Communications Inc. in its infringement lawsuit against Vonage Holdings Corp. are invalid, and if allowed to stand, could threaten all competing VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) services, a telecommunications industry veteran said Tuesday.

Two of the three Verizon patents a jury upheld in a March decision were described in a standards group called the VOIP Forum before Verizon filed for the patents, said Daniel Berninger, who had a hand in launching Vonage but now works as a telecom analyst for Tier1Research.com. The VOIP Forum described the name translation call-processing step in an open standard developed in 1996, and Verizon applied for the two patents in March 1997 and February 2000, he said in an interview about the case.

Verizon's patents focus on using name translation to connect VOIP calls to traditional telephone networks. But without name translation, no VOIP calls could be completed, and all Verizon VOIP competitors are in danger of getting sued, Berninger said. "If you translate these patents so ridiculously broadly, then there's nothing left," he said. "Everybody infringes."

Two Verizon spokesmen didn't immediately respond to a request for comments on Berninger's information.

Berninger, an advocate of open standards and cofounder of the VON Coalition, said members of the VOIP Forum talked extensively about name translation during call set-up during discussions about the voice portion of the H.323 standard during 1996, and in the parallel development of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) at the Internet Engineering Task Force. Several major tech vendors participated in the standards-setting process, and two papers on H.323 published in January 1997, one by coworkers at his former employer VocalTec Communications Ltd., describe the technologies later patented by Verizon, he said.

Other telecom experts have disagreed about whether Verizon's patents could affect other VOIP providers.

But Berninger compared name translation to the Internet's domain name system (DNS), which translates Internet domain names into IP addresses. "Essentially every VOIP provider on planet Earth" uses the name translation processing step, he said.

Vonage pointed to other technology it believed preceded Verizon's patents at a trial that ended with a March verdict that the company had infringed three Verizon patents. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia interpreted the Verizon claims too broadly to be valid, said Brooke Schulz, Vonage's vice president for communications.

"The patents as filed and awarded ... were very narrow," she said. "We continue to believe, for this and many other reasons, we don't infringe on their technology."

Berninger began looking into the patents recently because of the Vonage case. In the March verdict, Vonage was ordered to pay Verizon US$58 million. Last Friday, a U.S. district court judge barred Vonage from signing up new customers, but an appeals court gave the company a temporary stay the same day.

Ottawa's VoIP decision good news: SaskTel

2006-11-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

People at SaskTel are happy about the federal government's decision not to regulate certain kinds of internet phone service.

Originally, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) ordered that SaskTel and the other big telephone companies would be regulated when they rolled out their voice over internet protocol services.

In other words, whenever they introduced new services or changed prices, they'd have to get permission from the CRTC.

However, upstart companies offering VoIP service wouldn't be regulated the same way. SaskTel and the other phone companies complained that wasn't fair.

Now, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet has overruled the CRTC and said phone company VoIP services over the public internet won't be subject to price regulation. VoIP over a phone company's own network will continue to be regulated, however.

SaskTel vice-president John Meldrum said Ottawa's decision Wednesday should help his company sell its planned "web call" service.

"We'll be free to price our VoIP products as we see fit, as the market determines, without having to go to the commission, without having to be told that the price is too low," he said.

Meldrum said SaskTel wants less regulation from Ottawa and hopes the same approach applied to the VoIP case will apply to other phone services.

Enterprises Take Center Stage at VoiceCon Fall 2006

2006-08-02T16:14:00.002-04:00

Executives from Coca-Cola, NASA, Barclays Bank, Southern Company and XM Radio to Share Experiences With IP Telephony Deployment

SAN FRANCISCO/PRNewswire/ -- VoiceCon(R), produced by CMP Technology, will once again feature an impressive lineup of enterprise executives who will be sharing experiences from their migration to IP Telephony and converged networks at VoiceCon Fall 2006 (http://www.voiceconfall.com/), taking place August 21-24 at the Moscone North Convention Center in San Francisco.

"We're far enough along on the migration to IP Telephony and converged networks where there are real-life case studies of how these new technologies are changing the way enterprises communicate with their customers and suppliers," said Fred Knight, VoiceCon General Manager. "I'm proud of VoiceCon's track record in presenting many senior IS/telecom enterprise executives who share their migration strategies, decision criteria, the lessons learned and their plans for the future with IP Telephony and converged networking systems."

At VoiceCon Fall 2006, the list of keynotes, summits and forums that will feature IT executives includes:

-- Opening Keynote (Tuesday, Aug 22): The conference kicks off with an address from Ray Repic, Chief Technical Architect, Technology Planning at Coca-Cola Enterprises. Ray will describe how Coca-Cola Enterprises' global network is being redesigned and built to leverage IP Telephony and an MPLS network. More than 50 locations were cut over in 2005, and many more will be implemented in 2006.

-- VoiceCon Enterprise Executive Summit (Wednesday, Aug 23): A spontaneous round-table discussion in which four IT decision-makers share their perspectives and experiences with IP Telephony and converged networks. The panel features John Irizarry, VoIP Project Manager, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; Kevin McPhee, Telecom Director, First Health Coventry; Patricia A. Green, Principal Telecommunications Manager, Barclays Bank; Joseph Schuldhaus, VP IT, West Edmonton Mall.

-- VoiceCon User Forum (Thursday, Aug 24): Structured presentations based on real-world IP Telephony roll-outs. The panelists will explain what they've done, their decision-making process, offer advice and field your questions. The speakers are: Tanya Callaway, Director, Technical Operations, XM Radio; Arnold Solomon, Senior IT Architect, Southern Company; Christopher Lappi, Executive Vice President, ResMAE Mortgage Corporation.

In addition to the enterprise executives, industry leaders like Anoop Gupta, Corporate Vice President, Unified Communications Group, Microsoft, will present at VoiceCon Fall 2006, along with senior executives from Avaya, Cisco, Nortel, Siemens, NEC Unified Solutions, Nokia, 3Com, Aastra Intecom, AT&T, Ericsson, RIM, ShoreTel and Motorola.

VoiceCon is also proud to continue its status as the only venue to feature all of the leading vendors and suppliers in enterprise IP Telephony and converged communications, providing attendees with an unmatched opportunity to see and experience a wide range of IP Telephony solutions. Among the companies exhibiting at VoiceCon Fall 2006 include: 3Com, Aastra Intecom, Adomo, AT&T, Avaya, Cisco, Citrix, Ericsson, Extreme Networks, Foundry Networks, IBM, Inter-Tel, Microsoft, Motorola, NEC Unified Solutions, Nortel, SecureLogix, ShoreTel Siemens, Sprint and Toshiba.

About VoiceCon(R)

VoiceCon(R), now in its 16th year, is the leading conference and exhibition for enterprise voice, IP Telephony and convergence in North America. VoiceCon(R) brings decision makers together with the industry's pioneering end users, vendors, and consultants to focus on the issues central to enterprise voice networks and the migration to IP telephony and convergence. As the momentum toward IP telephony and convergence has grown, VoiceCon has expanded to include two yearly shows: VoiceCon Fall 2006, taking place August 21-24 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, and VoiceCon Spring 2007, taking place March 5-8 in Orlando. The VoiceCon portfolio also includes the VoiceCon Implementation Tour, which take place in Fall 2006. VoiceCon also serves the community with a weekly email newsletter that is circulated to approximately 28,000 subscribers -- VoiceCon eNews (http://www.voicecon.com/enews/); VoIP Loop (http://www.voiploop.com/), a news, information and opinion site that features thought leaders in VoIP and enterprise IP Telephony and convergence; and the VoiceCon Webinar Series. For more information, visit http://www.voicecon.com/.

About CMP Technology (http://www.cmp.com/)

CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion.

VoIP takes root in home offices

2006-08-01T10:54:00.000-04:00

The number of US households with income-generating or corporate home offices are more than twice as likely to implement VoIP in the next 12 months compared with households in general, a newly published study has revealed.

Currently, almost 40 per cent of corporate home offices and 23.7 per cent of home-based businesses are interested in or using VoIP. In contrast, only 10.8 per cent of households without home offices are VoIP aware, IDC reported.

"Home offices will adopt VoIP communications at a faster rate than US households overall," said Chris Hazelton, senior analyst, SMB research at IDC.

"Although cost savings are important, features such as convergence with mobile phones will be increasingly important to home offices in the long run."

The report, Home Office Households Set the Stage for Consumer VoIP Adoption, also noted that, although VoIP has moved beyond the very earliest adoption stage, many home office households are reluctant to use VoIP as their only telephone service, and would rather add it as a second method of communication.

Savings on long distance calls continue to be the key driver of initial interest in VoIP by home offices, according to the study.

Skype and SanDisk Launch VoIP-Ready Memory Stick

2006-07-12T16:53:00.000-04:00

Popular internet telephony provider, Skype, has teamed up with SanDisk in a deal that will let Skype users make free calls from any computer, without needing to download the VoIP software.

SanDisk has agreed to pre-install the Skype software on its newest Cruzer Micro and Cruzer Titanium memory sticks, which will be useable from the USB ports of any computer running Windows 2000 or XP.

The new USB memory drives will range in price from $39.99 to $199.99, depending on capacity (512MB to 4GB). They will come with the added bonus of a free month of Skype voicemail, allowing users to check their voice messages on the go.

This partnership with SanDisk is sure to make the Skype service even more popular among frequent travelers, and even some small business users. It is also a clear attempt to compete with Vonage, which recently launched the V-Phone, another portable memory drive with pre-installed VoIP software.

10 steps to VoIP nirvana

2006-07-05T16:40:00.000-04:00

As suggested by Sandra Gittlen, Computerworld

Vendors would like you to believe that VoIP is as simple as plugging a phone into the network, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. There is a complex thought process that needs to occur before you commit to moving your users from traditional phone lines. Decision-making must centre on your users' needs, your IT support resources (budget and people) and the network itself.

Where IP telephony gets particularly tricky is in dealing with small/remote offices. Many IT crews think that it's a no-brainer in that they won't have to get phone service to each company site - therefore saving time and money on negotiating contracts, running phone lines, etc.
However, as Bryan Cohen, a telephony engineer and VoIP expert at CDW, points out, VoIP has its own issues that IT groups need to consider.

Here are his tips for deciding to roll out VoIP to small/remote offices:

1. Think of voice traffic as you would data, not like traditional voice.

"In many respects voice over IP traffic is just like data traffic, so you have to consider many of the same issues such as security, availability, power and bandwidth," he says. You should weigh a possible VoIP investment through this lens to understand fully what it takes to run VoIP successfully.

This is important from both planning and budget perspectives. It doesn't make sense to purchase a VoIP solution if your network cannot deliver the right quality of service (QoS). If you think users will complain loudly when their computers go down, what will they do if their phones go out?

2. Why do you want VoIP?

It's critical to assess the features you need to support your users and they themselves need to determine if a VoIP system can give you what your current phone system can't. How will VoIP make your users more responsive and productive? Does it help you reduce operational costs?
Cohen says asking these questions at the outset helps you make a business case for or against VoIP adoption.

3. Evaluate your network's readiness.

"You really need to sort through all of the implications of voice over IP on your network before you buy any equipment or service," he says. One way to do this is to work with an advisor or a peer who has gone through a VoIP roll-out and knows the potential pitfalls to avoid.

He warns to look at the roll-out from every angle within your network, not just the VoIP itself. "Going with just a VoIP specialist may not cover the security or networking perspective, and they all have to work together," he says.

4. Consider your organisation's business model.

VoIP's flexibility makes it compatible with virtually any industry especially where employees are mobile and need to be reached easily. However, Cohen says to consider how important telephone communication is to your business.

"For instance, if you are considering VoIP for a corporate call centre for customer service, then you may want to consider a hybrid solution of VoIP and traditional PBX because the telephone is such a crucial element of the business," he says. Costs are also coming down, which makes VoIP more attractive. In some instances, VoIP phones now cost less that some digital phones.

5. Focus on the wide-area network.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make is not investing in the pipe that will support the VoIP network. "The single most important thing in being successful with voice over IP is WAN connectivity between offices," he says. He adds that you could have an MPLS network or a point-to-point T1. And while virtual private networking is popular, he warns that some VPNs don't support VoIP.

6. Maintain a single system with gateways at remote locations.

In dealing with small/remote offices, it might be tempting to create islands of VoIP networks. However, this is not recommended, according to Cohen. "One system with remote gateways at branch locations offers many benefits, including helping a centralised IT team manage functions via a single interface," he says.

7. Try before you buy.

"While it is very important to conduct a network assessment to determine network readiness, we have seen some companies make the mistake of relying solely on design alone," Cohen says.
He says the only way to truly know how VoIP will perform on your network is to put it through real-world testing. This will highlight important infrastructure elements. For example, you'll need to figure out how to provide power to the phones, he says. "If your network does not support power over Ethernet, then your IP phones will need to be located near a mains outlet," he says.

8. Think outside the IP telephony box.

Cohen says there are many parts to the system that IT managers don't consider when first putting together their budgets or designs. One such gotcha: "To run VoIP, you need to have a TFTP server that updates the phones with patches and feature upgrades. Many businesses do not realise they need a server for this activity," he says.

9. Train, train, train.

The best way to decide on the benefits of VoIP is to go through product training before you commit to buying one. "This helps you understand the available features and requirements better. You may realise that you need some functions you never considered," he says.

10. Be cautious about outsourcing.

Cohen says outsourcers bring a lot of benefits, but they also present some risk. Chief among considerations, "when you outsource you cede control of all your phone calls to a third party. You may also be limited to the features that the service provider offers," he says.

Following this checklist is a great formula for deciding the value of VoIP in your enterprise, Cohen says.

"You can make smart decisions about the specifics of your VoIP needs and plan for the future for additional IP applications such as video conferencing."

Pulver on the FCC USF for VoIP Order

2006-06-29T16:45:00.000-04:00

Jeff Pulver summarizes the seriousness of the recent FCC USF for VoIP order and asks that more people in our community get involved with the legislative and regulatory issues that are being (poorly) decided in the U.S. today. Jeff is one of the most informed and active participants in the U.S. regulatory processes surrounding IP communications and his post today is well worth a read. If you had any doubts that this new FCC order is Very Bad Thing for VoIP, I think Jeff will quickly convince you otherwise. And he doesn’t pull any punches:

At first review, the Order appears to be a laughable, legally suspect, misapplication of the state of the law and prior rulings and an unsubstantiated gross mischaracterization of the opinions of the VoIP community and VON in particular.

For some particulars, check out this scary summary Jeff has initally pulled out of the 150-page document:

Overall the order:

• Is not limited to calls that touch the PSTN - includes IP to IP calls (pg 20)
• circumvents the Vonage decision to allow state regulation of VoIP, if you report actual revenues (pg 29)
• requires pre-approval of traffic studies - but not for wireless providers because pre-approval would be disruptive to wireless, but not VoIP (pg 30)
• requires double payments of USF fees for 2 quarters - waiving the “carrier’s carrier” rule so that wholesale providers also have to pay USF for the same service (pg 30)
• Includes new VoIP registration requirement with the FCC
• does not include a transition period
• indicates a desire to expand the definition of Interconnected VoIP in the future (pg 20)
• includes international traffic• ignores Small Business Administration arguments (pg 121)
• Does not discuss this decision’s impact on VoIP providers, but finds it will have minimal impact on LECs (pg 13)
• requires VoIP providers to pay into USF at the highest rate of any service
• buried deep in footnote 209, relieves DSL of USF obligations

But Jeff doesn’t want us to just take his word for it, he suggests that we should all give this important document a thorough read. And I’d also like to echo Jeff’s suggestion that now is the time to get more involved with the legislative processes around VoIP here in the U.S., and supporting the VON Coalition is one good way to do this.

Dial VoIP in Case of Emergency

2006-06-28T16:35:00.000-04:00

When officials in Orange County, Fla., installed a Voice over IP phone system in 2003, they quickly achieved the goal of cutting telecommunications costs by as much as 30 percent. But after a series of hurricanes hit a year later, county managers discovered another reason to love the technology.

To provide services for citizens affected by Hurricane Charley and two other storms in 2004, the host county for Disney World created a temporary emergency center in an empty warehouse that the county was planning to renovate. "It had nothing in it, including [no] communications infrastructure," said John Amiot, enterprise operations manager for the county.
So officials trucked in PCs and network gear that supported VoIP, and within 24 hours, the facility opened for business with a line of storm-weary citizens already forming at the door.
"Our people could cut checks and provide all the things that people needed in order to survive," Amiot said. "We were able to deploy in 24 hours because we had Voice over IP technology already in place."

Since then, the county has integrated IP telephony into its formal continuity-of-operations (COOP) plans by installing it in a regional computing center.

Expanding Role

Business continuity plans are increasingly relying on new technologies to keep organizations running in the aftermath of natural disasters, terrorist attacks and more mundane incidents, such as local power outages.

"IP telephony and continuity of operations are an excellent marriage," said Jim Biskaduros, a client delivery executive who specializes in security and intelligence at systems integrator EDS.
In Orange County, the newly wired warehouse became an extension of its infrastructure. An IP network provided connectivity among employees and the county's main offices.

"It was as if we had just opened a new building," Amiot said. "This was in the center of one of the most devastated areas in the county, and it was strategically advantageous for everybody to come there versus getting them downtown while trees were down everywhere."

By the time the last of the storms plowed through the area, the warehouse had logged more than 226,000 calls. The system automatically routed some calls normally intended for headquarters to the site.

Other agencies are also discovering IP telephony's flexibility. The Department of Veterans Affairs turned to IP-enabled mobile communications trucks to keep Gulf Coast hospitals running after Hurricane Katrina hit last year. After finding success, the agency is extending contracts to formalize those backup communications tools and COOP plans.

Go here for more of the story.

Microsoft introduces 360-degree conferencing camera as part of VoIP strategy

2006-06-27T16:56:00.000-04:00

San Francisco (CA) - At what had been billed as a rollout event for the company's Office Communications and "softphone" software yesterday, Microsoft Business Division President Jeff Raikes unveiled an intriguing new plank of what the company now calls its Unified Communications Platform: Utilizing Office Communications software and Microsoft's VoIP services, hardware manufacturers including Hewlett-Packard, LG-Nortel, and Samsung will be making available a new class of communications devices, not only for messaging but for audio and videoconferencing. Among these devices is a 360-degree camera designed for video conferences called RoundTable, that has apparently emerged from a back-burner project called RingCam from Microsoft's laboratories.
With Microsoft's software driving an online videoconference session, and the RoundTable camera placed atop a conference table, remote participants will see the face or faces of the active speakers as they assume the floor. Participants who may grow weary of the angle changes during heated arguments may prefer the optional panorama view. Documents and PowerPoint slides can also be featured into the picture, synchronized with cues provided by the speakers.

"The virtual meeting experience can be, should be, and maybe in some ways be even better than actually being in the room," Raikes told attendees yesterday. "One of the things that we've learned from our research is that it's possible to view the meeting in about half the time just by using good compression of the normal pauses in human speech - which, of course, leads to the great paradox: If you can review the meeting in half the time after the meeting, who wants to go to the meeting in the first place?"

To demonstrate the potential usefulness of the RoundTable camera in future videoconferences, Raikes participated in a mock session with various product managers and sitcom stars, engaged in a scripted argument over what to order for lunch.

The objective behind the RoundTable device is apparently to sweeten Microsoft's value proposition for its voice-over-IP service, which will need some bolstering in the face of the continuing expansion of Skype, now owned by eBay. Major network equipment providers Linksys (part of Cisco) and Netgear have already announced Skype phones, in so doing, making it clear that anyone who wants to seriously compete in the VoIP field will need a substantive hardware offering.

So here again, that vital term "leverage" will be used in conjunction with Microsoft, to describe how it intends to make use of a business it has already conquered to venture into a business it has barely entered into. "Microsoft is uniquely positioned, given our software focus," said Raikes yesterday. "The advances in software for communications, we already have deep investments in communications, we've already delivered on the basics of unified communications with Microsoft Exchange, our communications server, Outlook, Office Communicator and Live Meeting. We are truly using the software, the power of software to drive the next wave of innovation in the way people communicate at work."

That said, it will still take hardware for Microsoft to be able to make its VoIP play profitable; and with one or two noteworthy except.

VoIP makes phone system hurricane-resistant

2006-06-26T15:48:00.000-04:00

When Hurricane Wilma struck South Florida last October, most business owners had to struggle to survive without telephone service. Not Stephen McWilliam.

McWilliam, the president of Florida State Realty Group Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, fled South Florida for Orlando right after the storm. He realized he wouldn't be able to access his downtown office building for about a week. But that didn't slow his business any. He simply plugged his Polycom Internet phone, removed from his office before the storm, into a broadband connection at his Orlando hotel; he was back in business, connecting with clients and trying to keep his pending real estate deals together.

McWilliam is a customer of Cooper City-based STS Telecom, a technology-based telephone company that provides businesses with Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. Even though his office phone service was down in Fort Lauderdale, McWilliam's customers were able to reach him at his regular number.

"It's plug and play," he said. "And the technology helped us maintain communication, which is vital to servicing our clients."

VoIP, also called IP telephony, allows users to make calls without the need for a traditional phone line. All you need is a broadband Internet connection and an IP phone. The technology converts voices into data that is transmitted over the lines like e-mail messages.

The use of VoIP by consumers has skyrocketed because of the introduction of low-cost service by companies such as Vonage. But small- and medium-sized businesses are also adopting online phone service in droves. According to research firm InfoTech, demand for IP telephony by small- and medium-sized businesses surged 36 percent between 2004 and 2005.

"Small businesses are flocking to VoIP in order to save from 40 to 60 percent on their phone bills, take advantage of new services and do things never before possible with traditional phones," said Jonathan Askin, a spokesman for pulver.com, a Melville, N.Y.-based firm that tracks the VoIP industry. "To ensure business continuity during and after an emergency, many are now looking at VoIP as a safer alternative."

Proponents of VoIP tout lower costs and continuity of service as its biggest advantages. But there are others. Jon Krutchik, president of STS Telecom, said users can also redirect their calls using any Web browser. "If you have no phone service but you can find broadband access someplace, you can log onto your account and redirect your phone calls to your cell phone," he said.

Krutchik said that VoIP service with his firm starts at about $750 per month, which includes a dedicated T-1 broadband connection, phones and hardware. STS offers traditional telephone service as well.

Despite the advantages of VoIP, it may not be right for everyone. After Wilma hit last year, Michelle Soudry packed up her files, backup drive, laptop and cell phone and headed to Orlando.

"My business is very reliant on e-mail and phones," said Soudry, founder of The Gab Group, a public relations firm. "I have national clients and can't afford not to work for two weeks."

Soudry was able to retrieve incoming phone calls to her office from her BellSouth voice mail service, which works even when the power is out. And clients and reporters could reach her on her cell because she added that number to her outgoing message. She never missed a call.

"There was no effect on our business," she said. "Plus, I know two different people who have had bad experiences with dropped calls on VoIP. I can't take that chance because my business is very time-sensitive."

But others, like McWilliam, swear by VoIP service. He recently went on a cruise and was able to make and answer calls using his laptop and a wireless broadband connection, avoiding the pricey ship-to-shore phone service he'd otherwise be dependent on.

"I hate to use the cliché `the wave of the future,' but it's just a matter of time before this becomes the standard for phone service," he said. "There's just no other way."

FCC extends USF Tax to VoIP Providers

2006-06-23T14:56:00.000-04:00

Reported from Von Mag.

On Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved a new plan for funding the Universal Service Fund (USF), with VoIP providers having to contribute around 7 percent of their revenue into the fund.

The FCC has ordered Internet telephone service providers who connect to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to contribute part of their venue into the USF, which subsidizes telecommunications access to rural and low-income areas along schools, hospitals and libraries. Wireless providers will also end up paying more, resulting in a rate increase for both cell phone and VoIP customers since fees are passed along to consumers.

Wireless carriers will have to contribute about 4 percent of their revenue under the new FCC plan with new contribution levels expected to take place in the fourth quarter, but there could be a loophole of sorts. If wireless or VoIP providers could prove that their long distance and international revenues were less, they would be allowed to contribute a smaller percentage of their revenues.

Companies offering long-distance and international phone services plus broadband DSL providers must contribute 10.9 percent of their revenue into a $7.3 billion fund, Reuters stated. However, DSL providers will no longer have to contribute to the program after August, setting the stage for another funding adjustment before the summer is out. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin wants to see USF contributions shifted to a mechanism based upon telephone number usage.

Businesses increasingly looking to convergence

2006-06-22T15:54:00.000-04:00

Recent research shows that VoIP (voice over internet protocol) projects and IP convergence are increasingly being employed by enterprises to save money and increase flexibility.

The study by TheInfoPro reveals that many US Fortune 1,000 and mid-market companies are planning to implement VoIP technologies, such as IP PBX and Sip products.

Respondents to the survey demonstrated that Sip tools were being used by 22 per cent of businesses interviewed, while 27 per cent planned to utilise or pilot the technology this year.

The new statistics follow a survey by the economist unit of AT&T, the largest telecoms company in the US, which revealed that 73 per cent of senior executives believed that converged IP networks could leverage more efficient collaboration with partners, customers and suppliers.

The AT&T report also indicates that multichannel approaches will increase in popularity over the next two years, with statistics illustrating that whereas only nine per cent of businesses interact with their customers via video link at the moment, 50 per cent of respondents are planning to implement the tool in the future.

Biggest need in the VoIP space: Web-based, carrier-neutral universal VoIP phone directory

2006-06-21T12:48:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't it be great if there was a Web-based centralized directory of inbound VoIP phone numbers from all carriers?

A third-party website where customers of Vonage, Skype's SkypeIn service, Packet8, AT&T CallVantage, Verizon VoiceWing, and pretty much any other IP phone service you could think of could list their inbound numbers?

Something that would take the cludginess out of letting everyone know what your new, say, Vonage or SkypeIn phone number is?

This service has been tried in baby steps, but there's so much more to go. And such an upside, that I cannot believe this wouldn't be a huge hit.

Yes, I know about privacy, but youcould opt out and get an unlisted number just like you have been able to do with Ma Bell since the earliest days.

Since VoIP pretty much eliminates locality-based considerations, you could have one VoIP directory assistance site for all of North America. Heck, the world.

I envision the listings as a five-column user interface consisting of last name, first name, email address (instead of physical addy as the dead-tree phone directories offer), phone number, and service provider.

Additionally the phone number would be hyperlinked so that when that number is clicked on, your default softphone would automatically dial the number.
The service could be advertising-supported (VoIP calling services, equipment makers, or other tech-friendly advertisers). Such a service could charge access based on an all-you-can eat, subscription based model.

There's a big, honkin', crying, loud need for a universal VoIP phone number directory.
Would you use one?

And if any VCs are out there, is this something you would fund?

VoIP heats up while Net neutrality simmers

2006-06-20T13:26:00.000-04:00

There have been some rumblings in the wobbly world of VoIP recently.

Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP for short, holds a lot of promise as both a viable technology and a sustainable business model but has yet to do much more than lurch forward. Leading VoIP company Vonage, which had its initial public offering in May, is in deep water now that its earnings picture has come under suspicion. Some stock analysts have gone cold on the stock amid concerns over subscriber numbers.

Those unfamiliar with VoIP need to know that it's a system for using the Internet for making voice phone calls at substantially lower cost than POTS, or plain old telephone service.

Even as its stock price has fallen nearly 54 percent off its IPO price, a few observers have risen to Vonage's defense. Cormac O'Reilly of the Britain-based TheRegister.co.uk points out that growing its subscriber base from 100,000 to 1.6 million in three years is nothing to sneeze at.

However, Vonage's willingness to lower its $24.99 monthly rate to $19.99 to keep its subscribers from bolting certainly reveals some market weakness.

Sadly, Vonage's main competitor, Skype, the brainchild of KaZaA founders Niklas Zennstrm and Janus Friis, has made things a bit difficult for Vonage with its own daring price point: free. Skype has millions worldwide using its free PC-to-PC calling software, but to capture market share, it has dropped its price on calling landline and mobile phones to free, as well.

Skype's fee structure will time-out at the end of the year, with its PC-to-PC remaining free "forever" as its Web site claims, while the calls from your PC to phones will again be charged. But you can bet Skype will manage to undercut Vonage.

Still, its niche is different from Vonage's -- as Vonage puts traditional handheld phone sets in users' hands -- but the difference may not be enough to mollify analysts' concerns. We should all hope Vonage makes it because the more competition the better, especially against the increasingly leviathan mainstream carriers such as AT&T and the various cellular providers. A string of telecomm mergers have bloated the Baby Bells, with SBC even resuscitating the AT&T brand.

VoIP has competitive advantages, but its main disadvantage is a dilly: It requires a technology comfort zone, if not downright know-how. I can figure out how to get Skype going on my home computer, and Vonage is certainly even easier, but most people may balk at the notion.

If you feel you're in that category, just head out to the Napa Valley PC Users Group monthly meeting tomorrow night, at 7 p.m. at the Napa Senior Activity Center, 1500 Jefferson St.

Susy Ball will host the main demonstration with an in-depth demonstration of VoIP and how to use it. Susy maintains most people who use VoIP are able to reduce their telephone costs and truly save money.

That sounds like something all of us can profit by.

Late update as my deadline nears: Vonage has been hit by a VoIP patent infringement suit by Verizon. When it rains it pours.

On the net neutrality front of which I spoke last week, things are also heating up, with a modest breakthrough in the ongoing fight in the U.S. Senate.

Net neutrality, or the notion that all players should be treated equally on the Internet with no sides playing favorites or charging higher fees for higher channel capacity, was dealt a severe blow a couple of weeks back with the House of Representatives passing a new communications bill with no promise to respect net neutrality.

Things were better but not good in the Senate until this past weekend when Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK) expressed willingness to include language in the Senate's version that preserves a consumer's ability to travel anywhere on the Internet and use any Web-based application.

What's missing is any ban on multi-tiered pricing, as companies like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo! have demanded.

It's hardly a breakthrough when so little is offered, but it's a start. If nothing else Stevens has offered cover for middle-of-the-roaders to move a little closer to supporting net neutrality. With a little momentum and a couple more conservative defectors, there's hope yet.

It's ironic that net neutrality is considered a liberal cause, when in reality it should be the libertarians in the conservative ranks demanding a level playing field.

The stickler is that conservative ideologues favor a free market, which often favors capital over innovation. Business ends up regulating itself, not through regulation but market manipulation.

And that's something Internet enthusiasts -- and future Internet innovators -- can ill afford.

Verizon sues Vonage for VoIP patent infringement

2006-06-19T15:57:00.000-04:00

The bad news for Internet phone provider Vonage keeps piling up, as the company now faces a patent infringement lawsuit from telephone giant Verizon Communications

Verizon's complaint was filed last Monday in a U.S. District Court in Virginia. It alleges that Vonage infringed on patents held by Verizon that describe technology for completing phone calls between VoIP users and people using phones on the traditional public switched network, authenticating VoIP callers, validating VoIP callers' accounts, fraud protection, providing enhanced features, using Wi-Fi handsets with VoIP services and monitoring VoIP caller usage.

Vonage's service uses software that turns voice signals into packets and then transmits them over broadband connections, essentially turning any Internet connection into a telephone line. Verizon sells a similar service, called VoiceWing.

In a statement released Monday, Vonage said "its services have been developed with its own proprietary technology and technology, licensed from third parties." The company also said it would "vigorously defend (against) the lawsuit." Vonage said it hadn't been previously notified by Verizon that the company thought it was infringing on its patents.

Verizon acknowledged that it had filed the complaint, but a company representative declined to comment further. The representative also would not clarify whether the company is looking into filing lawsuits against other VoIP providers.

The lawsuit comes shortly after Vonage's disappointing stock market debut. The company lost nearly 30 percent of its value in the first week of trading. The Internet telephony provider has also been gearing up to defend itself against several investor lawsuits. Shareholders allege that the company misled them and created artificial demand for the stock.

News of the Verizon lawsuit sent shares of Vonage down $1.03, or 8.13 percent, to $8.22

By Marguerite Reardon Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Residential VoIP To Boom To 44 Million Users

2006-06-15T14:10:00.000-04:00

Residential VoIP subscribers will skyrocket from 10.3 million today to 44 million in 2010, according to a new report from market research firm IDC. The report forecasts that VoIP will be used in 62% of broadband households by 2010.

The growth will be accelerated by increased broadband penetration, and consumers becoming increasingly comfortable with VoIP and other new communications technologies, the report contends.

Trends driving VoIP adoption will be mobility, simplicity, and a need for on-demand telephony, the report says. Simple setup requirements will make consumers more comfortable with the technology, and the ability to access IP telephony not just at home, but while traveling will be a driver as well.

IDC sees significant market potential for service providers able to tap into the burgeoning demand. "For those that are able to tweak their service offering to fit the ever changing tastes of the mass market, the potential growth opportunity is huge," Will Stofega, research manager for IDC's VoIP Services program, said in a statement.

Internet Pioneers Warn of VoIP Wiretapping Problems

2006-06-14T13:51:00.000-04:00

Grant Gross, IDG News Service
Wednesday, June 14, 2006

WASHINGTON -- U.S. government efforts to require most VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) providers to permit law enforcement agencies to wiretap phone calls could introduce new cybersecurity problems to the Internet, a group of Internet security experts said this week.

A U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule requiring VoIP providers to allow wiretapping by May 2007 would either require a massive re-engineering of the Internet or introduce broad security risks, said authors of a new study released by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), an IT vendor trade group.

In addition, the requirements would stall Internet innovations in the U.S. by adding hundreds of thousands of dollars in set-up and maintenance costs to VoIP providers and potentially to other Internet applications that provide voice services, including instant messaging, and online games, according to the study, which is available online.

The study, co-authored by several people including TCP/IP co-creator Vinton Cerf and former U.S. National Security Agency encryption scientist Clinton Brooks, comes days after a U.S. appeals court upheld the FCC's VoIP wiretapping rules. On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the ruling, requiring that VoIP providers offering a substitute for traditional telephone service comply with a 1994 telephone wiretapping law called the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA).

The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comments about the ITAA study. But on Friday, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said allowing law enforcement wiretapping of VoIP calls is of "paramount importance" to U.S. security.

Nine Tips For Deploying Enterprise-Class VoIP

2006-06-13T10:25:00.000-04:00

Consider tools needed to support virtual environments enabled by VoIP. VoIP provides the opportunity to transform customer interaction and other applications. In many cases, it is inadequate to deploy tools that were developed for more siloed TDM environments. Define in your application the unique requirements to support virtual teams from an architectural standpoint.

John Macario, president of the Boston-based consulting firm Savatar adds the following tips.

Calculate Total Cost of Ownership for your VoIP system as opposed to just the cost for initial deployment. Economic issues that comprise the TOC include:

Acquisition costs: What items do you need to write a check for upfront, such as installation fees, new phone purchases, and professional services to update your Local Area Network?

Monthly recurring charges: What will you pay for every month, such as local and long distance charges, per user costs, and per seat costs for IP Centrex or your T1 line?

Maintenance: What will you pay on an annual basis to maintain or upgrade the equipment?

Evaluate the performance of a VoIP network. A VoIP solution, either IP PBX or hosted IP PBX, is only as reliable as the network that carries your voice and data traffic. Service providers who offer business-class VoIP services carry voice and data packets over a managed network to ensure service quality. Any provider offering such a network should provide information on the network's performance, including security, redundancy, and reliability. When selecting a VoIP service provider, poor network performance is a knock-out criterion.

Look for productivity-enhancing features. A host of VoIP features can lead to productivity gains and give VoIP solutions a significant feature advantage over traditional systems. Some of the more interesting VoIP features include:

Unified messaging lets you consolidates voice mail, e-mail, video mail, and fax into a single interface.

Mobile extensions make it simple to reach colleagues and to manage call features from mobile devices. They also extend hosted IP PBX features to a cell phone.

Uniform dialing plans give remote offices the same features and functionality as your main office.

Shared call appearance allows calls to ring on another phone.

Personal mobility features including selective call routing, simultaneous ring, and sequential ringing to increase productivity and customer service.

J.W. Olsen has been a full-time author, editor, and freelance book project manager with more than 1000 editorial credits for IT publishers since 1990, and has provided computer, Web site, and editorial services to other clients since 1985. He welcomes feedback via the e-mail response form at www.jwolsen.com.

Whether to deploy VoIP is no longer an issue --- it's something you have to do. But there are a lot of high-level steps you need to take before deploying. It's not just technology you need to be concerned about. In fact, say many experts, hardware and software may be the least of your problems. It's the business issues you should be concerned with most.

Which issues are important --- and what to do about them? We've talked to several experts, who offer their advice.

Brett Shockley, CEO of Spanlink Communications, a consultant in VoIP solutions based in Minneapolis, suggests the following.

Clearly define your vision and goals. When migrating to an IP communications system, formulate a detailed plan that maps to the business goals and operational needs of your organization. Be absolutely clear about why you need VoIP and design a system that matches those needs. Otherwise, the risk is that the deployment will be either too narrowly considered or too overreaching to justify the total cost of ownership.

Take full advantage of the business benefits of your VoIP system. Too often, companies approach VoIP as a simple replacement of their current TDM-based PBX voice system with a VoIP PBX. Strategically, design your IP communications system to take advantage of new business processes that make you more competitive. The risk is implementing a solution that doesn't deliver a return, doesn't scale, and therefore must ultimately be re-engineered.

Plan for post-implementation management and maintenance. Set clear goals and create explicit roadmaps not only for the implementation of your system, but also for management and maintenance once it's up and running. Additionally, it's critical to ensure the right system structure to make the system manageable. Failing to have a clear management plan and the proper tools, you run the risk of compromising the environment or bogging down the process with change management and support issues.

Ensure proper training for end users. You can't just swap out employees' traditional phones for IP handsets and expect everyone to be fully operational the next morning and taking advantage of the new capabilities of the system. VoIP deployment can be compromised if users feel the system includes features that few want or excludes the ones they need. Such feelings can be mitigated by proper training.

Define roles for voice and data networking staff. The thorniest question facing VoIP project managers is getting their voice and data networking staffs to work together effectively. Bring your telecommunications managers into planning and implementation discussions with your data networking engineers. The two cultures are often still at odds, so set clearly defined roles for both sets of workers and cross-train them.

VoIP News: VoIP provides small business with a defense against hurricane damage

2006-06-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

The cost of phone service was bad enough for Aaron Lee. The potential expense of poor business continuity after a hurricane threatened his business.

As a small business owner, Lee was spending hundreds of dollars each month for two business lines and a fax line at Illuminati Studios, his graphic design and Web production company in Miami Lakes. Even at home, his personal, business and fax lines were topping a combined $150 a month, when features like voice mail and caller ID were added. He also knew that should a storm hit, if his phones went down, he would be incommunicado.

So Lee went from analog to Internet. He signed up with Vonage voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) service, first for his home, and later for his office. For around $100 a month, his office has all the lines and features his landline service formerly offered plus unlimited domestic long distance, and some overseas. The three lines at home, plus a toll-free number, run less than $80 atop the $45 a month for the cable modem service.

"That gives us a lot of telecommunications for not a lot of dollars," he said.

Voice-over-Internet protocol, or VoIP, is changing the way corporate and home-based businesses communicate. In the corporate environment, IP telephony accounted for 8 percent of the business lines installed worldwide in 2004, according to statistics from VoIP provider Avaya. The number is expected to quadruple by 2007.

For most applications, VoIP is relatively simple to install. Its router plugs into the existing broadband Internet connection, which can be DSL, cable modem, satellite or T-1 business-grade service. Then standard or business phones can be plugged into the VoIP router to complete the connection.

VoIP also can become a remote office solution should an office be damaged or closed after a hurricane.

That's the plan for Illuminati. After Lee's office was closed last year after Hurricane Wilma, a large client requested a business continuity plan. Lee knows that if his office loses its T-1 broadband Internet connection, his VoIP service will be lost as well. Should Illuminati lose service, Lee will unplug his VoIP router, and relocate to hotel or office where broadband service is accessible. This way, he can plug in his modem and phone set, and have phone service.

Since VoIP service stores all functions, greetings and voice mails on its servers, messages await retrieval once Lee has accessed the service. Lee can log on to his VoIP account and forward all calls to his wireless phone.

He's also considering the provider's "soft phone" service. With a simple software download, Lee can plug a headset into his laptop and use it to gain full use of his VoIP service. The cost is around $10 a month.

"I can open my laptop in a Starbucks and be in business. There's a degree of flexibility, especially in a disaster scenario," he said.

Jeff Zbar is a freelance writer. Reach him at jeff@jeffzbar.com.