How can I implement VoIP and retain existing system hardware to save money?

How can I implement VoIP and retain existing system hardware to save money?

I run a office with two locations (New York and Los Angeles). We have two diferent PBX systems (Avaya Partner and Toshiba Strata). How can I implement VoIP and retain existing system hardware to save money? All of this is too confusing.

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Your best bet would be to look into a gateway. This box would take the voice calls, convert the analog voice conversations into packets and send them over the Internet. This would allow you to keep your phones, etc. However, please be aware that if your networking gear does not understand quality of service, you will have little luck without adding a bandwidth manager to control our traffic. I would suggest talking with your equipment reps. In some cases they will buy back your old systems for some savings towards a new one. When you consider these decisions, if you look at how much you are spending on toll charges, the overall ROI may be quite attractive and justify purchasing a new system. You do not indicate the size of your company sites, but VoIP/PBX's have come down considerably in price, with some units in the few thousand dollar range.

This was first published in December 2005