In today's digital networked economy, convergence and associated applications like VoIP, have become huge buzzwords as more and more companies look to upgrade their networks to IP. The reason that these technologies have become so popular is that organizations are looking for solutions that will deliver benefits such as cost reduction, increased productivity or business transformation.
So how does VoIP reduce costs?
1. Significant cost savings can be achieved by multi-sited businesses using their own network for IP telephony calls between sites, thus avoiding call charges.2. With a converged network there is only one set of hardware, network links and security to implement and manage.
3. The overheads of IT and communications management are reduced with Internet Protocol Telephony (IPT) from an administrators perspective, which essentially allows an entire voice and data network to be viewed from a single management terminal.
4. Costs are consolidated and reduced with one network and piece of equipment, one team to manage it, and one supplier.
5. Rationalizing the telephony lines you have coming into your business, for example, reduced private circuits, PSTN lines and ISDN 30 channels.
6. Relocations, reorganizations, and other organizational changes become easier, quicker and cheaper to manage.
Some suppliers offer evolutionary services that gives organizations the opportunity to enhance and
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Kate Gerwig, Editorial Director
build on what they have. Not only can VoIP deliver savings, it also gives users a stepping stone to further improvements and upgrades well into the future.
About the author:John Blake is head of hosted IP telephony at BT Global Services, BT's services and solutions division. John is responsible for the strategy and development of BT Global Services' Voice over IP (VoIP) portfolio in both the UK and across Europe.
John has worked for BT for over 30 years and has been responsible for the successful launches of Surftalk, BT Netchat and BT Global Services hosted IP telephony services, Multimedia VoIP and VoIP Port.
Prior to joining BT Global Services in April 2001, John spent six years in Product Development/Management where he developed from concept, BT's Core platform Centrex and VPN products, FeatureLine and FeatureNet Embark.
This was first published in September 2005