VoIP is an ideal phone solution for an organization looking to enhance its business.

It’s an acronym that stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, a phone system that utilizes your computer network to make and receive telephone calls. Because VoIP offers significant cost savings over traditional phone services, businesses of all sizes are using it as their primary or secondary business phone system. But, because VoIP is still relatively new, it has some challenges that need to be addressed before you can consider it a “matured technology.”

You have to consider what is different about your current phone system before you decide whether or not VoIP makes sense for your organization. One of the biggest differences is that there is no analog signal, so all calls are digital. If you have a traditional phone system, those calls are analog. So, not only are all incoming and outgoing calls digital, but voice mail is also digitally transmitted. And, if you use VoIP with SIP trunks, your calls are in fact routed over the Internet.

SIP Trunking: The Internet is where VoIP’s biggest competition occurs.

The Internet-based phone systems companies are currently fighting for market share. Many businesses that have switched from traditional phone systems to VoIP are making the switch to SIP trunks for two reasons. One, internet-based phone systems are inherently less secure than traditional phone systems, which is one of the reasons why an increasing number of businesses are moving their phones over to SIP trunks.

Second, internet-based PBX solutions offer greater scalability, and many businesses are able to utilize all of their network resources to implement their own IP telephony solution. Traditional PBX systems are limited by their single line of credit and their reliance on current technologies. Internet-based PBX solutions are scalable, can leverage the multiple lines of credit provided by VoIP, and don’t need to make any compromises in security. In fact, security is almost as good for internet-based PBX systems as it is for the traditional PABX models.

What are the advantages of SIP trunks?

Like a traditional PABX phone system, SIP trunks allow the same numbers to be used for both incoming and outgoing calls. The primary difference is that there is no need to change or update any of the software that provides the service. Instead, each client connects to the SIP provider and uses a specific, pre-determined set of parameters to control and limit the number of calls that come in and go out. This eliminates any possibility of call drops, hangs, busy signals, or other errors caused by having too many calls at once.

Another advantage to using SIP for voice and data networks is the resiliency built into the system. Unlike traditional PABX phones, which often experience problems with connectivity, SIP providers are often able to withstand very large gains in traffic. Because voice traffic and data traffic can both increase over time, providers can add on to their offerings in order to meet the demands of their clients. With SIP trunks, this is made possible because the underlying technology has inherent resilience built into its design.

In addition, SIP provides a flexible, easy solution for managing voice and data networks. Today’s PBX systems often contain integrated voicemail, conferencing, long-distance, and toll-free conference calling features. Because all these functions are handled by the same SIP solution, it’s easier than ever before to monitor and track each feature separately. That means a business continuity plan can be developed that includes a robust inventory management system in place so that any outages due to an outage affecting any of the elements of a network are addressed with the touch of a button. When VoIP phone service is incorporated with sip trunking, the capabilities of a PBX are made more powerful and more reliable.

• Implementing a robust integrated network and business continuity plan requires additional investment in infrastructure that can accommodate growing traffic.
• It also requires an evaluation of the current state of the customer relationships and the ability to service them effectively.
• By incorporating VoIP into a resiliency strategy, businesses can eliminate much of the initial investment required for establishing an efficient telecommunications platform.
• Implementing VoIP with sip trunking provides businesses with the flexibility and resiliency needed to grow their business and maintain a strong grip on their customers’ communications.