What Resources Do You Need to Set Up a VoIP System?

There are many options for implementing VoIP in your business. Because of the flexibility of the technology, you can choose what’s right for you and not subscribe to a single standard unlike the PSTN phone system. As with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages to each method. In this article, we focus on the choice to set up a VoIP system in house complete with all the hardware and software. You’ll see what it takes and what your options are if you don’t wish to go all the way.

Setting up a VoIP system

Apart from the equipment you need to have regardless of what system you choose such as VoIP enabled phones and an Internet connection, the most important component of your VoIP system will be a server. This is what will host the coordinating software which will connect your VoIP phones to each other, your offices and even the outside world which may not be VoIP based.

The server itself is specialized with ports etc which are unique to its purpose of serving and delivering VoIP. It has to be powerful and can cost quite a bundle. But having the server isn’t enough of course. You need to have something to run on it. Luckily, there are some powerful open source solutions you can install which won’t cost you anything to purchase, though setting it up accurately can be quite a pain.

Which leads us to the next requirement – technically competent manpower. If you’ve only had basic IT experience so far, you’ll have to hire people who know what they’re doing with VoIP. They have to configure the server, set up the VoIP infrastructure and maintain it. As you probably know by now, you have to manage your network after you’ve set up VoIP to ensure that you always have sufficient bandwidth to cater for your VoIP needs. This means your technical administrators will have to stay on their toes to take preventive action in case something seems to be going wrong.

It’s not difficult to see that setting up an in house VoIP system takes time, effort and cash. Not to mention expertise and experience. It’s not an enterprise which one sets out on without a lot of thought. For small and medium sized businesses it probably makes a lot more sense to outsource the setting up and management of the VoIP system to a hosted PBX service. Then all you have to do is ensure that your Internet connection is up to the mark and you can start making VoIP calls immediately!

Bhagwad is an expert consultant on creating a secure Secure SIP Proxy Servers. He also specializes in Mobile VoIP Server

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What Resources Do You Need to Set Up a VoIP System?

There are many options for implementing VoIP in your business. Because of the flexibility of the technology, you can choose what’s right for you and not subscribe to a single standard unlike the PSTN phone system. As with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages to each method. In this article, we focus on the choice to set up a VoIP system in house complete with all the hardware and software. You’ll see what it takes and what your options are if you don’t wish to go all the way.

Setting up a VoIP system

Apart from the equipment you need to have regardless of what system you choose such as VoIP enabled phones and an Internet connection, the most important component of your VoIP system will be a server. This is what will host the coordinating software which will connect your VoIP phones to each other, your offices and even the outside world which may not be VoIP based.

The server itself is specialized with ports etc which are unique to its purpose of serving and delivering VoIP. It has to be powerful and can cost quite a bundle. But having the server isn’t enough of course. You need to have something to run on it. Luckily, there are some powerful open source solutions you can install which won’t cost you anything to purchase, though setting it up accurately can be quite a pain.

Which leads us to the next requirement – technically competent manpower. If you’ve only had basic IT experience so far, you’ll have to hire people who know what they’re doing with VoIP. They have to configure the server, set up the VoIP infrastructure and maintain it. As you probably know by now, you have to manage your network after you’ve set up VoIP to ensure that you always have sufficient bandwidth to cater for your VoIP needs. This means your technical administrators will have to stay on their toes to take preventive action in case something seems to be going wrong.

It’s not difficult to see that setting up an in house VoIP system takes time, effort and cash. Not to mention expertise and experience. It’s not an enterprise which one sets out on without a lot of thought. For small and medium sized businesses it probably makes a lot more sense to outsource the setting up and management of the VoIP system to a hosted PBX service. Then all you have to do is ensure that your Internet connection is up to the mark and you can start making VoIP calls immediately!

Bhagwad is an expert consultant on creating a secure Secure SIP Proxy Servers. He also specializes in Mobile VoIP Server

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Purchasing a New Office Telephone System

The cost of a new office telephone system may be surprisingly modest, however, not even the largest companies typically regard it as something to be taken lightly.

Its sometimes useful to think about the purchase in a number of different ways:

what new capabilities are you hoping to get out of it – in other words, what do you hope to do in future that you cannot do today;what problems are you trying to fix by installing a new office telephone system;is your business fixed in scope or do you have ambitions to grow;how critical is it (will it be) to your business – i.e., how long could you survive without serious business damage, if your phone system was unavailable to you;do you wish it to integrate with other forms of technology you are considering (e.g. video conferencing, VOIP etc);is it essentially to be used for external communications or will it play a large part in your own internal operations (switching between sites, voice mail, call re-routing and follow-me etc)?

This list is not, of course, comprehensive. There is a well-defined process behind the analysis of requirements of an office telephone system, which should be conducted before you start to focus on a perceived solution.

If you do not feel well equipped to perform this yourself, it may be advisable to find a telecoms solution provider who can help you with it.

Of course, there has been no mention in the above of budgets and costs.

Thats intentional because thinking too quickly about cost may incline you to lose sight of what youre seeking to achieve.

Nobody doubts that budgets today are tight and cost is an important consideration. However, the system that appears to be the cheapest in price tag terms may not prove to be the cheapest for you in the medium term if it fails to deliver against your expectations.

The cost of your system will inevitably prove to be a factor in your decision. Making an informed decision, however, to compromise against your stated requirements for cost reasons is one thing – unintentionally doing so just because you were seeking the cheapest solution may be something else and something that is far more prejudicial to your chances of achieving a successful outcome.

So, when selecting a new office telephone system, start first with your requirements and a list of things you simply must have and then think about prices!

Lisa Settle is a Director of Telcare ( http://www.telcare.co.uk ) a customer-focused telecoms provider that can take care of all your business telephone system needs, from giving advice through to installation and ongoing care and maintenance.

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