Archive for the ‘voip’ Category

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How VoIP Can Benefit Small Businesses

When it comes down to it, in order to generate more interest in your business’s products and/or services and drive up your productivity levels, you should aim to project the most professional and successful image possible. However, when you run a small or start-up corporation this task can often seem difficult if not unattainable. Thankfully, today’s technological advancements provide numerous opportunities to let even the smallest, most infantile companies compete with the big dogs.

voip-benefit-small-businessFor example, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone services run your calls via the Internet as opposed to a traditional telephone provider. While a VoIP system may seem like intimidating ultramodern technology, rest assured it is extremely practical and quite possibly one of the most simple voice systems you have/will ever employ.

One question that is often asked is how can VoIP be utilized in start-up or small business settings?

The key is to understand that VoIP is an entire system of phone use. One of the ways to realize how much you can save by employing a VoIP service as well as the implications it can have on the way you conduct business is to first think of the ways in which you currently use telephones in your day-to-day business activities.

When it comes to start-up businesses, VoIP can be used in multiple ways, such as installing a toll-free telephone number for your clients to call. VoIP systems can also be used to efficiently direct workflow by utilizing it to manage an operating system via a computer that permits callers to hear a menu when they dial your number.

In addition, VoIP services offer a number of options and features, depending upon the provider you select, and include:

  • An unlimited number of minutes for a flat rate
  • Automated voice system with forwarding capabilities to direct calls to specific extensions and phones – even cell phones
  • Toll-free phone numbers that forward to an automated messaging system

The bottom line is that any size business can benefit from the cost-efficiency and enhanced productivity levels that a VoIP service provides. If you are interested in or are considering employing a VoIP solution for your business, give one of our professional account managers a call today. Thanks to our strategic partnership with the leading providers of VoIP services we have the unique ability to find you the ideal solution at the best available price.

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SMBs Prepping for Sizeable Communications Investments

According to a study conducted by the growth-focused consulting firm, Inzenka, small and medium-sized business adoption of Voice over Internet Protocol has risen almost 60% since 2009. The study, (which was sponsored by Cablevision, Cisco Systems Inc., and Metaswitch Networks) consisted of 700 U.S.-based small and medium-sized businesses and found that over 65% of companies with between 20 and 100 staff members plan to switch to Voice over IP in the next two years.

Overall, just over one-quarter of businesses in Inzenka’s survey reported switching from a TDM phone system to Voice over IP – a small number when compared to large business adoption rates. Companies with over 500 staff members had reported an adoption rate of 43%; those with 51 to 499 staff members had a rate of 30%, and those with 49 or fewer employees had a Voice over IP adoption rate of roughly 20%.

When it comes to cloud-based services, Inzenka found that adoption rates are nearly 70% higher among those who employ Voice over IP, and over 33% of the companies in the study stated that they would rather purchase these services from the same provider that sells them Voice over IP.

The consulting firm’s lead growth and innovation management consultant, Dan Sachar, said that “The SMB market has achieved liftoff,” and that since the lull throughout the economic downturn, all signs are pointing toward small and medium-sized businesses “preparing to make a significant investment in their communications infrastructure.”

The United States Census Bureau states that there are more than 2 million companies nationwide with 100 or fewer staff members that employ over 40 million people – and this number is growing. If you add in data collected from Inzenka, there are just about 1.2 million companies with almost 20 million staff members that are looking to adopt Voice over IP by 2013.

If you are thinking of employing Voice over UP for your business, you should note that of those who have already made the switch:

  • 93% report the quality of calls as good or improved
  • 90% report the changeover to VoIP as easy or easier
  • 76% report getting an enhanced set of features with VoIP
  • 73% report that VoIP is easier to manage

Looking for the ideal Voice over IP solution for your business? Contact one of our professional account managers to learn more about what we can offer you today!

 

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TelePacific is Expanding

TelePacific Communications is a Los Angeles, California-based CLEC that serves small and medium-sized businesses in California and Nevada is expanding. Back in early May of this year, it was announced that TelePacific would be acquiring two new companies: OCiX Inc. (Orange County Internet Xchange), a provider of dedicated colocation services, and its sister company Telekenex, a provider of IP services.

Aside from being purchased by TelePacific (the acquisition is anticipated to close in the third quarter), the two companies have a number of things in common – they sharing the same owners, such as Brandon Chaney (CEO) and Anthony Zabit (COO), and OCiX bought Telekenex’s data center business in 2008.

The acquisition of OCiX will give TelePacific its second SAS 70 data center – the first one was gained after the purchase O1 Communications almost a year ago. Moreover, through the acquisition of Telekenex, TelePacific will gain managed network and security services, a fiber network in the SFO area, a nationwide MPLS backbone and hosted PBX platform as well as over 120 employees and roughly 1,000 new business customers.

TelePacific has made plans to run the customer operations and service offerings as a separate channel headed by Telekenex’s Brandon Chaney. Chaney has said the acquisitions will add managed, VoIP and cloud services to TelePacific in addition to their current offerings.

Many are looking forward to the acquisition, including Alan Sandler, the president of master agency Sandler Partners, who praised the Los Angeles based CLEC, “TelePacific has grown rapidly through both organic growth and acquisition, and has one of the few management teams that has been able to manage acquisitions and integration in a manner that has been painless to the agent/customer.”

Likewise, Datatel Solution’s executive vice president, Jeffery Ponts had positive remarks regarding TelePacific’s ability to smoothly incorporate new acquisitions. Since signing their master agency agreement, Telekenex is the sixth acquisition for TelePacific. Ponts also stated that with a national SIP and MPLS product, “TelePacific will now be competing with the national CLECs with the advantage of their legendary customer care group,” and is no longer limited to operating solely in California and Nevada. Ponts noted that, “With each acquisition business and care disruptions were minimal to non-existent, which gives me complete confidence in this merger of cultures and customer support.”

So what else is in store for TelePacific? The company’s channel chief, Ken Bisnoff, left much to speculate when he said that, “With the new network and services, TelePacific is positioned for some exciting developments in the near future.”

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Business Mobile VoIP Use Is Expected to Soar Over the Next Five Years

Mobile Voice over Internet Protocol (aka Mobile VoIP) acts as an extension of Voice over Internet Protocol wherein voice traffic is transmitted over the available broadband connection (either Wi-Fi, 3G, GPRS or EDGE) so you can make IP-based calls from a mobile phone.

According to recent figures from In-Stat, a research and consulting firm with over 30 years of experience, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology is quickly advancing from fixed-line to mobile.

As it turns out, the ever-growing number of businesses employing mobile VoIP is producing considerable opportunity for suppliers of gateway equipment as well as their partners. In-Stat believes that it will become so popular, that by 2015 the use of mobile VoIP by companies will skyrocket to 83 million lines, and the amount spent on it will surpass a whopping $6 billion!

For the most part, In-Stat discovered that over the next five years the number of business mobile VoIP customers will likely increase tenfold, with the majority driven by mid-sized businesses and enterprises using IP PBX. And while In-Stat did not go into great detail about mobile VoIP operators, they did state that they do pose an adoption barrier, but could also turn out to be significant promoters of the service. Vonage, Verizon Wireless, Skype and Clearwire are just a few of the companies that are already part of the mobile VoIP sector.

In-Stat market analyst, Amy Cravens, stated that it wasn’t until recently that businesses began implementing mobile VoIP, and that “one of the key benefits of mobile VoIP for enterprises is extending desk-phone functionality to mobile devices.”

To put it simply, mobile VoIP customers have the ability to allow wireless devices to deliver more than just voice services (think instant messaging, e-mail, and collaboration) and can therefore essentially use their cell phones as an extension of their business desk phone.

There are multiple advantages to adopting mobile VoIP that make it a wise choice, including:

  • Better coverage where reception is frequently lost when using cell phones
  • A simple implementation path
  • Cost-efficient international long distance
  • The fact that you can make use of the benefits of IP-based communication features
  • The ability to essentially bring your desktop phone with you – wherever you go

For more information on how mobile VoIP can help improve your business, contact one of our professional account managers today!

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NetInterCall Integrates with Microsoft Lync Online

For those of you that might be a bit unfamiliar with the cloud, let me back up a bit. There are countless definitions and explanations about what the cloud is, but when it comes down to it, the cloud is the Internet. Yes, it really is that simple! Today, the popularity of cloud-based services is on the rise – and there are many reasons why. For starters, employing cloud-based services eliminates your need to purchase or maintain hardware or software, and because you are always using the latest version, there is no need to fret over making sure you have the latest upgrade for each service you use. Furthermore, cloud-based solutions can be employed in any location, and they eliminate the need for your dedicated IT staff to manage your solution which allows them to focus on other mission-critical issues – what’s not to love?

And when it comes to cloud services, InterCall is the cherry on top of the cloud-based services sundae. For over 20 years businesses have been safely and securely leveraging InterCall’s conferencing solutions over their reliable network.

Today marks the launch of Microsoft Office 365. Another leap into the cloud for InterCall, Microsoft Office 365 is a subscription-based service that blends the Office applications you are most likely already familiar with (such as Outlook Exchange, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Office desktop suite, etc.) with cloud-based versions of collaboration services Lync Online and SharePoint Online.

This launch is special because of the unique value that InterCall brings to Office 365. If you are wondering why your business should partner with InterCall for Office 365, there are three main benefits to consider:

  • Experience – as the world’s leading conferencing provider, InterCall offers everything from personalized training and adoption programs to more involved assistance such as professional migration services. In addition, along with the multiple certifications InterCall holds, they are also a Microsoft Silver Certified Partner and national systems integrator
  • Support – InterCall provides worldwide 24/7 tier 1 and tier 2 customer support with skilled agents that are experienced in all aspects of Office 365, as well as consultations and technical pre-sales assistance. InterCall also offers recorded training sessions available online free of charge
  • Features – InterCall’s robust list of features includes:
    • Support at the touch of a button on your telephone keypad
    • The ability to mute/un-mute lines
    • Customers can dial-in to your meeting, or you can dial-out to them
    • Connect to your meeting via multiple devices
    • Lock/un-lock your meeting to ensure complete privacy
    • Schedule your conferences simply and easily through Outlook
    • Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and/or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) integration, including mixed recording

Posted in Conferencing, Intercall, Internet T1, Microsoft, Tier-1 Carrier Networks, voip | No Comments »

SMBs find Opportunity in SIP Trunking

Typically, a traditional company might have a local Public Switched Telephone Network gateway, a line dedicated to routing voice calls to the outside – typically a PRI – and an Internet circuit dedicated for Web and data use – often a T1. Generally the data circuit is underutilized; however, by using Voice over Internet Protocol you eliminate the need for a PRI altogether, leaving only the T1 circuit and the necessary number of SIP trunks. SIP trunks save those same businesses $700 to $1000 per month, by letting those with an IP PBX connect internal data and voice traffic to the outside Public Switched Telephone Network via Internet Protocol.

Another benefit of SIP trunking is that they are often sold as concurrent calls, allowing you to purchase in increments of one – something very hard to do with a PRI, and definitely comes in handy for businesses that opt to grow incrementally.

Steven Johnson, the president of SIP traffic and firewall technology company, Ingate Systems, believes that like unified communications, SIP trunking has potential to become a gateway to more enhanced aspects of Voice over Internet Protocol. Johnson also states that there will be significant future growth from adjacent applications, “As people see the value of SIP trunking, and as they recognize the power of the other features included in their PBX, they will start to do more with the SIP they have installed.” He added that over time, worldwide SIP connectivity amid companies will equate to more peer-to-peer traffic, and no longer require a service provider for making calls.

Most companies have some kind of Internet Protocol communication need – whether its wireless IP phones that work off of a Wide Area Network, a mobile worker using a softphone connected to a PBX, or a telecommuter using an IP phone as an extension off of the PBX. According to Toshiba’s product marketing manager, Jon Nelson, “These are all really practical and usable solutions to most people, and once they discover these are things that are out there, and they’re already converging with an IP PBX and SIP trunks, there’s a lot of interest there.”

For more information on how SIP trunking can help your SMB, contact one of our professional account managers today!

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VoIP is on the Rise

Today there are over 120 million Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) customers around the globe, and that number is only expected to rise in the years ahead.

Last year in 2010, Voice over Internet Protocol grew an impressive 12.6%, and there is no shortage of headroom left for it around the globe. According to research conducted by Point Topic, they predict that the fixed-line Voice over Internet Protocol industry worldwide will hit an estimated annual $40 billion by 2015.

Senior analyst at Point Topic, John Bosnell, characterized the growth as “bumpy but shows signs of acceleration.” Bosnell went on to say that Voice over Internet Protocol has all the attributes of a traditional replacement service, wherein customers “look at the service that is delivered by a new product and decide that it meets, or exceeds, the service they are currently receiving,” then when the service is priced suitably for them they switch from one service to the next.

One market that many people are keeping their eyes on these days is France. In the past decade, France has seen a dramatic swing away from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). In fact, in 2010 over half of France’s telephony traffic originated on fixed networks that began on a Voice over Internet Protocol phone.

While Point Topic’s Bosnell said that by the end of 2015 they expect to see “more than three-quarters of a billion fixed-line broadband subscribers,” which hypothetically would all be targets for Voice over Internet Protocol, any value and size projections should be taken with a grain of salt.

At this point, the developmental stages of the Voice over Internet Protocol market contain such a great number of variables that anticipated models could be off by a considerable margin. For instance, a growing number of customers are foregoing fixed line telephone services completely and choosing instead to rely on mobile.

So far, Point Topic’s Voice over Internet Protocol study concentrated mainly on fixed line services. Internet telephony, however, is a more mysterious market, and includes services such as Skype, a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet.

Bosnell explained that Internet telephony is highly disjointed and commonly served by businesses that either do not or will not report consistent revenues or statistics. That said, Point Topic believes that the generated revenue is a great deal lower, with 9 million users generating a monthly average of $8 at the end of 2010.

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Hosted VoIP is Here to Stay

Unfortunately, due to poor service delivery, techno-centric sales approaches, immature technology, and other end-user misconceptions, the one grand hope to re-energize telecom sales – hosted VoIP – has not lived up to its adoption expectations. Many agents have recounted poor service quality, a lack of skills, staff (or both) for installation, and a general confusion as far as how to support it.

That being said, however, there is still hope. The Dell’Oro group reports that well over 11 million small businesses are enjoying the benefits that come from using hosted VoIP; furthermore, the hosted IP PBX market is characterized by analysts as robust and on the rise.

Hosted VoIP makes you run faster, jump higher and run your business better.

Hosted IP PBX varies widely, but is generally suited for small businesses, and enables you to save on long distance calls, installation, equipment, and maintenance. Hosted IP PBXs also provide a profit from the use of smart IP features, including the enormously popular remote work, voice to email, and simultaneous ring.

Another big benefit of employing a hosted IP PBX is that it gives smaller businesses the competitive edge of being able to appear much larger. By and large, only hosted IP PBXs are able to integrate features, such as Outlook integration, call forwarding and call screening, voicemail to email, call logs, multiple extensions, VoIP and answering rules, with Web and voice applications.

Verizon Business’s product marketing manager for VoIP, Bob Riley, stated that the hosted IP PBX market drivers are a mirror image of the ever-evolving work environment and “closely aligned with core business objectives.” For instance, businesses are fighting to enhance company efficiencies by instituting productivity boosting technologies, such as unified communications, with limited technical competencies, restrictive budgets, and a growing number of employees that are truly mobile or working from home.

While hosted IP PBX has its advantages and is considered by many to be a great tool, it might not be right for everyone. If you’re considering employing a hosted IP PBX, here are some questions you should ask yourself:

  • Is your business a sufficient user of Internet, local, and long distance service? If so, you could benefit from the cost savings provided by a converged network.
  • Are you looking to upgrade your existing phone equipment in addition to purchasing a new phone service? If so, VoIP would be a great option.

Still wondering if hosted IP PBX is right for your business? Contact one of our expert account managers today and find out!

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Network Innovations

Network Innovations is uniquely qualified to meet your company’s voice, video, data, and process control requirements. Experienced and certified in structured cabling, multiple high and low level protocols, transmission technologies, and the design of fault tolerant network architectures, Network Innovations assists in developing strategic plans for computing and communications infrastructures.

Obtaining a thorough understanding of a company’s business objectives and strategic initiatives is essential to developing a successful and effective IT plan. Network Innovations not only understands this, and assess your unique situation to determine the best method of phasing in new technologies and associated business practices to develop a strategic plan with “real world” answers to help leverage technology investment while smoothly transitioning your existing business and technology base into the future.

Network Innovations can coordinate a joint project team within any company.
Their skilled personnel meet with company executives, users, and technical staff to develop a solid understanding of your business strategies and information needs. The team project manager then takes the lead, coordinating the development of detailed project plans, including staffing levels, schedules, phases, tasks, sub-tasks, deliverables, milestones, and applicable standards.

Additionally, Network Innovations can conduct site surveys and performance tests to measure the health of existing computing systems and communication networks. The information collected from these meetings and assessments will be used to:

  • Facilitate the development of designs that are in unison with the company’s short and long term strategic objectives.
  • Define specific functional and performance requirements and constraints for each proposed system and supporting network.
  • Baseline existing voice, video, data, process control systems, and networking environments.

Network Innovations can provide implementation services for a company’s entire corporate enterprise network. They understand that a company’s IT infrastructure is its lifeblood and therefore, must be fully functional at all times. Their implementation services team ensures that the project is completed to specifications and on schedule, with special attention to quality and critical interoperability requirements. Furthermore, to reduce installation delays due to “dead on arrival” equipment, Network Innovations pre-tests network electronics prior to installation and provides configuration services.

Posted in Audio Conferencing, Ethernet Service, General, voip, VPN, Web Conferencing | No Comments »

XO SIP Service

XO SIP service provides IP-PBX customers direct IP access to XO’s private OC-192 IP network. It is a low cost, low bandwidth consuming protocol conversion that offers the performance of business-class VoIP, unlike the traditional T-1s and other equipment.

Providing a direct connection to the XO IP network reduces recurring costs of the PSTN and data circuits, as well as eliminates the costs associated with the purchase, support, and maintenance of media gateways.

Voice traffic is prioritized though XO’s Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation. This allows businesses to maximize the full IP circuit, and helps them ensure that when voice lines are idle, data traffic is supported. The selection of port speeds and scaled calling plans to fit the needs of each customer are also available without the hassle of per line fees.

The benefits and features of the XO SIP service include:

  • XO SIP is available in 1.5 Mbps, 3.0 Mbps, 4.5 Mbps, 10 Mbps using either fiber, copper, or serial DS1 Ethernet, and 45 Mbps using DS3
  • Standard features include unlimited local calls, portable local numbers, unlimited site-to-site calls, free local DIDs, E911, 411, caller ID, operator and directory listing services, and customized inbound and outbound toll free calls

Expanding data capabilities is simplified with XO’s wide range of features:

  • Voice communications bundled with dedicated Internet access. This includes web-based online management and web hosting
  • 100 megabytes of disk space, 10 email accounts, and virus protection with Perimeter Email Protection to fight spam, wrongly sent emails, and viruses
  • 1 gigabyte bandwidth

Improve your network’s performance using these optional features:

  • Have more voice calls simultaneously on the same bandwidth using compression
  • Efficiently field and deliver inbound calls to their respective destinations by using auto attendant
  • Use the voice virtual private network to configure private dial plans for on-net call routing
  • Establish customer support numbers, order-taking centers and technical assistance lines using the business call center
  • Virtual DIDs allow companies to establish a local presence in markets where there is no physical business address, giving them the unique capability to serve customers in different markets

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