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One area of communication that is demonstrating
potential in the enterprise environment in terms of cost reduction and
improved user experience is IP-based on-demand voice conferencing.
Incorporating on-demand VoIP audio conferencing means enterprises can
potentially have greater control over the conference call experience, with
minimal overhead.
Because the conference call travels over IP networks, office administrators
have the ability to tie in newer Web-enabled features to provision new
accounts, view billing information, initiate and terminate calls, notify
conference attendees via e-mail, manage information in real time and conduct
many more functions that were previously initiated using a touchtone pad on
a standard office phone.
With IP-based conferencing, office workers can employ any type of
device–including standard telephones, mobile handset, SIP phone or even
softphone technology–to place or receive conference calls. This enables the
business to take advantage of reduced transport costs.
As softphones become a more standard way to communicate by merging voice
communications with computer terminals, the switch and the PBX
infrastructure will become obsolete, allowing businesses to eliminate
expensive long-distance charges, 800 service costs and international phone
rates. Furthermore, less network equipment translates directly into lower
operation costs.
Currently, however, audio conferencing solutions that support both
traditional PBX investments based on time division multiplexing (TDM) and
newer IP technologies are important for today’s short- and long-term
planning. Such hybrid systems have been in the marketplace for three years.
Traditional calls travel over a standard phone line and move into the
service provider network, where they reach a softswitch or gateway that
translates them from TDM to IP. That IP data is then moved to the hosted
conference bridge, where it travels to its final destination. The cost
savings materialize because the initial call is placed using local phone
numbers, then translated to IP at the service provider gateway for delivery,
eliminating any long-distance charges.
Many enterprises may find the option of using a service provider or
specialized conferencing provider advantageous. Critical questions to ask
before signing any long-term contract include the following: Does the
service provider have experience with voice-over-IP platforms? Is the
service it is offering carrier-grade (99.9999% uptime) with voice quality
rivaling traditional services? Does it offer service-level agreements that
guarantee a certain degree of service? Are there any additional customer
premise equipment charges or hidden costs?
Flexibility is important. Managers should seek service providers that can
incorporate rich, customizable features for the enterprise on a per account
basis. For example, certain accounts should be enabled to dial out, while
others should be kept on a strictly dial-in mode. Furthermore, some
additional accounts should be allowed to speak before the moderator has
joined the call, while others should be restricted from this feature.
For more information from Vapps:
www.rsleads.com/512cn-259
This article was provided by Ben Lilienthal, founder
and CEO of Vapps, Hoboken, N.J., a supplier of VoIP audio conferencing
bridges to large enterprises, conference service providers and
next-generation telcos.
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