TOP 5 MYTHS ABOUT IP COMMUNICATIONS

 Page: 1, 2,  3 >>

 As voice, video, and data networks begin to converge, more small-medium size businesses organizations are seeing the value in deploying IP business communications solutions, including IP telephony, unified messaging, voice mail, customer contact solutions, and audio/ video/ Web conferencing. Both questions and myths about these technologies have arisen. Here, we'll share some of the facts surrounding these myths and provide information that can help you make a more intelligent decision about deploying IP Communications solutions over a converged network.

THE MYTHS:

1. Customers should wait to deploy IP-based business communications until industry standards mature.

2. An IP-based business communications implementation is more expensive than implementing a traditional time-division multiplexing (TDM) communications system.

3. There is no single "killer application" for IP-based business communications today.

4. IP-based business communications systems are less secure than hybrid systems with a mix of IP-based and traditional communications.

5. Deploying IP-based business communications means throwing away your previous investment in traditional voice solutions.

MYTH #1:

Customers should wait to deploy IP-based business communications until industry standards mature. The perception here is that standards processes for telecommunications and data networking is complex and mysterious, steeped in decades of tradition and secret voting. As a result, many people are concerned that because of the relative newness of IP Communications, the current standards for these solutions are not yet mature enough to justify an investment in the technology. The fear is that if you invest in an IP Communications solution now, by next year, everything will change, and your investment will be worthless.

THE REALITY:

Fundamental standards for IP-based communications are already in place; new standards will continue to emerge. In the world of technology, it can often take far less than a year for a standard to become obsolete. In the case of IP Communications, most of the standards that are critical to the success of the solution have been around for some time. In fact, many people are surprised by the number of standards it takes to place an IP phone call today.

For example, the latest standard-inline power over Ethernet. 802.3af was finalized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in early 2003. Cisco Systems® was one of the first vendors to support the new standard.

As you can see on the diagram above, most of the standards used to make an IP phone call are not new. As new protocols become standards, they can be easily added to the total IP Communications system. The investment you make today will be protected for years to come.

Support for many different IP and voice protocols enable the Cisco IP Communications solutions deployed by EveryNetwork to integrate tightly and flexibly into your business communications environment to maximize investment in existing applications and processes. For example, the LDAP directory support enables customers to use their Microsoft Active Directory and Outlook distribution lists to make phone calls and to send or receive voice messages.

MYTH #2:

An IP-based business communications implementation is more expensive than implementing a traditional time-division multiplexing (TDM) communications system. Today's IP phones seem more expensive when compared to traditional circuit-switched key system and enterprise phones. With IP phones, the intelligence resides in the physical set rather than in set-line cards within the enterprise and key system controllers; this can give the appearance that the bulk of the solution cost is tied to the endpoints. The end customer sees only a higher phone cost for voice over IP (VoIP), rather than the comparison cost based on averaging the line card and the phone costs for the enterprise. As a result, price sensitivity becomes the significant barrier to the adoption of IP telephony. The small and midsize business markets, with their even greater price sensitivity, would be expected to adopt IP telephony at a much slower rate, unless a suitable system at a compelling price was offered.

THE REALITY:

IP Communications solutions are proven to offer lower TCO and high ROI. The typical IP phone today costs the same or less than an equivalent digital desk phone set. When you factor in the lower overall total cost of ownership (TCO) that results from an IP Communications solution running on a converged IP network for voice, video, and data, an IP Communications solution can save organizations a substantial amount of money.

More than 15,000 Cisco IP Communications systems have been deployed to date; including more than 60 percent of Fortune 500 companies are using Cisco IP Communications solutions in their organizations. While some of these are "greenfield" sites (where the customer had a new building that needed connectivity), each company had different challenges and scenarios that led them to select a converged network running an IP Communications solution. Some customers replaced a Centrex, PBX, or messaging platform that had reached the end of its useful life. Some customers needed to improve customer service or intra-company communications, which influenced the decision to have a more robust network solution that could streamline communications options and increase productivity. Some customers had a need for a compelling application that would transform the way they did business for a better competitive advantage. For all of them, however, it wasn't simply about saving money on wire pulls-it was about driving ROI by getting more value for less money.

 Page: 1, 2,  3 >>