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Voice Over IP Design
& Implementation —
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What Is VoIP?
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is networking
technology that allows businesses to leverage their
data networks to support their voice and telephony
needs.
VoIP utilizes standard computer server hardware in
place of the traditional dedicated PBX system. One
solution that is rapidly gaining in popularity is the
open-source Asterisk® software, which utilizes the
Linux server operating system. As is true of all
open-source technologies, the Asterisk software itself
is freely available, with no hidden licensing or other
fees typically associated with proprietary commerical
VoIP solutions.
TEKMedia
Communications builds its VoIP solutions
primarily on the Asterisk® platform and related
open-source technologies. For companies not ready to
make a commitment to open-source solutions, we fully
support other VoIP solutions as well, including Cisco
CallManager® and the 3Com NBX® products.
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Cost
Advantages:
Any business, large or small, can benefit from more
cost-effective tools and solutions. VoIP technologies
are one solution set that can potentially provide the
dramatic savings in a fairly short amount of time. For
reasons of cost alone, VoIP is an increasingly popular
solution.
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VoIP can result lower telephone bills. Companies can
avoid the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
completely for several types of calls.
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Branch offices can avoid long-distance charges for
inter-site calls.
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Merging telephone system with the Local Area Network
allows many companies to consolidate their network
infrastructures, providing direct immediate cost
savings.
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VoIP systems can often be supported remotely,
reducing long-term support costs by eliminating
costly on-site visits for simple maintenance and
configuration tasks.
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Business
Advantages:
While saving money, VoIP provides much more than
traditional phone systems. Whereas traditional phone
system have certain physical limitations (e.g., busy
lines due to a small number of available physical
telephone lines), VoIP systems often are able to
sidestep many of these limits. Not only may clients
receive phone services at greatly reduced cost, but
they also receive tools tailored to make, manage, and
design the network to their unique specifications. VoIP puts
the client in control.
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Leveraging the existing data network enables
extension dialing to be extended to multiple and
even distant locations.
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Applications are all extended to employees at any
corporate location (including temporary or remote
locations), including, but not limited to:
conferencing, voice mail, unified communications,
and click-to-dial services.
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Direct integration with other network platforms,
such as e-mail and directory services.
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At
TEKMedia
Communications, we focus explicitly on
designing and implementing VoIP solutions that keep
telecommunications costs to a minimum while making
intensive use of the network potentials within the
technology.
Most importantly, we do not recommend VoIP technologies
merely because they are trendy. We recommend VoIP
solutions only when there is clear business benefit. As
with all our solutions, we do not deploy VoIP for its
own sake, but for your sake.
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