Top Three Concerns of VoIP
While its popularity continues to grow, many businesses have found some challenges
associated with VoIP, but they are seldom discussed. The main concerns revolve around
complexity, security, network quality of service and overall reliability. Business
owners need to understand the challenges associated with VoIP in order to successfully
adopt the technology and reap its remarkable rewards.
Concern #1. Inherent complexity.
As with any technological breakthrough, the average IT professional needs some time
and experience to get a firm grasp on how to handle a new technology. VoIP requires
network managers to learn new technical terminology, integrate VoIP into existing
data networks and gain expertise in an entirely new skill set. Many business owners
are consulting with unified communications providers in order to bypass these hurdles.
Concern #2. Security.
The nature of IP-based technology can expose businesses to eavesdropping or malicious
hackers because today’s communications are running through the Internet, and must
go through several servers before reaching their intended recipient. Some quick
ways to avoid such headaches are by utilizing encryption or other security mechanisms
that are designed specifically to counteract malicious acts. In fact, when appropriate
preparation is made, many businesses actually experience improved security by shifting
their communications to VoIP.
Concern #3. Quality of Service (QOS)
Packet loss during a VoIP phone call results in choppy, low quality phone calls.
This is an area of frustration for many companies that use VoIP but it has a simple
solution. Utilize an IP provider that has the capability to give VoIP packets priority
through their quality of service mechanism. If IT personnel have the tools necessary
to view, analyze, monitor and control this traffic this issue can be curtailed rather
easily.
So what’s a business to do?
In order to ensure the proper implementation of a VoIP system, one must seek the
expertise of a professional unified communications provider. Providers who deploy
sophisticated remote bandwidth management tools take the necessary steps to ensure
that that they are doing their due diligence, and that the system will function
properly when installed. As with anything new, we face several challenges in overcoming
the learning curve, but the benefits of VoIP far outweigh the potential risks. Business
owners are interested in increasing profitability, enhancing productivity and supplying
themselves with a competitive advantage and VoIP enables them to do just that.