| Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is an emerging | | | | phone companies charge for these services, but they |
| technology sector that can be immediately viable and | | | | are free through VoIP providers. The infrastructure to |
| cost effective for small and medium businesses | | | | support VoIP is also in every office, as all computers |
| (SMBs). These systems use phones that operate as | | | | are already connected to the internet. Implementing it is |
| normal to the employee, but can change the analogue | | | | simple and many companies provide installation of |
| sounds of a voice into digital packets to be transmitted | | | | VoIP phone systems. Purchasing multiple extensions, |
| over the internet. These are then changed back at the | | | | as many businesses will need, is cheaper than with |
| other end, either to another VoIP phone or to an | | | | traditional phone providers as well, and the service can |
| ordinary phone line. | | | | be extended to mobiles with ease. |
| VoIP providers offer two ways for business | | | | There are some disadvantages to VoIP which are |
| customers to connect to the network. The first is an | | | | currently being addressed. The first and perhaps most |
| analog telephone adaptor (ATA). This connects to | | | | important is call quality. Since the packets are |
| your computer and has a port for a regular phone. It | | | | transmitted over the internet and have to be |
| will then work as normal. There are also specific IP | | | | compressed and decompressed, they are occasionally |
| phones, which are the most likely candidates for use in | | | | lost or corrupted, leading to dropped words and |
| SMBs. These will be plugged into your internet | | | | garbling on either end. This is addressed through quality |
| connection and will then work just like a normal phone. | | | | testing and careful monitoring, and ever-faster internet |
| VoIP carries some advantages for everyone; cheaper | | | | connection means that this will become less of a |
| phone calls are the top reason to join this new trend. | | | | problem as years go on. There is also no way to |
| It's free to call one internet phone from another and | | | | make an emergency call from a VoIP phone as yet, |
| both local and long distance phone calls to ordinary | | | | but this is currently being addressed by a variety of |
| numbers are much cheaper than with a standard | | | | providers. It is important for every office to retain one |
| provider. For SMBs, this is ideal, particularly if you have | | | | standard phone line in order to avoid any potential |
| multiple offices, even better if they are in different | | | | problems in this respect. |
| countries. All calls will be free, so having VoIP in every | | | | Lastly, if the power or the internet connection goes out, |
| office will save you huge amounts on communication. | | | | VoIP phones will not work. In an office environment, |
| Further advantages include many necessary features | | | | however, both of these situations would cause most |
| for businesses as standard, such as call forwarding, | | | | work to cease anyway, and as such may not be as |
| three-way calling, call waiting, and caller id. Traditional | | | | much of an issue as for a home consumer. |