VOIP and IPT explained

IP (Internet Protocol) is the medium by which most data communications are now carried. Voice over IP is a conversion of analogue speech into data packets, which can then be transported across a network in the same way that e-mails, files and web pages are. They are then reconverted back into speech at the other end.

IPT and VoIP have been around for some years now, but it has taken a while for it to mature in the world of business. This is a clear indication of the importance of telephony to all organisations and their reluctance to ‘ditch’ a communications medium that is so reliable, for something that is based on computers which are notoriously unreliable. The ability to make and receive calls to and from customers has to be maintained at all costs.

This is all set to change. The benefits to business are a true convergence between the worlds of voice and data, which have traditionally been completely separate in terms of technology. The whole concept of telephony, from dialling geographic numbers to separate mobile telephone networks is about to be turned on its head, as applications under IP telephony and the use of hosted solutions grows. Issues over reliability have now been overcome and almost all new corporate voice installations are now over IP.

Rosecom hosted IPT supplies this service directly from our secure platform, removing the need for customer owned telephony equipment, other than their own local area network (LAN). All processing, handling and call distribution is done from a central exchange in a resilient, secure location. This includes inbound numbers, which are vital to any business’s survival. Traditional ISDN and PSTN services are at the mercy of local disruptions, such as power failure, fire or flood, making disaster recovery and business continuity extremely difficult to achieve adequately. A hosted telephony environment removes this issue immediately.

For example – the ‘follow me’ principle in telephony currently involves a complex series of diverts either within the telephone system or externally set up by a carrier. With IPT, all you need to do is log in and your ‘presence’ or availability is immediately detected. The caller dials just one number from a standard landline to speak to you wherever you are, or connects for free via the internet.

The benefits to individual businesses and users are far reaching, from cost and efficiency gains, to creating entirely new methods of working, as flexibility and accessibility are greatly enhanced. Multimedia options such as Video, Instant Messaging, click to dial and Unified Messaging (voicemail in Outlook inbox) all become normal features and geographically independent of the head office.