At the crossroads to VOIP

25 Jul 2005 - Dave

Shirky – Customer-owned Networks and ZapMail provides some detailed insights into how this may all play out. After reading the post about ZapMail I’m a bit more apprehensive about trusting what the Verizon account managers present. I’m also not sure yet about the network consultants that are selling the server based PBX’s and VOIP service.

Here are some of my questions:

• how many of the existing phone contacts are accessible? long distance?
• how much of the existing PBX equipment needs to be replaced? how many handsets?
• does Asterisk factor into the decision for a business at this point in time. Asterisk is an Open Source (read – no license fees) PBX
• how about Skype?
• because VOIP service is not tied to the telecom provider (ie Verizon) what are the other options? cable Internet? broadband over powerlines? Vonnage?

Here are some I.T. specific questions:

• how much bandwidth is necessary?
• how are all the business’s Internet services going to compete if it is all piped over the same line; T1, DSL, etc.? The services will include VOIP phone, web browsing, email, etc. Is this a traffic jam in the making?
• how long before voice spam becomes a problem? how will it manifest itself? what steps to deal with it?
• how will the VOIP server be firewalled?

It really looks like there are good cost savings with this technology. But it is diligent to map out the pitfalls before proceeding.