Product review

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) has become the de-facto standard protocol for voice-over-IP (VoIP) phone systems. What does it do and why has it won out over other protocols? We address these questions and more in this article.

How to troubleshoot problems arising from blocked ports, ACLs, firewalls, NAT, and more

For networking professionals, one of the most difficult things to deal with is troubleshooting VoIP issues, because the troubleshooting process for VoIP is not always intuitive. Answers to the questions, “What could be wrong?” and “What should I check first?” are not always readily apparent.

To aid your troubleshooting and allow you to take some meaningful actions before reaching out to your telco or vendor help desk, we’ve listed the most common VoIP problems you may face, as well as their causes and solutions. 

One of the most common matters we discuss with customers on our support calls is network security – specifically, how to lock down SIP Trunks, IP PBXs, SIP phones, and routers from hacking. Here we review different ways hackers can break into your voice network and the steps you can take to secure your system.

How you connect to the internet will impact your VoIP phone system

Because SIP trunks leverage the WAN technology used to connect to the internet, it is imperative to understand how the choice of WAN technology will impact the functionality of the SIP trunk. There are different ways to connect to the internet, and each has implications for voice traffic.

In this article, we discuss the main considerations to take into account when choosing between MPLS, metro Ethernet, LTE and SD-WAN.

If you have customers that have not yet migrated to VoIP and are thinking about making the switch, this would be a great time to do it. According to the FCC, VoIP telephone subscriptions in the U.S. have been growing at a compound annual growth rate of 10% since 2013, and retail switch access has been declining by 11% annually during the same period. At that rate, VoIP subscribers now outnumber switched access customers, and ISDN connections are quickly sliding into obsolescence. SIP trunking is becoming the standard for PSTN connectivity.

To ensure a smooth transition, start by helping your customers answer these four basic questions to set them up for success.

Back in May we reviewed Yealink’s innovative T5 smart media phones. Now, Yealink has introduced the Version 40 firmware upgrade for these phones, adding to an already impressive arsenal of features and functionalities.

Review of the EdgeMarc 2900a and 2900e Enterprise Session Border Controllers

Update: Since this article was published, in 2018, Edgewater Networks was acquired by Ribbon Communications.

Edgewater Networks has added to its line of enterprise session border controllers (eSBCs) with its EdgeMarc 2900A and 2900E models. These are designed to enable enterprises and service providers to future-proof their SIP trunking and Unified Communications (UC) deployments. With built-in mechanisms for both QoS and security, they provide intelligent mechanisms allowing for both hosted PBX services as well as SIP trunking applications.

They have several features that differ from other EdgeMarc SBCs.

Product Review

Companies are continually striving to discover new workplace philosophies that will maximize the productivity of their employees. Google, Apple, and Facebook are just some examples of organizations that are introducing innovative workspace and workplace designs. Most of these are moving away from the traditional “employee tied to a desk” standard by freeing up their staff and providing for mobility within the workspace.

Yealink’s W60B DECT IP Phone Base Station is an ideal ally to aid any small- to medium-sized business in achieving such employee mobility. Since it is easy to deploy, flexible in its functionality, and rich in features, it provides for all the requirements of any internally mobile workforce.

Even in this digital age, your business can’t afford to ignore voicemail

There’s a lot of talk out there about the obsolescence of voicemail. But companies that don’t give importance to voicemail do so to the detriment of their customers' experience.

CRM.com reported that small- and mid-sized businesses experience up to 75% voicemail abandonment, referring to the people that call the company but hang up without leaving a message when transferred to voicemail.

This startling statistic is in part fueled by a lack of responsiveness on the part of the voicemail recipient. According to Nuance, 27% of those surveyed reported that when they get a voicemail, they feel burdened by the process of retrieving and listening to it, and 19% said they actually get annoyed when they receive a voicemail!

Luckily, it’s possible to have the best of both worlds and reap the benefits of voicemail while removing the hassle for company associates.