Last week, we discussed centralized call processing and its benefits and potential pitfalls. In this article, we’ll examine another type of telephony infrastructure design for multisite enterprises: distributed call processing.

Enterprises with multiple sites have a variety of options when it comes to their IP telephony infrastructure. Which setup will best meet their needs depends on the answers to questions such as:

• Where should the call processing take place?
• Where should calls to the PSTN exit the network?
• Where should incoming calls connect to the corporate network?

These decisions depend on the nature of the underlying network infrastructure that will carry the IP telephony services, as well as other considerations such as the location of the remote sites, the dial plan, and cost.

In this article, we discuss the centralized call processing model and how to avoid common complications with its deployment.

Implementing telephony solutions in an enterprise environment can be daunting. The level of difficulty and complexity usually escalates with the number of end users. Implementing a telephony solution in a multisite environment takes the complexity to a different level altogether.

In this article we offer up some tips for streamlining the implementation of a multisite VoIP deployment so the company can derive the maximum benefit from the solution.

Product Review

In 2016, VTech joined forces with the pioneering spirit of German engineering in Snom, and the impressive results of this merger are embodied in the new ErisTerminal® ET600 Series family of products. The line includes the ET685 and the ET635 SIP color desksets and the ET6 expansion module (with new products to be announced soon). These products make communication easy with color LCD displays, world-renown Snom® audio and software, and Bluetooth connectivity for better mobility in the workspace. 

By Brian Van Meter, Community Marketing Specialist, Grandstream Networks* 

Voice over IP delivers major improvements to traditional communication networks, and as a result legacy analog phone systems are on their way out. Ten years ago, 80% of homes had landlines, but today that number is down to 43%— and businesses are following this trend, as well. However much VoIP is becoming the go-to technology for communications, it is important to acknowledge that certain markets cannot fully convert to a total VoIP solution. Not recognizing this could lead to loss in potential sales against competitors. In these situations, a hybrid VoIP network can help deliver the flexibility and power of an IP solution while catering to the restraints of your customer. Below are some of the most common situations and their solutions.

We speak a lot about unified communications and how network convergence allows it. Getting your customers migrated to VoIP is the first step to introducing them to unified communications (UC). Once that is established, they will be much more likely to embrace UC if you can show them the business problems it can help solve.

In this article, we look at some of the key drivers of demand for UC, which you can keep in mind when selling systems upgrades to your customers.

...Especially if they have lousy internet service

Because of its name, most people think of SD-WAN as being relevant only for companies with multiple sites. But SD-WAN can do wonders for many types of companies – even a single-site business located in a remote area with an unreliable internet connection. If you work with a company that fits this description, SD-WAN can resolve a lot of their VoIP issues.

By Dorothy Murach, Marketing Manager at Grandstream Networks*

The on-premise vs. hosted IP PBX battle continues. Which to choose? Each IP PBX option comes with its own characteristics and benefits, and the key is to determine which works best for your business’s unique needs. While it may seem that everything is moving to the cloud, hosted IP PBX options are not right for everyone. I’ll help you navigate through the details of each to see which IP PBX is the right choice for you.

As unwanted and unexpected as they are, crises do happen, and being unprepared only makes them worse. In a 2017 PwC survey, 65 percent of respondents reported experiencing at least one crisis in the past four years. Despite their prevalence, a 2013 study by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer found that more than 40% of respondents had no type of plan in place for dealing with a crisis.

Regardless of your customer’s current state of readiness, you can help them improve their security measures and crisis response even more with applications that run on their data network. And, if they have an on-premise IP PBX, they already have an arsenal of tools available in their existing system.

Product Review

Sangoma has raised the bar for entry-level IP phones with the s205. Now, the robust feature sets ordinarily reserved for executive-level phones are available on this entry-level endpoint, giving access to productivity-enhancing functionality to all the employees in your organization, while controlling costs at the same time.