Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a process of digitizing and sending voice telephone signals over the Internet or other data network. Enterprises of all sizes can benefit from this technology, but they must do some research to decide if VoIP is right for them. Which vendor should I call? Would I rather deploy and manage my telecommunications in-house, or does it make sense to outsource to a hosted services provider? How much will this cost, and how much money can I save in the long run?
The first thing most people realize about VoIP technology is that it can save their business money by reducing or eliminating the toll charges for long-distance and even local calling. However VoIP is more than a plan to lower a company's phone bill. There are also so-called "soft" benefits enabled by VoIP, such as increased worker productivity, the ability to collaborate among multiple branch offices, and lower operational expenditures as a result of simplified management schemes.
Unified Communications Research Library
