VoIP



Hi. This is Craig Sharp, and you're listening to another short podcast from Abussi, with more news and topical information about IT.

Last month we looked at working from home. Today we're covering a related area. Voice over Internet Protocol - or VOIP, as it's often referred to.

So what exactly is VOIP?

It's the ability to make phone calls using an Internet connection - instead of a telephone line.

You get all the functionality of your normal business phone - but without having a physical system to run and maintain. Instead, you get a ring-fenced area of a hosted site that's exclusively for your use.

You can connect any number of suitable phones, from any geographical location.
Other offices, homes - anywhere with an Internet connection.

It's cost-effective, simple to use, and easy to manage.

So what's the catch? Well, there isn't one really. Which is why so many of the businesses that we talk to are starting to take a serious look.

Many people think that VOIP is all about saving money. It certainly can be, with much lower start-up costs and smaller monthly bills. But really, it's also to do with flexibility and scale.

For example, if a customer calls your system, you can answer in Birmingham and pass the call through seamlessly to Bristol at no extra cost - very expensive with a traditional system.

And VOIP is as integrated as if all your people were sitting together in the same office. Now they can all be in different places and still have voicemail, caller ID, call forwarding, audio conferencing and so on.

So for start-ups, and businesses that want to grow without adding physical space, VOIP offers instant flexibility, and the ability to extend or change location. You can lift up your VOIP system and connect it to the Internet again in your new premises. No more waiting for the telephone company to install more cards or lines.

For businesses employing people working part-time from home, VOIP is perfect. You can configure your system so that their phone only rings, or makes calls out, between set times or hours.

Smaller existing phone systems - say four to eight handsets - probably won't have the ability to be extended with VOIP. So you'd need to decide when to change to a fully hosted VOIP system.

Larger ones - say those with fifteen to twenty handsets - may well have the ability to have VOIP modules added on.

So what do you need?

First, a VOIP provider. There are a growing number of these, and we can advise.

Then you need an Internet connection - easy - and a VOIP compatible phone. They start at around fifty pounds.

Abussi can help you bring all your IT together, and make it really work for you - so you can concentrate on doing what you do best. You can find out more at our website - abussi.co.uk.

Meanwhile, enjoy your IT, and I look forward to talking to you again next time. Thanks for listening.