Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services and providers are
quickly becoming mainstream technology, and small and midsized
businesses (SMBs) need to keep up with the larger companies, even
if it's on a smaller scale. You want your company to have the most
relevant resources, but you want to be sure before you invest in an
expensive project. Check out the latest news, tips and other VoIP
resources -- specifically geared toward SMBs -- to help you make
informed decisions.
For free advice and resources on more IT and business topics,
visit our list of
SMB IT Management Guides.
Table of contents
VoIP
security barely a blip on SMBs' radar
VoIP:
The migration dilemma
VoIP
too big a 'pain' for small businesses
Secure
VoIP in simple steps
Wireless
options abound: WiMAX, EV-DO, VoIP
More
resources
[Shamus McGillicuddy, News Writer]Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), experts
say. That will quickly change once hackers take aim,
however.
Richard Ridolfo, CIO of Simat, Helliesen & Eichner Inc., a
New York-based aviation consulting firm, said security concerns
affected how he rolled out VoIP.
"We're using company-owned VoIP infrastructure, and we are using
it on encrypted, controlled data paths," Ridolfo said. "And we
prohibit the use of free commercial service because I don't believe
the technology is mature yet."
But when Ridolfo was looking at VoIP offerings, he saw no
mention of security in vendors' marketing messages.
Learn more in "
VoIP security barely a blip on SMBs' radar." Also:
[Paul Gillin, Contributor]As Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) rapidly gains critical
mass -- some enterprise projects already involve more than 100,000
users -- it's hard to come up with reasons not to make the
move to VoIP. Palo Alto, Calif.-based The Radicati Group Inc.
recently forecast that nearly three-quarters of corporate phone
lines will use VoIP within the next three years. Major rollouts are
under way at blue chip companies like Bank of America and The New
York Times Co.
But for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), the decision
is not a no-brainer. As
SearchSMB.com noted in a recent article, SMBs can be
intimidated by the scope and technical complexity of a migration,
which can involve major changes to infrastructure as well as a
complete replacement of desktop and server-room equipment. That's a
shame, because SMBs are usually the first companies to benefit from
a new technology. There are shortcuts to making the migration
easier.
Find out what deployment issues to
consider in "
VoIP: The migration dilemma." Also:
-
VoIP has too much variation for SMBs (destinationCRM.com)
The range of IP telephony solutions presents smaller businesses
with many confusing choices, according to a new study; vendors have
an opportunity to create targeted solutions.
[Shamus McGillicuddy, News Writer]Adoption of
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) by small businesses remains
much lower than among medium and large businesses, but not for lack
of interest.
"I talk to a lot of small business owners," said Michael
Megalli, a partner with Group 1066, a New York-based strategic
marketing firm. "They all want it, but the pain of getting it is
too great."
Megalli said small businesses have to deal with too many
technologies and too many vendors to cobble together a VoIP
system.
"Because you have to deal with so many vendors to get VoIP set
up, there are so many potential points of failure," he said. "A
blame game starts. You get into a situation that when you do have a
problem, it makes it a much more difficult problem to fix."
Learn more in "
VoIP too big a 'pain' for small businesses." Also:
-
VoIP the right choice for SMBs? (SearchSMB.com)
Is VoIP the right choice for SMBs? SearchSMB.com Associate Editor
Jeff Kelly finds out from expert Carrie Higbie.
[Joel Dubin, CISSP, Contributor]Securing Voice over IP (VoIP) doesn't have to be a challenge for
small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). VoIP is basically a phone
call over the Internet. It offers the same promises -- and pitfalls
-- as the Internet. The promises are cheap and easy communication
over a readily available and easy-to-use public network -- the
Internet. The pitfalls are the same security weaknesses of that
network, which wasn't originally designed for security -- or phone
calls, for that matter.
But it's not as scary as it seems for cash-strapped SMBs with
limited IT staffs. Most of the tuning required to secure VoIP
involves the same efforts as hardening Internet and Web connections
your company probably already has in place. And most of that work
can be handled by your existing network staff, even without a
dedicated information security department.
Even if your SMB doesn't host its own Web site or Internet
service, like a larger enterprise, it still has connections to the
Internet through conventional routers. Handling VoIP for them
should be a snap.
Get the list of steps in
"
Secure VoIP in simple steps." Also:
[Paul Gillin, Contributor]WiMAX, EV-DO, MIMO, ZigBee and UMTS. It sounds like a spelling
bee gone out of control, but these are just a sampling of the
wireless technology options users have available to them these
days. The wireless industry is going nuts as cellular and wireless
LAN companies face off against one another over who's going to
deliver the fastest, most reliable service for the least money. If
you're trying to make a buying decision, it's a time of great
confusion, but also great opportunity.
That's because lots of exciting new options are emerging from
cutthroat competition. They promise to drive the cost of voice
calls even closer to zero and enable data access from almost any
location. Now is a great time to save money and buy some
flexibility while the standards mess sorts itself out.
Find out more in "
Wireless options abound: WiMAX, EV-DO, VoIP." Also:
-
Hosted VoIP targets SMBs (SearchVoIP.com)
Hosted VoIP options are attracting the attention of more than just
SMBs looking to save on their communications budget. Larger
telecoms are beginning to look at the revenue growth opportunities
in a market once dominated by smaller, independent service
providers.