Voice networking and VoIP

VoIP, unified communications adoption continue to rise

VoIP and unified communications adoption continue to rise steadily in the enterprise, according to Infonetics Research's latest report. Continue Reading

ISCSI TCP/IP TOE card specifications

Key specifications for a cross-section of popular iSCSI TOE cards. Continue Reading

VoIP security -- Free IP telephony fuzzing tools

Protect your organization's VoIP security with free VoIP security tools designed to test IP telephony vulnerability. Continue Reading

Convergence certification provides evaluation standard

CompTIA has developed a convergence certification, designed to validate qualified convergence professionals. Continue Reading

Skype to the desk phone saves company a bundle

Skype on the desk phone has helped a Chicago-based furniture maker save a considerable amount of money on long-distance voice charges. Continue Reading

Convergence certification provides evaluation standard

Voice and data convergence are more prevalent and enterprises are looking for certified professionals to administer the combined networks -- leading CompTIA to develop its Convergence+ certification, designed to validate qualified convergence professionals. Continue Reading

How is SIP winning favor over H.323?

What are the similarities, differences and major reasons between SIP and H.323. And why is one winning? Continue Reading

Wireless VoIP market to grow rapidly

VoIP and Voice over Wi-Fi markets are expected to be strong in 2007 and remain so through 2012. Continue Reading

VoIP network monitoring improves VoIP deployment

VoIP network monitoring and pre-deployment analysis are becoming more important as VoIP application overlay becomes denser Continue Reading

VoIP's inherited data security problems

VoIP security problems present a challenge for voice and network staff. This article explains how to secure both your call servers and endpoints, and how best to divide this work between voice and data personnel. Continue Reading

Basic VoIP network setup

Basic VoIP network setup advice. Continue Reading

Why is VoIP authentication essential?

VoIP authentication advice. Continue Reading

VoIP protocols

VoIP protocols -- the strengths and weaknesses of each. Continue Reading

VoiceCon Spring: A transition show for the VoIP industry

VoiceCon Spring was all about unified communications. Zeus Kerravala provides highlights of the more interesting points from the show. Continue Reading

Power over Ethernet power consumption: The hidden costs

Power over Ethernet (PoE) has many advantages in a VoIP migration, but some companies overlook the amount of power needed to run PoE for VoIP and the costs and cooling requirements that come with it. Continue Reading

Mobile data services development trends in 2007

Darrell Jordan-Smith takes a look at new data services architectures and development tools emerging in 2007 and the ongoing development efforts of the Java Community and others. Continue Reading

VoIP security worries are plentiful, potent

VoIP creates a new set of security issues for your network, as expert Ed Skoudis explains. Continue Reading

Open source IP telephony on hold?

Is open source telephony ready for your business? Read on to learn if it's the real deal. Continue Reading

Carrier MPLS support for VoIP

Achieving QoS for reliable voice transmissions can be the biggest challenge of deploying VoIP. Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) might be the answer! Continue Reading

Microsoft outlines software-centric VoIP, UC

Microsoft unveils its vision of a software-based VoIP system to enable unified communications. Continue Reading

Nortel switch release focuses on unified communications

Nortel today released two new switch series aimed at unified communications deployments. Continue Reading

VoIP security - problems inherited from data networking

VoIP security problems present a challenge for voice and network staff because IP telephony brings with it not only the security problems of data networks but also new, added threats specific to VoIP. In this tip, learn about the data network security threats that your voice staff must confront, how to secure both your call servers and endpoints, and how best to divide this work between voice and data personnel. Continue Reading

Unified Communications to dominate VoiceCon

Unified Communications will again be a major focus of VoiceCon Spring. Continue Reading

Can setting up a VPN help you get around blocked VoIP ports?

Can setting up a VPN help you get around blocked VoIP ports? Continue Reading

Outsourced VoIP helps devastated company recover

Outsourced VoIP helped a Berkeley company keep up business as usual after a fire destroyed its offices. Continue Reading

Top 10 VoIP search terms

The top ten VoIP search terms and definitions. Keep tabs on the most popular VoIP terms – updated regularly. Continue Reading

IP PBX: Ten reasons to switch

Should you throw out the old PBX and replace it with a new IP PBX? This tip from WindowsNetworking.com provides ten compelling reasons to do so. Continue Reading

What is presence?

Presence technology makes it possible to locate and identify a computing device wherever it might be, as soon as the user connects to the network. Continue Reading

VoIP complexities stall implementation for SMBs

VoIP sales in the SMB market are predicted to lead revenue in the next several years, but most SMBs are confused by the number of different solutions. Continue Reading

Cisco VoIP managment guide: Required management tasks

Comprehensive VoIP management includes the basic network management tasks, but also includes monitoring services such as dial tone delivery, call success rates, telephony delays and impairments, as well as call quality. VoIP telephony management is categorized here. Continue Reading

Skype makes more enterprise inroads

Skype has teamed with FaceTime Communications to give companies more control over Skype use within the enterprise. Continue Reading

VoIP helps ensure disaster recovery

VoIP bolsters your disaster recovery plans and should be at the core of any well-planned disaster recovery strategy. Continue Reading

VoIP helps ensure disaster recovery

VoIP bolsters your disaster recovery plans and should be at the core of any well-planned disaster recovery strategy. Continue Reading

Cisco VoIP management guide: VoIP management lifecycle

VoIP lifecycle management enables enterprises to safely pursue large production deployments. The management lifecycle includes the following four elements. Continue Reading

Cisco VoIP management guide: Enterprise VoIP management solutions

Enterprise VoIP management solutions require two considerations: the scale of production environment and the need to extend support resources with a systems integrator or service provider. Continue Reading

Cisco VoIP management guide: Cisco requires proactive management

Managing Cisco VoIP solutions means network managers must rely on credible, experienced vendors to some extent. Fortunately, many vendors have emerged as trusted, viable partners that can offer an end-to-end management solution for Cisco VoIP environments. With the selection of vendors provided network managers should feel confident in successfully deploying and experiencing the value and benefits of IP telephony. Continue Reading

Cisco management guide: Selecting a VoIP solution

Selecting a VoIP solution means deciding on independent VoIP tools or a VoIP solution suite of integrated products. Continue Reading

Cisco VoIP managment guide: Required management tasks

Comprehensive VoIP management includes the basic network management tasks, but also includes monitoring services such as dial tone delivery, call success rates, telephony delays and impairments, as well as call quality. VoIP telephony management is categorized here. Continue Reading

Cisco VoIP management guide: Recommendations and summary

Enterprises now have solid choices of management solutions for their Cisco VoIP deployment. The short list for any enterprise should include Prognosis, Infovista, or Cisco. Continue Reading

Cisco management guide: Selecting a VoIP solution

Selecting a VoIP solution means deciding on independent VoIP tools or a VoIP solution suite of integrated products. Continue Reading

Cisco VoIP management guide: Recommendations and summary

Enterprises now have solid choices of management solutions for their Cisco VoIP deployment. The short list for any enterprise should include Prognosis, Infovista, or Cisco. Continue Reading

VoIP capabilities save hotel money, keep guests connected

"Rip and replace" were three words the Seaport Hotel in Boston didn't want to hear when considering VoIP capabilities. Continue Reading

EMC plans array-based encryption via PowerPath

EMC's next security move will be array-based encryption through PowerPath by 2008, according to internal documents obtained by SearchStorage. Continue Reading

VoIP security, unified communications need questioned

VoIP security issues and questions about the business need for unified communications have stalled adoption of both technologies. Continue Reading

VoIP security, unified communications need questioned

VoIP security issues and questions about the business need for unified communications have stalled adoption of both technologies, according to CompTIA's recent survey. Continue Reading

Open source - What voice managers need to know

Open source technology can make sense for VoIP deployments, and can be used in a hybrid approach with existing proprietary hardware or software. Learn more in this tip. Continue Reading

What is an E&M line? What is the difference between a 2 wire and 4 wire E&M?

What is an E&M line? What is the difference between a 2 wire and 4 wire E&M? Continue Reading

Managed VoIP -- 10 tips for a smooth migration

Migrating to managed VoIP doesn't have to be a headache. Here, Verizon Business offers 10 top tips to ensure you get what you need. Continue Reading

VoIP call features give users more bang for their buck

2006 saw an increase in the popularity of VoIP and encouraged many competing service providers to offer features such as voicemail and Caller ID as standard in their best-selling service plans. Continue Reading

VoIP case studies: What you need to know

Case studies are the next best thing to being there. Learn how others overcame the expected and the unexpected challenges of a VoIP migration in our case studies series. Continue Reading

iSCSI SANs grow in midmarket, enterprise

Because transporting "SCSI over IP" leverages ubiquitous Ethernet networks, that translates to lower cost, easier maintenance and simpler management, which makes SAN deployment more attractive for SMEs. Continue Reading

VoIP security monitoring gets proactive

VoIP security and traffic monitoring have become imperatives, but it can still be tricky on a converged VoIP and data network. Continue Reading

RSVP ready to manage VoIP, video traffic

Though its 10 year past was riddled with failures, RSVP is fast returning as one of the best tools for managing QoS for VoIP and video. Continue Reading

Can Caller ID on VoIP calls be customized?

Can I create the CID, name, area code and phone number that will display when I place a call via VoIP? Who do you like for VoIP service? Continue Reading

What considerations do I need to make when setting up a VoIP system to our remote office?

What considerations do I need to make when setting up a VoIP system to our remote office? Continue Reading

WAN/WAFS platform specifications

Product snapshots highlighting key specifications for a cross section of WAFS and WAN optimisation products intended for small, medium, and large organisations. Continue Reading

VoIP security testing fundamentals

VoIP security testing fundamentals are discussed in this guide -- how to test a VoIP system, what tools to use, how to use fuzzing to test VoIP security. Continue Reading

Network configuration management key to VoIP success

While companies spend millions on upgrading infrastructure for VoIP, little attention is given to solving the largest source of downtime – configuration-related outages due to human error. Continue Reading

Network configuration management key to VoIP success

While companies spend millions on upgrading infrastructure for VoIP, little attention is given to solving the largest source of downtime – configuration-related outages due to human error. A well-defined change management process built around a configuration management system can virtually eliminate the "self-inflicted" errors, which currently account for about 60% of all network outages. Continue Reading

Convergence, interoperability key in disaster planning

Convergence and interoperability are major factors in ensuring communications continuity in a disaster. Continue Reading

Top 10 mobile tips of 2006

Review of the popular mobile technical tips of 2006 from our stable of mobile experts; Lisa Phifer, Craig Mathias, Daniel Taylor, Kevin Beaver and Robbie Harrell. Continue Reading

Skype Trojan: Much ado about nothing?

This week in Security Blog Log: A Trojan horse has captured headlines by targeting Skype users. But some believe the threat is being blown out of proportion. Continue Reading

VoIP hacking exposed in new book

VoIP hacking is a reality, and in a new book, two VoIP security experts outline the tools and tricks to avoid a system-crushing hack. Continue Reading

Enterprises are open to Asterisk

Organisations have become so comfortable with VoIP and standards that open-source technologies like Asterisk are being given serious consideration over big iron PBX platforms. Learn all about Asterisk here. Continue Reading

Top 10 VoIP tips of 2006

Echo and latency issues top the list in 2006, as seen in our top 10 list of most popular tips. If you have missed any of these tips, now is the time to catch up before the end of the year. Continue Reading

Hosted VoIP eliminates cost, complexity

Hosted VoIP is being adopted at increasing rates as more and more companies look to avoid the excess costs and complexities of on-premise solutions. Continue Reading

VoIP management tools: Calculating ROI

Before purchasing management tools for VoIP, you may need to calculate the return on investment (ROI) to justify the cost of those tools. In this tip, Gary Audin explains how to calculate ROI and provides specific checklists for calculating the ROI for VoIP management tools. Continue Reading

Hosted VoIP eliminates cost, complexity

Hosted VoIP is being adopted at increasing rates as more and more companies look to avoid the excess costs and complexities of on-premise solutions. Continue Reading

Video conferencing brings desktop VoIP, app sharing

Voice, video and Web conferencing vendor Genesys adds desktop VoIP and enhanced application sharing to its collaboration lineup. Continue Reading

Managed and hosted VoIP: muddling through

For companies looking for an alternative to a premise-based phone system, there are plenty available, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Get a clearer understanding of exactly what's available so you can ask the right questions to get the managed or hosted service your firm needs. Continue Reading

Managed and hosted VoIP: muddling through

Managed and Centrex and hosted, oh my! For companies looking for an alternative to a premise-based phone system, there are plenty available, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Get a clearer understanding of exactly what's available so you can ask the right questions to get the managed or hosted service your organization needs. Continue Reading

How can a small business achieve high quality VoIP?

As a small trader, I must be able to communicate with my trading partners who are often in other countries. We use IP telephony to keep costs down. Can you suggest how I can have high quality VoIP calls that will exceed PSTN call quality? Continue Reading

Why do VoIP calls remain active after the phone call is ended?

For our small business needs, we use a Linksys PAP for our IP telephony service. Sometimes though, we noticed that the call will remain active after we have ended the call and hung up. How do we configure the ATA or gateway to avoid this problem? Continue Reading

Why is UDP used more in VoIP than TCP?

If UDP is unreliable, why is it used more in VoIP rather than TCP? Continue Reading

What is the difference between VoIP, CTI and IP telephony?

What is the difference between VoIP, CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) and IP telephony? Continue Reading

Can VoIP work on a GPRS-enabled mobile phone?

Is it possible to use VoIP on GPRS-enabled mobile phones? Continue Reading

When should a VoIP system be analyzed and with what tools?

We have recently implemented a VoIP network with separate VLANs and QoS. It all seemed to be working fine when it first went in, but recently, certain people have been complaining about sound breakup whilst talking to customers on the phone. Continue Reading

VoIP news briefs: Verizon Business, TheInfoPro and Ovum

Verizon Business introduces a new management portal; TheInfoPro looks at the rate of VoIP adoption; and Ovum warns of VoIP security threats. Continue Reading

Is the SANS Top 20 still useful?

This week in Security Blog Log: Some experts ponder whether the SANS Institute's Top 20 vulnerability list is as valuable than it once was. Others weigh in on the VoIP threat. Continue Reading

How is average repair time determined for both a TDM PBX and a VoIP system?

I am trying to find some statistics on average time to repair or troubleshoot VoIP and TDM PBX. We heard PBX takes 30 minutes versus VoIP at 4.5 hours -- is this true? Continue Reading

How can VoIP be integrated into an existing PBX system?

I am trying to integrate VoIP into my existing PBX system. I have a Talkswitch 48CVA which supports both PSTN and VoIP lines. My main phone number is a landline which forwards calls to my VoIP line when my status is busy or I do not answer. Continue Reading

SANS: VoIP, zero-day threats surge

Digital miscreants are using VoIP and a growing pile of zero-day flaws to launch a ferocious wave of targeted, financially-motivated attacks, according to the SANS Institute. Continue Reading

IM, Skype, P2P open security holes: Survey

IM, Skype, Web conferencing and other real-time applications are a major concern to IT, but end users seem to shrug off the risks, a new survey has found. Continue Reading

VoIP security safeguards -- they may be there already

Protecting your VoIP system may be easier than you think, especially since many of the necessary tools are already there. Continue Reading

VoIP convergence: Managing staffing issues

Companies making the transition to IP telephony must find a way to converge their voice and data networks -- and the employees who work on them. Continue Reading

Juniper Networks' enterprise router takes aim at Cisco branches

Juniper's new branch office J-Series routers provide all-in-one security, VoIP, WAN acceleration box to rival Cisco's ISR router. Continue Reading

VoIP convergence: Managing staffing issues

Companies making the transition to IP telephony must find a way to converge their voice and data networks -- and the employees who work on them. Continue Reading

Net neutrality: All or nothing, or somewhere in between?

The notion of net neutrality can hinder VoIP QoS guarantees and thus has incited a contentious debate. Continue Reading

Cisco launches mega videoconferencing system

Cisco Systems Inc. has talked about TelePresence and demonstrated it, and now it's finally something enterprises can buy, but at six figures it's a high price to pay. Continue Reading

How does the service provider differentiate between data and VoIP as data?

For our mobile devices in trucks, we use GSM/GPRS communication. Our customers are paying for a certain data amount -- depending on the service package to which they subscribe. We use a modem in our device, which can do both data and voice. But as I understand it, with VoIP, everything becomes data. So, is it cheaper for the user if they use VoIP? How will operators handle this from a business model perspective? Will they expand the data amount packages or will they need to differentiate between 'regular' data and VoIP data? And a technical question: how much VoIP data am I consuming if I have a one minute voice conversation? Continue Reading

Comparing VoIP vendors

For many companies, the tough decision isn't whether to use IP telephony or not -- it's which vendor to choose. We've collected some of Carrie Higbie's tips and tricks for vendor selection, garnered from her "Ask-the-Expert" section. Carrie regularly answers your questions on the topic of "Preparing your network for VoIP." We've included links to her answers about comparing VoIP vendors for further information. Continue Reading

Comparing VoIP vendors

For many companies, the tough decision isn't whether to use IP telephony or not -- it's which vendor to choose. We've collected some of Carrie Higbie's tips and tricks for vendor selection, garnered from her 'Ask-the-Expert' section. Carrie regularly answers your questions on the topic of 'Preparing your network for VoIP.' We've included links to her answers about comparing VoIP vendors for further information. Continue Reading

EMC plays catch-up with Clariion

Clariion arrays now have support for both Fibre Channel and iSCSI in one box, as well as other features that competitors have been using against EMC for some time. Continue Reading

Xiotech, Pillar scale down, support iSCSI

Xiotech, Pillar introduce entry-level iSCSI arrays; Overland loses Dell deal; EMC and IBM report earnings. Continue Reading

Cisco ramps up unified communications tools

Cisco last week released a host of new products to enhance its suite of unified communications tools, including an IP phone that's easier for end users to accept. Continue Reading

Does Spanning Tree Protocol have an adverse effect on VoIP?

Do you know if Spanning Tree has an adverse effect upon VoIP? If so, what is the best way to provide LAN-based switch redundancy to VoIP gateways? Continue Reading

Briefs: VoIP management; mobile E911; and Windows 2003 support

Qovia releases its new VoIP management system; 911 Enable made E911 mobile and Codima announced support for Windows 2003 server. Continue Reading

Column: The myths and realities of VoIP security

Security is often cited as one of the primary reasons organizations have not deployed VoIP. The biggest VoIP security threat is not making headlines. Zeus Kerravala, Yankee Group analyst, cuts through the hype so network managers can maximize the reliability of their voice network. Continue Reading

Voice over IP Fundamentals: Chapter 9, 'Billing and Mediation Services'

Voice over IP Fundamentals: Chapter 9, 'Billing and Mediation Services' Continue Reading

IP telephony unites New Orleans nonprofit after Katrina

Hurricane Katrina nearly disbanded the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans, until the nonprofit rolled out a hosted voice solution Continue Reading