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The two elements of converged technology – telephony and data – are only the start of a larger picture of business networks. Converged technology is now accessible to smaller companies, not only to save them telephone costs, in the same way e-mail saved postage costs, but also to extend the business processes into wide area networks using the Internet.
However, if you are a larger organisation, and have already installed your Voice over IP network, then you are probably looking at security more closely. This means internal threats as well as external ones, risk assessment and disaster recovery, intrusion and device management among others. See H3K Security for more information.
The business world is not utilising this technology just to save money – although that’s good enough for some organisations – it is also being adopted because the other benefits are obvious, and they only need a brief mention here.
· Telephony - VoIP provides voice communications to a range of devices – softphones, SIP phones, PDAs etc. Reduces the time to contact.
· Contact – it becomes easier to reach individuals. Contact Centres can be easily managed.
· Messaging – e-mail to mobile devices, gateways to instant messaging, voicemail notifications across other media. Provides many alternatives to direct speech.
· Conferencing – Improved audio conferencing capabilities, integrated web and video conferencing, outsourced or in-house conferencing. Reduces needless travel time, costs & carbon footprint.
· Directories – centralised directories mean more accurate and up-to-date information. Reduces administration costs.
· Availability – Calendars become more network-enabled and allow workers to see when others are unavailable (and why). GPS can also show where workers are situated. Always in touch.
The bottom line is that an organisation can become more efficient, use less carbon gases in travelling, and cut overhead costs significantly. Telephone land line and mobile charges in the UK of say, £12,000 per annum for a small company, can be cut by 40% (to £7,200), by installing a £6,000 integrated VoIP / data system. For the financiers, that’s an ROI in year one of 84%; and a payback in 18 months.
Call 08707 742338 for an information pack.
or e-mail for an IP readiness assessment
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