Migração VoIP sem problemas by Victoria Brasilis

Interactive Intelligence, Inc.

Paving a Successful Migration Path to VoIP Five Checkpoints to Make Your Migration the right move

Thomas Bailey, Marketing Services Group July 1, 2009

Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3 IP Telephony, VoIP and the IP PBX ...................................................................................... 4 Making the Move to IP Telephony and VoIP: Five Checkpoints ......................................... 5 1. Don’t let proprietary vendors fool you ........................................................................ 6 2. Network analyses and infrastructure planning… no shortcuts allowed ..................... 8 3. Know where lower costs and higher ROI are really coming from .......................... 11 4. I’m sure my IT staff can manage an IP PBX system and VoIP .................................... 16 5. How does “converged” voice and data actually reach my end‐users? ..................... 17 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 19 Copyright © 2009 – 2010 Interactive Intelligence, Inc. All rights reserved. Brand and product names referred to in this document are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Interactive Intelligence, Inc. 7601 Interactive Way Indianapolis, Indiana 46278 Telephone/Fax (317) 872‐3000 www.ININ.com Publish date 7/09, version 1 © Interactive Intelligence, Inc. 2 Paving a Successful Migration Path to VoIP

Introduction Generating phone calls over the Internet really does work, and enterprise CIOs and IT chiefs are increasingly finding Internet Protocol (IP) technologies to their liking for business communications, namely IP telephony and voice over IP (VoIP). At the core of VoIP and IP telephony, open standards spearheaded by the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and solutions that are predominantly software‐based make IP communications flexible enough to meet an organization’s own IT standards, yet still provide a solid backbone for reliability and voice and data security. Also now that IP technologies have matured and proven themselves — telecom market analysts at The Radicati Group estimated 74% of all corporate telephony lines to be IP‐based by the end of 2009 — business decision‐makers are finding much less risk in implementing “innovative” new IP application suites that are a far cry from their Private Branch Exchange (PBX) hardware phone system predecessors. Ironically, these are the same IP solutions and vendors that only a few years ago weren’t even on the radar of most enterprises. Now, however? VoIP and IP telephony are in vogue because businesses are realizing they get a nice return on their communications investment, and get it from several different directions. 

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A complete all‐in‐one system delivered on standard servers, commonly from one vendor, to replace literally tons of proprietary equipment and integration complexity from multiple vendors A single manageable network for voice, data and video as well as branch offices and disaster recovery Scalability, up or down, via applications and licensing to add features and manage user counts in the enterprise, in contact centers, and for branch office locations and mobile workers; there’s no need to add expensive hardware or customize systems to expand functionality Open integration with third‐party systems and enterprise business rules Multichannel communications and business process automation throughout the entire enterprise Networked system access from virtually anywhere in the world for remote and mobile workers Central administration and application deployment, from a single interface Lower capital costs, energy costs, operations costs and maintenance expenses

Goodbye, PBX Business 101 tells you the benefits of IP communications make good sense. They produce the technological advances and all‐important investment returns most enterprises demand, both instantly and long‐term. Yet one of the most central decision drivers for deploying an IP communications solution remains the fact that PBX telephone systems — the systems the business world has used dutifully for nearly 40 years to orchestrate calls — are near extinction. Literally. With VoIP and IP telephony taking over, the majority of proprietary vendors who’ve made PBXs a staple in their product lineups are ceasing development and support of their PBX products. That’s why analysts throughout the communications industry are already declaring the PBX “dead.” For enterprises that haven’t already implemented an IP solution, then, making the move to IP telephony and networked voice, data and video communications seems inevitable. And because no two organizations and their IP initiatives are the same, doing your homework on open communications standards such as SIP, technologies such as voice over IP (VoIP), and the trend toward software‐based IP solutions is essential as IP becomes a preferred business communications technology for enterprises worldwide.

IP Telephony, VoIP and the IP PBX When a call gets made using traditional PBX phone equipment, the system transmits voice signals via circuit‐committed protocols of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), which basically serves as a local and long‐distance phone service provider for calls and nothing else. VoIP on the other hand leverages the Internet to transmit voice traffic as well as fax, data and video communications anywhere in the world, and does so by sending discrete, digitally formatted data packets along a single shared voice/data/video IP‐based network that’s often supported using open communications standards such as SIP. Consider each method even in the most elementary terms, and it’s obvious that VoIP is far more flexible for today’s multichannel business communications than the PSTN. Cost‐wise, along with allowing organizations to avoid the PSTN’s typically excessive toll charges for long‐distance calls, VoIP’s benefits from a network standpoint come from its ability to merge separate lines for voice, data and video traffic into one IP network, which in turn reduces the costs of configuring and maintaining a network‐based IP solution.

The IP PBX, a new breed Whereas VoIP relates primarily to the process of voice communications traveling over an IP network, IP telephony more closely aligns with the IP PBX systems that initiate IP calls and allow organizations and end‐users to manage them. IP PBXs are definitely the new generation of communications solutions; the majority of them are software‐based, come as application suites running on standard servers, and offer the kind of open standards adaptability that proprietary PBX equipment was never designed for. And though an IP PBX system can be configured to deliver voice traffic via the PSTN, it’s far more advantageous for an enterprise to leverage an IP‐based data network for the flexibility benefits. For instance with regard to an IP PBX, IP phones and end‐user devices are easily connected over the same network, bypassing the need for a dedicated voice network (like the PSTN) and expensive cabling that traditional PBX telephone systems require.

Making the Move to IP Telephony and VoIP: Five Checkpoints A communications system is one of the most substantial investments any business makes, and for decades tried‐and‐true PBX telephone equipment made a business’s capital outlay a safe bet. As we noted in the Introduction, however, most major PBX vendors have announced plans to discontinue their proprietary PBX offerings, or in some cases already have. While that’s not to say the PBX your organization installed a couple years ago won’t last another 10 years, it is to say the vendor who sold it to you might not support it that long. It’s also to say PBX phone systems have always been one‐ dimensional and always will be, and simply can’t match the functionality and flexibility of IP telephony and VoIP. Bottom line, replacing outmoded PBX equipment or finding the right system for a new office presents a favorable opportunity to deploy an IP solution. (As does an uneven economic climate that has enterprises trying to control communications spending while still maintaining an advantage over their competitors.) In paving a migration path to VoIP and IP telephony for your enterprise, your contact center, dispersed locations and an increasingly mobile workforce, due diligence is everything — and migrating to IP using an IP PBX solution and the SIP communications standard to pave the path has shown to be a successful approach. If your business is nearing the point of IP inevitability and doing its homework, here are five checkpoints of emphasis for your research notes: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Don’t let proprietary vendors fool you Network analyses and infrastructure planning… no shortcuts allowed Know where lower costs and higher ROI are really coming from I’m sure my IT staff can manage an IP PBX system and VoIP How does “converged” voice and data actually reach my end‐users?

Let’s take a closer look at each point.

1. Don’t let proprietary vendors fool you If you’re researching IP telephony solutions to implement voice over IP, remember the terms “SIP” and “open standards.” The Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP, is an international standard developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and endorsed by the likes of Microsoft, Siemens and AT&T to support VoIP via SIP‐based networks around the globe. SIP is now widely accepted as the successor to the H.323 standard for IP, and is open, lightweight and software‐based to support new IP phones, software phone clients (“soft phones”) and mobile devices along with traditional analog phones and desktop PCs. In essence, SIP provides the blueprint for real‐time voice communications as well as text messaging and application sharing, and has for several years now. (Interactive Intelligence was one of the first vendors to architect its communications software platform throughout for the SIP standard and VoIP, introducing its IP solutions in September 2002.) However, while many proprietary vendors advertise “open” solutions for VoIP, such vendors still haven’t been able to adopt the open SIP standard to their communications hardware products, and not surprisingly many of them still continue to make the claim that SIP lacks sufficient interoperability for VoIP as an inherent flaw in the SIP standard. Nonsense. With literally thousands of SIP‐based IP networks and communications solutions now implemented worldwide, it’s been proven over and over that SIP’s relative simplicity has made interoperability much easier than with older protocols such as the Integrated Digital Services Network (ISDN), which were notorious for system compatibility problems. The truth also is that SIP is the main reason IP technologies have become software‐oriented rather than hardware‐based, in that calls are directed to application servers on an IP‐based (and often SIP‐supported) data network the same way as emails, web chats, online forms and other data‐centric media. With SIP now firmly implanted in the global IP communications landscape, proprietary vendors have less recourse than ever for true SIP‐supported IP solutions. Unfortunately, that’s left many of them to disguise costly add‐on hardware, software and end‐user devices for VoIP and SIP. Again, though, be careful. Most proprietary IP telephony systems must still be configured on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) using servers and VoIP hardware components that hinder integration to other business systems — robbing your organization of the flexibility and investment protection that make IP communications such a practical technology for business. Also if media processing is required in a proprietary vendor’s IP telephony configuration, an organization must add servers or third‐party solutions to the IP network, limiting how it can utilize media processing while increasing the number of system integration points and potential system failures. All told, proprietary solutions for IP telephony come down to the same multi‐point infrastructures and integration complexities historically required for circuit‐based PBX environments. © Interactive Intelligence, Inc. 6 Paving a Successful Migration Path to VoIP

To get a clearer picture, take a look at the two diagrams on the next page. Compare a proprietary vendor’s multi‐point hardware approach to IP communications (top diagram) to that of a single open‐standards software platform (bottom graphic). By simple deduction, an “all‐software” IP PBX reduces infrastructure complexity, maintenance, energy consumption and costs just by eliminating hardware.

2. Network analyses and infrastructure planning… no shortcuts allowed In June 2007 CXO Media and CIO Magazine published the results of its survey among CIOs who were considering a solution for VoIP or whose enterprise had already deployed one (“Internet Protocol Communications on the Brain”). IDG Research conducted the survey, and the two chief concerns respondents voiced about VoIP were network readiness (44%) and reliability (43%). Even now among IT professionals, the same issues cause concerns about moving to IP communications… and the same sentiment still applies: You can deploy the most proven IP PBX product in the world for VoIP and IP telephony, but it won’t matter if your network issues haven’t been addressed first. So one more important sentiment: Be diligent in finding and evaluating an IP vendor to work with you in performing a network analysis. Without question, preparing your network for VoIP is the most critical step in implementing an IP‐based communications system, and selecting a vendor who shows a track record of successful IP network implementations and system deployments is critical, whether a local or wide area network (LAN/WAN) or a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network such as those offered by AT&T and other telco providers. (MPLS comes from the family of Internet Engineering Task Force standards and essentially forwards VoIP data packets at faster rates across an IP network than LAN or WAN configurations.)

Make sure your network is ready for VoIP A complete analysis should assess every aspect of your network tasked with carrying VoIP Traffic: 

Network capacity (bandwidth) and connection points for voice devices

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Network congestion and ensuring your network boundary to protect VoIP traffic and maintain quality

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Quality of Service (QOS) with regard to switches and routers that prioritize voice traffic

Along with the checkpoints listed in the sidebar  Network Traffic during normal here, and whether your organization is deploying and peak hours of usage to an IP solution enterprise‐wide or via a phased avoid congestion approach by selected departments or branch  Network reliability and offices, a full network analysis should study security, and how IP-based factors such as unique network considerations for standards can improve both disaster recovery and E‐911 service, call recording, quality monitoring, computer  Codec selection, or how telephony integration (CTI), how branch offices voice-based data packets are and remote and mobile users might affect compressed and decompressed for VoIP by network bandwidth, and so on. Consider too that phones, gateways, etc. data networks in some parts of the world still aren’t to the point of reliably carrying good‐quality IP‐based calls on a consistent basis, even though Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telco carriers are continually fine‐tuning their networks and VoIP processes to improve quality and reliability. © Interactive Intelligence, Inc. 8 Paving a Successful Migration Path to VoIP

With that in mind, the vendor performing your network analysis should simulate VoIP traffic on the network to measure capacity and evaluate characteristics for VoIP traffic and Quality of Service (QoS) as well as congestion, reliability and other potential issues. By doing so, your organization can make needed changes and reasonably assure network success before launching its VoIP initiative. The industry’s take on IP network quality and call quality Given the lingering concerns for IP network readiness and reliability in many enterprises, VoIP providers and the industry as a whole have made IP network effectiveness an ongoing priority. At the top of the list is Quality of Service in packet routers to ensure the dependable delivery of VoIP‐based data packets for calls, faxes and video. QoS in this case further ensures that voice packets receive priority delivery over an IP network to speed calls. However, while QoS minimizes or even eliminates the call latency that saddled early VoIP implementations, Quality of Service should not be confused with the actual voice quality of an IP‐driven call, which instead is gauged by Delay, or the amount of time it takes a voice packet to be created, sent across the network, and converted back into sound; Echo, which results from the delay in voice packet networks and becomes more noticeable as delay increases; and Jitter, which occurs when voice packets arrive at an interval greater than they’re sent. On the good side of voice quality in IP‐ based calls, many IP solutions continue to significantly improve quality. Infrastructure planning, make an outline A qualified and experienced IP vendor will tell you it’s wisest to perform a network analysis after your organization has outlined its IT infrastructure design for VoIP. Typically, an IP vendor performs needed planning tasks in conjunction with your IT team, including compiling an inventory of network devices (servers, gateways, routers, phones, business applications, databases, etc.), reviewing your current cable plant, determining voice traffic based on peak call volumes, assessing data center power and equipment cooling sources, and load‐testing existing equipment. Again, by taking these measures before deploying a VoIP solution, you’ll have a better idea of how it will perform throughout your organization afterwards. Phased approach or total rip and replace? Realistically there aren’t many businesses that can toss out their entire communications system and migrate to a new IP solution in one move. All the better if they can, but they’re usually the exception. More commonly, enterprises are finding it easier to take incremental steps to the total move, and phase their migration by replacing only one system component at a time, or perhaps a few at a time. By design, today’s all‐in‐one IP PBX application suites allow an enterprise to activate only those applications it needs, when needed, such as ACD, IVR, voice mail, etc. So in simple terms, enterprises can haul out their old automatic call distributor equipment in Phase 1 and activate the ACD application in their new IP PBX system, do the same thing for IVR and voice mail in Phase 2, and so on. In some cases an enterprise can integrate their new IP PBX suite to an existing PBX to anchor the first few migration phases, and then eventually replace the PBX system itself as IP telephony and VoIP come fully into play for initiating and managing calls. © Interactive Intelligence, Inc. 9 Paving a Successful Migration Path to VoIP

Here’s a bit more specific scenario for planning incremental moves to an IP‐based solution platform, predicated of course on a completed network analysis and detailed infrastructure plan. 1. Pinpoint an event that triggers the need for a new system, say an IVR reaching end‐of‐life status. 2. Identify an all‐in‐one platform that allows you to replace your IVR with like or better functionality. Make sure the platform (and vendor) will support subsequent growth with standards‐based integration to handle all the applications your enterprise requires. 3. As other triggers occur — needs for advanced ACD features, outbound dialing, a new voice mail system, etc. — look to the all‐in‐one platform you invested in for your IVR. (A key benefit of software‐based all‐in‐one platforms is that features are available and easily activated via a simple licensing process.) 4. In time, move the rest of your proprietary system functions and applications to the all‐in‐one platform in a “natural” progression. Not at all to oversimplify a phased migration approach, but with well‐thought planning and buy‐in from senior management as well as IT teams and end‐users, migrating to an IP communications platform in stages minimizes complexity helps protect the investments an enterprise already has in existing systems.

3. Know where lower costs and higher ROI are really coming from Reducing the cost of anything in business — especially communications — is a benefit, and it doesn’t take long for enterprises to start seeing the hard‐dollar ROI of IP telephony and voice over IP once they discover what IP technologies are all about. A bit of history first: Though the Internet Protocol itself dates back to 1981, it took roughly 20 years for VoIP and the new breed of IP PBX solutions to hit the business communications scene in earnest. (As we mentioned earlier, Interactive Intelligence introduced its IP solutions lineup in September 2002.) As early as 2004 in a year‐end industry poll by Network Magazine, IT managers from Intel’s projected 5-year ROI for enterprise around the U.S. were VoIP reporting up to a 78% Source: “Business Case for Enterprise VoIP” reduction in annual system Pilot Program Report, February 2006, Intel Corp. maintenance costs with Information Technology Group networked VoIP replacing Based on a 650-user enterprise: their traditional PBX Telephony hardware, software and licensing equipment. Intel  55% savings with an IP PBX over a traditional Corporation’s Information TDM-based PBX Technology Group presented Move/add/change costs some equally formidable  52% savings annually over a standard, circuitnumbers a couple years later based PBX system  Savings increase in a larger enterprise due to in its February 2006 Enterprise campus logistics and the number of IT VoIP Pilot Program Report, technicians involved in the MAC process which calculated the 5‐year Data center footprint reduction aggregate cost savings and  67% reduction, total area ROI for an enterprise site  $20,000 per year savings: consisting of 650 users (see o Less than one rack of Intel architecture servers to support VoIP IP PBX system, highlights in the sidebar). The replacing multiple racks of hardware for Intel projections used hard‐ traditional PBX dollar as well as soft cost data. o Reduced maintenance costs and power 

and air conditioning consumption No need to build new data center or expand existing facility

Audio conferencing “Significant hard cost savings” by eliminating conference bridge lines and provider costs Cabling and wiring “Tremendous savings” since VoIP uses the same network cable as a personal computer  No need to run a separate phone cable to each desk  No new cable runs in new buildings  Cost savings by eliminating contractors and materials (wire, phone jacks, outlets, spare parts)

Since those relatively early years, the cost benefits of IP communications have continued to prove themselves as data has become more dependable and available. Just check the web and you’ll find thousands of reports and survey statistics offering evidence of VoIP’s cost reductions and increased ROI results. Of course, some reports are nothing more than marketing fluff, but many come from industry analysts, technology leaders like Intel, and even university studies that are quite objective and very telling for VoIP’s benefits, as well as its shortcomings. For benefits, however, which clearly outweigh those of proprietary PBX phone systems and their associated equipment, businesses are still largely unable to gauge all of VoIP’s advantages and their impact because it’s not always clear‐cut on how to measure them accurately, reliably, and collectively. (Employee productivity and customer service are two areas, for instance, that get a bigger boost from IP telephony and VoIP than enterprises might actually realize). When a business looks at VoIP, it needs to see the big picture and remember that lower costs and higher ROI come from many corners of an enterprise, in hard‐dollar and soft‐ dollar measurements alike. We already listed some of these key benefits in the Introduction, but here they are again in more detail, along with a few others. A unified IT infrastructure and central administration Go back to the architecture diagrams on page 7 for a minute. Note that it’s common for enterprises migrating to an IP PBX application suite and VoIP to replace 10 or 12 pieces of proprietary communications What CIOs want most from IP communications equipment — a PBX, an automatic call distributor (ACD), an IVR system, Source: “Internet Protocol Communications on the Brain”, CXO etc. — whether in a phased approach Media/CIO Magazine/IDG Research, June 2007 or a full rip and replace to migrate all at once. Either way, what an enterprise ultimately arrives at with IP communications is a more unified IT infrastructure as multiple hardware systems transform into a single software platform and one IP‐based network. In a VoIP configuration, recall that voice is simply a network application, with an IP PBX application server running on the same network as business application servers, database servers, email servers, web servers, business systems, third‐ party applications, etc. In other words, integrating your voice system to data systems is essentially seamless — and void of the complex integrations and customization required in system configurations involving dissimilar proprietary voice and data solutions. With an integrated IP PBX application suite, enterprises are further equipped to deploy new applications that add system features as needed for less cost, adding to the value they already get from a converged voice and data network and maintaining fewer systems.

Moreover for IT teams, a single interface for system configuration and administration replaces all the individual interfaces from those 10 or 12 pieces of proprietary equipment that get replaced. And with an IP PBX solution and VoIP centralizing system and network administration enterprise‐wide, IT people spend less time on system maintenance by provisioning users, overseeing system performance and deploying new applications from a single point, including for branch offices and remote users. Simplified moves, adds and changes (MACs) Moving, adding and changing telephone devices anchored by a traditional PBX phone system is one of the most costly and time‐consuming support issues any enterprise faces — especially when adding employees and expanding into new offices. IP telephony takes MACs to a plug & play level, basically allowing end‐users themselves to perform MAC tasks with little or no help from IT personnel and minimal system reprogramming, if any. Unlike a traditional PBX system database that requires at least some level of reconfiguration to move, add or change a single phone device, IP phones are designed to register with a data network's Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) database. From there, a unique MAC address in IP phones allows a DHCP server to recognize the new IP address whenever a phone is moved, added or changed, and re‐associates the existing configuration profile with each MAC, which is where the plug & play aspect comes in: end‐users can physically move their own phones to another office or area of their building and easily plug them in without IT having to change phone settings and extension numbers. System reliability System up‐time is a primary concern for any IT chief. Consider that the new breed of IP PBX systems essentially are integrated all‐in‐one application suites designed to channel enterprise communications down to a single software platform, one SIP‐supported IP‐ based data network, and a single server — or at least “less than one rack of servers” as Intel’s IT Group documented in its VoIP Pilot Program. So given the physical makeup of an IP PBX solution, consider this too: when you transform tons of pieced‐together phone and messaging equipment into integrated applications running on one fully interconnected software platform, dependable fault tolerance for business continuity is automatic, whether your IP system architecture is centralized or decentralized. Better workforce performance… a better customer experience There’s an interesting finding on customer satisfaction in the Contact Center Satisfaction Index 2009 published by CFI Group North America, which for more than 20 years has measured customer behavior in businesses of every kind using the American Customer Satisfaction Index™ (ACSI) published by the University of Michigan. According to their Index for 2009, CFI Group determined that credit unions rated highest in satisfaction, due primarily to the key measurement termed First Call Resolution, or FCR. Though mainly pegged as a contact center metric, FCR really applies to any organization that serves customers. FCR also has an extremely strong correlation to the intelligent call routing and unified desktop interaction management technologies of new IP PBX systems and VoIP. What does that all have to do with credit unions? © Interactive Intelligence, Inc. 13 Paving a Successful Migration Path to VoIP

Credit unions were some of the earliest adopters of VoIP and IP communications, and have leveraged the technology to the fullest for their operations, employees, members… and First Contact Resolution. More proof for IP‐based performance? In their 2006 Pilot Program Report for VoIP and its resulting ROI, Intel Corporation’s Information Technology Group determined that, for the 650‐user enterprise they modeled their study on, performance and productivity increased between an astounding 134% ‐500% using a VoIP/IP PBX/unified messaging solution. The IT Group cited significant time savings over a legacy phone system for much the same customer service‐related processes that have served credit unions so well: faster and more accurate call routing (to the right person the first time); “substantial” productivity benefits from desktop IP phones and soft phone clients; rapid networked access to enterprise data points and customer information; enterprise‐wide collaboration among employees, departments and workgroups; and, consequently, quicker responses and First Call Resolutions to customer issues. Productive employees. Satisfied loyal customers. Measurable revenue streams. Enough said. Scalability while lowering your data center footprint Interactive Intelligence customers include business organizations from a few hundred employees to several thousand, and a constant concern for many of them is being able to support growth. Without question, one of the most significant benefits of VoIP and IP communications is the ability to scale users as well as system functionality, up or down, with applications and licensing — and do so in the enterprise, in contact centers and even for branch offices and remote users without adding more boxes of equipment to a server room. Intel’s IT Group and their Pilot Program Report for VoIP is a great example: for a 650‐user site, they reduced their data center space by 67% and laid the groundwork to save $20,000 annually by replacing multiple racks of hardware for a traditional PBX phone system with less than one rack of architecture servers supporting a new IP PBX system for VoIP. Further savings came from cost reductions for data center maintenance, power consumption and air conditioning. Even more in Intel’s newfound nest egg was all the new data center space, which eliminated a potentially costly and time‐consuming building expansion had they stayed on a hardware path and decided to increase user counts and communications functionality. (By the way, the IP solutions for VoIP from Interactive Intelligence reliably scale to 5,000 users per server, and up to 250,000 mailboxes for messaging.)

Tighter security from IP standards Earlier we referenced a June 2007 survey of CIOs conducted by CXO Media and CIO Magazine in conjunction with IDG Research. The topic was implementing IP communications, and along with reliability being a concern among 43% of survey respondents, 63% said security was also a critical issue. Fortunately, one of the more touted advantages of IP technologies is the use of the international Session Initiation Protocol for VoIP, and one of SIP’s most substantial advantages is its rigorous message encryption and user authentication in a VoIP environment. SIP in fact has become the most dependable tool for IP communications security because it’s strictly regulated worldwide, compliments of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). In particular, two security standards to note for SIP’s encryption capability are Transport Layer Security (TLS) and the Secure Real‐time Transport Protocol (SRTP). TLS, as specified by the IETF, is based on the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) standard and extends two distinct layers of security for an IP‐based network: the TLS Record Protocol, which ensures a private network connection via symmetric encryption, and the TLS Handshake Protocol, which provides authentication between an IP application server and a desktop communications client using digital certificates. Additionally for data security, SRTP is a profile of the Real‐time Transport Protocol (RTP) and provides a framework for confidentiality, message authentication and replay protection to RTP traffic on a data network. SRTP’s greatest benefit is that it defines a set of default cryptographic transforms and allows new transforms to be introduced as needed, making it a strong safeguard for IP communications environments built on a combination of wired as well as wireless networks. More efficient bandwidth Bandwidth is another benefit of VoIP and IP telephony, resulting when voice is converted into IP‐based data packets. Bandwidth efficiency occurs somewhat naturally in that IP voice packets are transmitted only when they contain tangible speech samples, referred to as silence suppression. Packet compression itself also leads to greater bandwidth efficiency and, in many cases, enables companies to reduce the number of T1/E1 links in their network — or at least significantly decrease the bandwidth required to transmit voice. Remember, too, that IP telephony can reduce or in some cases eliminate expensive PSTN‐based toll charges for site‐to‐site calls by routing voice traffic over a local or wide area network (LAN or WAN).

Read more about security in the Interactive Intelligence white paper “Securing your Business with IP Communications” Visit the Interactive Resource Center | www.inin.com

A few benefit “don’ts” Some ending thoughts on gauging the benefits of VoIP and IP communications. While there’s certainly an upside, here are a few precautions to also weigh. 

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Don’t overlook secondary costs such as training for users and internal support personnel. IP system tools for end users are fairly intuitive and easy to learn, but might still require some degree of training upfront. IT personnel can also be expected to require training and certification, and an experienced IP vendor partner can help in both areas. Be aware that vendors’ generic ROI models don't always apply, quite simply because the path an enterprise takes to VoIP is unique to its own objectives (or should be). ROI expectations certainly vary as well, so work with a vendor or consultant who can customize an ROI study based on your organization’s specific project scope and ROI expectations. Don’t allow vendors to take ROI calculation shortcuts, which, trust us, some do. Unfortunately most shortcuts come from vendors who aren’t experienced or fully qualified in VoIP implementations. So there again, work with a certified vendor who can demonstrate a clear understanding of ROI calculations.

4. I’m sure my IT staff can manage an IP PBX system and VoIP No offense to your IT professionals, but don’t presume they can maintain an IP PBX system and administer VoIP if they’re not experienced or properly trained in IP technologies. Don’t assume your IT voice and data teams are on the same page, either, since voice and data were totally separate entities in the IT arena prior to IP PBX systems and voice over IP. Just because VoIP converges the two media types (and video), it doesn’t automatically qualify telecom technicians to work with networked business applications and data systems, or desktop technicians to maintain phone lines and solve voice problems. With respect to administering VoIP’s unique voice and data features for end‐users, the IT picture can get blurry if your overall IT team isn’t skilled in working with an IP‐based network and the application makeup of today’s IP PBXs. Same thing in working with a vendor to help your enterprise move to IP telephony and VoIP — make sure the vendor you choose has a demonstrated grasp of both telephony and data, network requirements, SIP, etc., and that they offer education and certification curriculums should your IT groups require training for IP communications. Is administration really “centralized”? Whatever IP PBX solution you look at, one thing your IT staff should study closely is whether the system honestly centralizes voice/data management, user provisioning and overall administration, preferably in a central interface. Most new IP PBX systems do as advertised and streamline admin functions into a single intuitive environment. However, some vendors might claim they do that, and then sneak three or four different interfaces into an implementation and try to explain afterwards that they’re necessary to manage your new system and IP network.

A few key items to look for to make sure administration truly is centralized in one place: 

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SIP network connections for VoIP o Telephony resources, phone lines and line groups, stations, IP phones, etc. System/user administration, including across branch offices via the IP network o Users, workgroups, password (security), desktop client configurations, messaging, reporting, etc. Moves, adds and changes from the base IP PBX server and admin interface environment, including global MACs for branch offices Information sources o Telephony, from line interfaces to fax lines, dialing privileges, end‐user handsets and headsets, etc. o Users, security rights, extensions, e‐mail addresses, etc. o Groups, including membership, security rights, skills, etc. o Web information such as pre‐defined URLs and chat text o Data, such as speed‐dial lists, company directories, etc. Add‐on applications for recording, CRM, etc.

5. How does “converged” voice and data actually reach my endusers? CXO Media/CIO Magazine reported in its June 2007 survey among CIOs that better productivity was second on their IP communications wish list. (Meta Group’s survey results, shown here, were similar.) For user output, there’s no question IP technologies make employees intuitively more productive by putting voice and data at their fingertips on the desktop in the office and on laptops and handheld devices outside of it. No longer are users forced to make calls using one system, access a different system to manage voice mails, contact an outside vendor to schedule and host a conference call, access yet another system to manage emails, navigate back and forth to a CRM or accounting application on their PC, and so on and so on… But how, exactly, does an IP communications solution “converge” all those manual processes? It really depends on which available options your enterprise and users take advantage of, and there are new ones seemingly every day.

A word of caution first. While most IP communications User/business needs driving IP communications solutions from proprietary Source: Meta Group, August 2007 vendors unify voice and data Conferencing 61% on your network, they still IP phone-based productivity apps 58% struggle to fully unify it on an User mobility 52% end user’s PC or workstation. Remote access to applications 52% If you read between the lines of the “unified Networked voice mail 50% communications” offerings Remote access to telephony 49% now available from such Video / distance learning 46% vendors, all they really do is Unified messaging 42% package separate voice and Collaboration tools 39% data systems from other Call center applications 39% vendors on the back end, Productivity tools 38% and then try to present the Presence / IM integration 25% grouped features in a Other 5% “unified desktop 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% environment.” Right. Vendors who haven’t developed bona fide IP PBX application suites can put a voice client and software phone on the desktop and mix and match it with an email system, voice mail, presence management, a conference bridge and a few other basic functions. But can they put that same collective functionality in an actual CRM interface or the Microsoft Office Outlook® application for a truly unified voice and data environment? Shameless plug here, but Interactive Intelligence does exactly that with its enterprise IP PBX and contact center suites, and has since 2002. We even extend everything to remote users, mobile workers and work‐at‐home employees with a full list of .NET‐based software client options for the desktop and mobile devices. The Interaction Client®.NET Edition desktop communications manager (top screen) puts users in control of many IP PBX features from their PC or workstation: conferencing, call recording, web chat, real‐time presence management and company and workgroup directories. Of note, the Interaction Client’s soft phone provides Quality of Service (QoS) that turns any PC or laptop into a communications end point, which users can utilize from anywhere in the world. Greater security also stems from the Client’s complete encryption of voice as well as data sessions. Available Client options shown here include the Interaction Client® Outlook Edition, Client integration for Microsoft’s Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007 and the OCS Office Communicator Client, the Interaction Client® Mobile Edition for Windows Mobile™ smart phones, and the Interaction Web Client for today’s most popular web browsers. Client integrations are additionally available for Microsoft® Dynamics® GP and Dynamics CRM, SAP, Siebel CRM, Remedy, RightNow Technologies, and Salesforce.com. See for yourself on the next page. © Interactive Intelligence, Inc. 18 Paving a Successful Migration Path to VoIP

Summary Internet Protocol (IP) technologies for IP telephony and voice over IP (VoIP) have arrived as a viable communications solution for business, and telecom industry insiders including The Radicati Group back up the claim. Radicati Group analysts estimated that 74% of all corporate telephony lines would be IP‐based by the end of 2009 as enterprises migrated to integrated IP PBX software application suites, open communications standards headed by the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), and SIP‐ supported IP‐based data networks that allow them unify voice and data on single LAN, WAN or MPLS network. Adding to the growing number of VoIP migrations is the fact that most proprietary telecom vendors are now ceasing development and support of their PBX phone system equipment, which businesses have used for nearly four decades to initiate and manage voice communications.

The benefits of IP communications are wide‐ranging. On the back end, ROI stems from new‐gen IP PBX solutions and VoIP allowing enterprises to reduce the amount of costly hardware and physical space in their data center; integrate to business systems and business applications without expensive customizations; connect distributed offices and remote and mobile users; scale to more users and features via applications and licensing; centralize administration to a single‐point interface; and simplify moves, adds and changes (MACs) to a plug & play level that end‐users themselves can generally perform. System reliability and voice and data security have also improved as IP technologies have matured. Performance wise for users, VoIP and IP PBX‐based desktop clients and software phones put voice, data and presence management controls in a single intuitive environment, allowing an enterprise’s workforce to collaboratively provide faster and more complete customer service. Migrating to VoIP and IP communications requires effective planning, however, and keeping these five checkpoints in mind while paving your path can help make your move a successful one. 1. Don’t let proprietary vendors fool you, since many of their “solutions” for VoIP and IP telephony still incorporate multiple hardware systems and don’t fully support SIP and open communications standards. 2. Network analyses and infrastructure planning are essential to a solid IP communications foundation, both for initial implementation and for future business communications needs. No shortcuts allowed! 3. Know where lower costs and higher ROI are really coming from in making a business case for IP communications. Consider things like having to replace an outdated PBX phone system, software flexibility over hardware, simplified administration, reduced maintenance and energy costs, customer loyalty because service is better, etc. 4. I’m sure my IT staff can manage an IP PBX system and VoIP, or are you? Phone and data networks were separate entities prior to VoIP, and most IT professionals either installed phones or PCs and applications, but rarely both. Ensure that your IT teams are properly trained and certified in IP technologies, and that IT staff are all going in the same direction. 5.

How does converged voice and data reach my end‐users? It does with the new breed of pre‐integrated IP PBX application suites and desktop tools that truly bring voice and data together at a user’s fingertips.