Getting NetSmart - Let's talk VoIP

Let's talk VoIP
VoIP: The right time for a rollout

Network World, 09/018/02

I just finished attending the first leg of the "Networking for Small to Midsize Businesses" seminar held in New York and Westborough, Mass. At both events, the big question was about the role voice over IP can play in smaller enterprises as well as branch and home offices.

Upon talking to a number of attendees, I found out that many assume IP is the future for voice communications for networks outside headquarters and they need to know how to roll it out gracefully.

Next month, we kick off our Tech Update "VoIP: The Right Time for a Rollout," moderated by Steve Taylor, co-author of Network World's twice-weekly Wide Area Networking newsletter. Taylor, who has headed up our previous VoIP tours, and I are working closely with our full complement of sponsors to address this issue as well as those faced by network managers rolling out voice across the campus.

The tour, which kicks off Oct. 9 in New York City, will give you clear direction on how to implement voice over IP across your network. Rather than asking the question of whether voice is ready or not, we're taking on the challenge of helping you get your executive team on board and prepare your users for the change.

Taylor, in his morning and afternoon keynotes, draws on feedback he received from tours we did earlier in the year to see how folks are faring with their VoIP implementations. He takes a close look at the hurdles enterprises could face and the realities of the IP world vs. POTS (plain old telephone service). For instance, if users are accustomed to 99.999% reliability, you might face some reluctance when you make the switch. Taylor explains how to get your employees' expectations in line with the benefits and limitations of voice over IP.

He also addresses the big security question network managers have: Is it safe to have mission-critical calls going down an IP path? He'll look at this concern from the perspective of policy and implementation. How do you determine which calls are appropriate for voice over IP networks and what methods are available to secure those calls? Taylor will address these issues along with the sponsor panel.

Joining Taylor onstage are some of the top names in voice networking. We've signed on Avaya, Cisco, NetIQ, Nortel and Siemens to give you an inside look at what to expect from the industry over the next year. You'll hear about e-911, business continuity and disaster recovery, the business case for an IP PBX swap-out, implementing a next-generation call center and more. All of these topics will be coupled with case studies involving real-world situations.

What do you think? Are there issues not listed here that you would like to see covered throughout the tour? Let me know at sgittlen@nww.com.

Register now for the VoIP Tech Update

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