What things to consider before going VOIP in Office

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voip What to Check In Your Own Office Before You Go VOIP

Following is a guest post by Neel Kamal from search-value.com.If you want to write guest posts for us do read our write for us page

VOIP (Voice/Video Over Internet Protocol) based business phone systems take advantage of high-speed internet connections and fast servers to deliver us video and other calling communications.

Essentially, there are two types of systems:-

There are those systems where the application for the telephone system is based on their servers.
And there are the systems that are based on our own server (computer) in our office.

Before we can think about what our supplier is offering, we should first look at our office. Whether we are using a system that is based in their servers, or a system that will be based on our own computer (server) in our office, we need to ensure we have the basics right. Even if they have a managed system (supplied via the internet from their servers), we still need minimum requirements in our own office.

Power. Most people don’t think about power until they don’t have it. A power blackout might not happen very often in your region, but when it does, it will impact your business greatly. This is one of the big advantages of using laptops. If you are using desktops, you will probably lose power at the instant you lose utility power. If you have a traditional phone system, you will understand when power goes down, so does your phone system. Whether you are using a VOIP phone system or not, having suitable power backup for when power goes down is essential for any business. There are a number of options, such as a fuel powered generator or long-life batteries.

Internet. Internet options depend on your region. ADSL is the most common high-speed Internet, and it is sold as a broadband connection. It is not a true broadband connection. ADSL uses traditional telephone networks by forcing data down the connection. A true broadband connection will incorporate an outside connection other than a traditional telephone line. There is nothing like having true a high-speed Internet connection. In the big cities of Mainland China for example, a company pay for true high-speed broadband connections, and the speeds are amazing. Webpages load in a blink of an eye. Talk to suppliers in your region and look at the options available for business. Business Internet options are normally much broader than we are aware of. ADSL is just the connection we get as standard when we are connecting Internet to our office. Finally, do not forget about having a second option for connection. 3g and Wi-Fi are excellent as secondary options for your Internet.

Office Network. Business phone systems work best with cabled networks. This is because cable is still more stable when compared to Wi-Fi(Wire-less). If you have a strong Wi-Fi setup in your office, Wi-Fi is an excellent option because you can move your devices around freely. Setting up a strong Wi-Fi is not difficult. All you need is a strong broadcasting router. These are available online and push out stronger Wi-Fi signals than the regular Wi-Fi routers for home use. Your office network connections should be clean, and your cables should be laid out cleanly avoiding power cables and other magnetic influences. Wifi broadcasting devices should be set away from interference and be set high in your office – this will give them clear broadcasting ability. Wi-Fi can penetrate many surfaces, including concrete, but it struggles with glass, for example, because the Wi-Fi signals bounce off the glass.

If you have these three foundations of good Internet, you are ready for VOIP. A vendor’s system, will either supply you their system directly over the Internet through their own dedicated servers, or they will work with a server in your own office. You can have the application running on your own server, or dedicated server, but whatever the case, you need your own internet connection, your own office power and your own network running fast and running ‘cleanly’ and smoothly — all the time.