Is 2009 The Year You’ll Finally Upgrade Your Aging Telecom Infrastructure?

by Christian Perry, Processor Magazine, January 2nd, 2009

Ma Bell certainly would be proud of her staying power. Even in these Internet-driven days, telecommunications continues to play an integral role in the success of most enterprises, and due to telecom’s continuing importance, organizations can benefit greatly if they upgrade their architectures to the latest technology.

“New capabilities in telecom, including VoIP services, unified communications, and voice-enabled functions, may give the company an unparalleled opportunity to move ahead of its competition,” says Mark Bradberry, senior consultant at Telwares. “These capabilities may include faster information exchange, improved process flow, [and] increased customer responsiveness.”

...According to Paul Marra, vice president of business development for MegaPath, whether moving to a new telecom provider or sticking with the existing provider, an enterprise nonetheless should expect a significant overhaul when upgrading to an IP-based telecom infrastructure. Hardware evaluation and selection should be based on required features and budget, along with interoperability with existing hardware in the environment.

“The IT staff should identify potential vendors and ask for a demo,” explains Scott Kinka, senior vice president of network services for Evolve IP (www.evolveip.net). “The IT staff should involve a small group of employees who will be the most vocal about the use of the phone system, including a receptionist or assistant, someone in sales, and an interested executive. All vendors should be compared against a list of desired features.”

Read the full article online here: Is 2009 The Year You’ll Finally Upgrade Your Aging Telecom Infrastructure?