Migrating from Analog to VoIP

Migrating from Analog to VoIP


• Overview

Whether a business is considering incorporating voip features to an existing analog system or completely replacing the analog system, there are a few basic guidelines to follow. First, a company should be able to provide statistics on how much it uses its current equipment. Many analog business telephone systems are designed around a particular usage rate or frequency. When migrating to VoIP, it is helpful to be able to estimate how many handsets, lines, and average monthly minutes will be needed based on prior analog phone usage.

• Researching and Understanding Brands

Not all VoIP equipment is created equally. Some brands are inherently superior to others depending on how much the VoIP phone system will be used. As stated before, a company should always know its average use rates prior to purchasing new voip equipment. However, choosing the best brand for a particular set-up will be based heavily on how much reading and research a company does before it commits to a particular brand. As an example, some brands work best for smaller installations, such as a 5 to 10 person company. Other brands are designed to handle companies with 100 people or more. The scale of these business telephone systems is reflected not only in the price of the usage plans, but also in how well the equipment integrates with existing office infrastructure. VoIP equipment that is designed for a much larger setting may not offer the same kind of flexibility that a brand that has been specifically engineered for a smaller setting will. The types of features that a company wishes to include, such as video conferencing or high speed data transfer, should also be considered when choosing a VoIP phone system.

• Seeking Expert Advice

Companies that wish to investigate specific brands should do their research not only on the internet, but also reference trade journals that perform extensive reviews of the equipment. These trade journals frequently provide an in-depth review of the latest equipment in the field, along with recommendations from experts who have years of experience evaluating technology.

Specific telecom companies also are an excellent resource for investigating which systems will best suit a particular business configuration. Telecom companies use and install the equipment on a daily basis, and are therefore familiar with common customer requests and concerns. A telecom company can rapidly create a custom quote on the installation and average daily usage rates for a company. They can recommend specific brands tailored to the set-up of an individual company.