PROs & CONs of VOIP (Voice-Over-IP) for SBOs 52 nd MASBO Annual Institute Presented by Suzanne McLaughlin & Robert Hamel
What is Voice-Over-IP VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol It is also referred to as IP Telephony or Internet Telephony Provides voice services over IP Network reducing costs Provides for end-to-end Voice over IP
Why VOIP: The Obvious Voice Phase Down under E-Rate! As of Funding Year 2019 only 10% of funding remains for the 90% schools!!! Challenge is how to save on Telco Costs.
Why VOIP: The Obvious PBXs: Old Technology! Cost for maintenance, parts and replacement will both be costly and availability limited. Schools and Districts will be maintaining and utilizing both DATA and VOICE network. VOICE Network efficiency will continuously diminish! A strained IT and Telecom budget.
Why VOIP: The Obvious CONVENTIONAL HANDSETS: Extremely limited in features and capabilities! Again, cost for maintenance, parts and replacement will both be costly and availability limited. Today s communication needs will be unfulfilled. Charges will be incurred by video conferencing utilizing thirdparty services.
Benefits of Voice-Over-IP Reduce the number of Telco lines for overall savings Converge data, voice and video onto same network for infrastructure savings Manage Data, Voice and Video networks as one network yielding cost saving on voice Expanded redundancy and resiliency Reduce costs on Adds, Moves and Changes Incorporate video for increased collaboration Increased awareness of origination of 911 calls Critical to today s Hardening of Schools! Can be pinpointed down to the classroom level!
Benefits of Voice-Over-IP Lower up-front Capital Expenditure(s) as there is no PBX equipment to buy Lower ongoing Op Ex since maintenance, Moves/Adds/Changes are reduced Lower TCO (total-cost-of-ownership) per seat Eliminate costly PBX upgrades and expansions Reduced PBX support costs Bundled packaging and pricing Deliver predictable monthly costs
Evolution of the Network Initially, tasked with transferring small data files from one computer to another Today, demands include, video, music, Internet-based applications, voice, etc. Applications running over the network are the focus How do we optimize the network to support the current requirements for voice, vide and data?
Data Applications Driving Convergence What is Convergence?: Consolidation of multiple networks onto a single platform, i.e. voice, data and video. IP Video Surveillance Email and voice mail access via Unified Messaging IP Telephony Video Conferencing Distance Learning Mobile Labs Video Conferencing
VOIP: Evolutionary vs. Revolutionary Two primary paths to migrate from circuit-switched to IP Telephony Evolutionary: Existing PBX will evolve into a hybrid system with addition of IP components Revolutionary: Forklift upgrade PBX system removed and replaced with new IP Telephony
When to Move from PBX or Centrex to VOIP Consider migrating from PBX to VOIP when: Voice equipment has reached EOL Organization is moving locations/adding locations Need to upgrade voice/data needs to address specific application requirements
VOIP Options On-Premise: House your own call processing and voicemail locally within site Hosted (Cloud): Contract with a Provider that hosts call processing, call control and voicemail from the Cloud Key Differences: Costs: On-Premise: High initial costs bit lower ibn-going coats Hosted: Lower initial costs bit higher on-going monthly costs Control: More control of maintenance with on premise Expansion: Less expensive with on premise E-Rate Maintenance Order I Fall 2014 E-Rate Program Applicant Trainings 12
Pros and Cons On-Premise Solution Pros: Maintenance of system including Adds, Moves and Changes Current Carrier does not need to change More scalable at a lower cost Cons: Management Hardware Costs Cloud-Based Pros: Managed by the Provider Minimal Hardware Patches completed by Provider Cons: Loss of Internet could potentially be loss of voice service Flexibility is limited QoS issues E-Rate Maintenance Order I Fall 2014 E-Rate Program Applicant Trainings 13
Ten advantages of an on premise IP-PBX It uses your existing LAN. Lower operational costs over time. Easier to configure and install than proprietary phone systems. Simpler Management. Easy to relocate phones.
Ten advantages of an on premise IP-PBX (Con t) Unified Messaging Voice to email/text. District and School Locations can be added to an existing system. Remote Extensions off-site such as employee home. Cost savings by connecting to VoIP providers via SIP trunking. More choices in Vendor/System selection.
Components of IP Communications System Network Infrastructure: handles IP traffic Gateway: Connectivity to the PSTN (May have primary and secondary) Communication Server: Call Server provides call processing services Application Server: provides voice, video, or data services from a central location on a voice network (i.e. multimedia, voicemail, unified messaging) IP Phones
Is Your Network Ready? What to consider Network Assessment: Network Security Network Capacity Network Availability Quality of Service Define your objectives and expectations Administration and On-Going Support Plans Network Management and Monitoring Pre-planning of Deployment and Training
Return on Investment Single network infrastructure Single Cabling Infrastructure Common Hardware Support costs Management Internal Support Staff Reduced number of access lines between locations (Toll Bypass Voice) User Productivity
Contact Information Thank you! Suzanne McLaughlin Vice President and General Manager smclaughlin@customonline.com Office: 401-775-1286 Cell: 401-378-2994 Robert Hamel Public Sector Specialist rhamel@customonline.com Office: 401-775-1198 Cell: 401-330-7499
Questions and Answers