#voip migration

(Originally posted by Ian Gomm at http://citelblogs.com/2012/06/21/migrating-to-voip--keeping-upfront-costs-down.aspx)

Last week, I wrote about some of the hesitations that arise when companies look at VoIP migration (see Blog dated June 14, 2012). This week I want to continue in that vein and discuss how Citel can help keep the cost of migrating as low as possible.

As I stated previously, cost and reliability remain major considerations for companies when they are looking at their telephone systems. There are a lot of costs involved with operating a PBX and those costs are one of the reason companies are looking at their alternatives. One company with whom we are working has a large installed DMS100 (Centrex) base in the Tropics and is faced with exceedingly high cooling costs for the buildings where their switch units were installed. Their operating cost concerns are more than just monthly service charges, charges per call and the cost per service.

Additionally, many companies are being forced to make decisions sooner than they would like about new telephone systems as more and more of the older PBXs out there are being End of Lifed by their manufacturers. A number of those companies are looking at more expensive hybrid systems (with both digital and IP capabilities) to keep their existing telephone infrastructure in place until they are ready to venture into the IP telephony marketplace. This is certainly an option but with associated maintenance contracts, support, etc., that can be a very expensive solution that is unnecessary.  

Many sellers in the marketplace are promoting a “rip and replace“ solution.  Those companies exhort the benefits of moving to VoIP but at what upfront cost to the end user. If a premise based solution is recommended, there is the cost of the IP PBX, IP phones, Category 5/6 cabling to be installed and Power over Ethernet (PoE) switches to be installed to power the IP phones. There are also the intangible costs of work interruption in terms of down time when the system is being put in place and the training required to use the new phones. If multiple buildings are involved, the whole migration process can take years rather than months. If hosted services are being proffered, even if these costs are built in to the monthly per port price, these same costs have to be paid if only through a higher than necessary monthly rate.  It is to deal with these issues that many companies look at Citel’s Portico TVA.  Why go through the cost of a “rip and replace” solution and the time delays involved when with the TVA you can migrate all of a customer’s end users to VoIP literally overnight.

   Citel is regularly adding new features to its award winning VoIP migration device, the Portico TVA, to help meet ongoing customer requests. With recent activity in Europe we have been working to increase the support for Alcatel handsets and that has resulted in support now for the Alcatel Reflex digital phones, models 4004 and 4020 to go along with the 4010 that was already supported.

  We have enhanced the Conference/Transfer key general call control on entry level phones. The feature was not previously available on very basic handsets only on more complex units. After discussions with a hospital where there were a large number of basic handsets this feature was added to simplify phone procedures between hospital wards.

  We have also added features to the System Setting menu within the devices web GUI to provide additional customization options for the administrator.

  We continue to enhance the capabilities of the Portico TVA to make the user experience when a customer retains their legacy handsets when migrating to VoIP as easy and simple as possible.

IP Telephony is now a common place, well established technology. It offers companies a clear advantage over traditional phone systems and fits neatly into almost any growth strategy. The business case for the migration to VoIP is not only sound, it can be accomplished with the greatest of ease.

Many businesses are reluctant to migrate to VoIP; why is that?

A shared objection to transitioning to VoIP is the assessment of a company’s existing infrastructure.  No matter if you implemented a new PBX six months or six years ago, there remains great value in most of your existing infrastructure. There is a misconception in today’s top enterprises that is not uncommon. Most believe an over haul is required and they are reluctant to dispose of handsets and wiring.  With our help, migration to VoIP can be seamless while still incorporating most of your existing infrastructure.

Acquiring new handsets is just the first step in a series of financial transactions. an enterprise will face when migrating to a hosted or IP PBX system. New LAN (local area network) infrastructure, cabling, business disruption and time consuming retraining can effectively double / triple the cost over and above the cost of the handset. An estimated $20.6 billion will be wasted on IP screen phones over the next five years, according to a Gartner Research report.

End user implementation will be a major barrier due to the complex nature of new systems. Business owners need to keep in mind the cost and time involved in retraining the staff to deal with new handsets and future proof the user, so they don’t easily forget about the abundant features in the short term. Even the most technically modest person can be familiar with a new device but, may only use the most basic of functions. A basic user will shy away from the more complex features a new IP telephone have to offer.

Companies are always looking to minimize the expense and disruption of a “Rip and Replace” migration to a VoIP platform. One sure shot way would be with the Citel Portico™ Telephone VoIP Adapter (TVA™). This facilitates your company’s efforts to migrate to VoIP, while still using the telephones and wiring that are already in place.  TVA™ can support analogue, P phone (Centrex) and digital (PBX).

TVA™ simplifies the migration process no matter if you’re going to a hosted IP platform with a service provider or managing an in house IP PBX, Citel makes the process as transparent as possible to the end users. We enable a new endpoint on the IP network using a Legacy PBX telephone making it unnecessary to replace the existing handsets.

For companies in older buildings, just the thought of redoing the cable is highly unfeasible and would deter them for a move to VoIP without a TVA™. The Portico™ TVA™ let’s companies re-use their existing phone wiring enabling them to receive all the benefits of a VoIP network.