Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Subscribe
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Subscribe
    Home Latest News
    • Networking

    VOIPs Time Has Arrived

    Written by

    eWEEK EDITORS
    Published April 7, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      The barriers to widespread adoption of voice over IP on enterprise networks have fallen one by one. After years of development, the technical and economic roadblocks are down; VOIP is now practical and offers excellent performance at low cost. Broadband Internet connections are increasingly ubiquitous on the desktop, whether at work, on the road or at home. Meanwhile, sophisticated Code Division Multiple Access schemes are squeezing previously unthinkable amounts of multiuser bandwidth out of even the unlicensed spectral commons of the 2.4GHz Wi-Fi band. These resources make bandwidth-intensive services such as VOIP stop looking like exotic “what if” and more like an obvious “why not.”

      Plugging a voice headset into a wireless laptop, or even a wireless PDA, and making voice calls to anywhere on the Internet now looks like the cheap and easy way to handle voice messaging. There is also the bonus of synergies that can come from having e-mail, voice mail and every other service on a single network that shares a single enterprise infrastructure for provisioning users, granting access rights and allocating costs.

      A sign of industry recognition of this trend is the acquisition of wireless equipment maker Linksys by Cisco Systems. The economics of increasingly low-priced software-defined radio equipment and the market psychology of pervasive growth in wireless via thousands of inexpensive new access points define an opportunity that Cisco does well to embrace.

      However, we wonder if cellular network operators will be able to embrace the move to VOIP, even with the threat to their business model it implies. There is some reason for optimism. Cellular operators are already taking steps toward broader offerings, with still-image transmission from embedded cameras rapidly becoming as common as short-form text messaging was trying to become just a few years ago. We hope they can make the leap to always-on, application-neutral services that become a logical extension of a unified enterprise messaging architecture. The IT buyer could then roll wired and wireless voice communication and messaging into current network capacity purchasing and management processes.

      We dont want to minimize the issues that VOIP will put on IT administrators plates. As a real-time service, VOIP puts network performance under harsh lights; testing and monitoring must extend to include parameters of delayed or erratic transmission that most data applications tolerate with fewer problems.

      However, VOIP could bring benefits in addressing IT security. Our ability to connect users to one another and let them share vital data continues to outstrip our ability to make those connections reliable and secure. Getting everything onto the IP network cuts the number of realms in which those problems need to be solved.

      We urge IT buyers and providers and network operators to stop seeing VOIP and other convergence technologies as tomorrows possibility and pursue them as todays necessity.

      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWEEK EDITORS
      eWeek editors publish top thought leaders and leading experts in emerging technology across a wide variety of Enterprise B2B sectors. Our focus is providing actionable information for today’s technology decision makers.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.