You probably wouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the additional benefits delivered by VoIP. Throwing away your existing equipment is not a requirement for moving your communications to CommX business-class quality Voice over IP (VoIP). For example, our Trunk Services option lets you use your existing PBX or key system and enjoy all the same services you have now, but at a lower price. Or, benefit from even more services, for the same price.

It’s simple: when you choose the CommX Trunk Services option for your voice communications, your VoIP service will start in your communications “closet” rather than on the desktop. Everything else will remain the same – no changes, no training required, just improved cost-efficiency for your business communications.

That’s right: when your PBX or key system is enhanced by CommX Trunk Services, your existing analog infrastructure will remain in service.

No, depending on other needs you may have, CommX can extend valuable key features to your existing system.

When you choose CommX Trunk Services, we can support the current capacity of your existing system. But that’s not all. We can also offer you a capital-efficient plan for growth well beyond your existing trunk capacity. Because when it comes to growth and capacity, VoIP knows no limits.

That’s the ideal time to take the next step, to extend VoIP technology out to your desktop – and take advantage of increased functionality and virtually limitless capacity.

In simple terms, it means you would replace your existing telephones with new IP-based phones.

Your IP-based phone is still just a telephone. However, in making the transition from your old phone system, we’ll need to meet certain requirements in order to maintain business-class voice quality.

To begin with, your infrastructure must now use Ethernet cabling instead of your old analog cabling. In most small- to medium-sized businesses, VoIP installations will simply share the existing LAN (Local Area Network) infrastructure that already transmits their data. Chances are that your current LAN can easily support the transition.

However, your LAN will need to be validated, which means ensuring that the various devices it supports – virus protection software, 100MB switches and cable plant (i.e., the physical wires used to tie the network together) – are in the tiptop condition needed to ensure business-class quality voice transmission.

Your broadband circuits (lines) must also be evaluated for their capacity, reliability and usage. For example, if the evaluation results indicate that your company is a heavy data user or hosts functions like terminal services, it’s generally more cost-effective and design-efficient to install separate circuits for voice and data.

They probably do, but voice transmission is a much more human-sensitive application than data transmission.

For example, if your data circuit were to experience small “bursts” of downtime or other minor problems, you might not even be aware of it because nothing would tip you off. However, if your company were running voice over that same line, the symptoms would likely be loud and clear – in the form of noise, echo or other problems that could distort the communications, distracting your customers as well as your employees. In your business environment, your voice communications can and should meet the highest standards of quality.

No, Quality of Service (QoS) parameters must also be built into your system. Simply put, QoS guarantees certain minimum levels of performance to a voice/data flow. QoS may be incorporated into the lines themselves or into your onsite equipment. However, without QoS, the quality of your voice communications is likely to be sacrificed at some point, because bandwidth alone cannot assure satisfactory business-class service.

Probably. Residential installations – the earliest VoIP market – typically lack QoS standards and therefore are subject to extreme bandwidth fluctuations. Additionally, not all VoIP vendors who sell to the business community engineer their systems for business-class quality; some may design simply to meet their prospects’ lowest-price requirements. Although QoS does bear a cost, it should never be sacrificed.

As the network provider, CommX follows strict procedures to assure true business-class voice; the following two processes benefit our customers most directly.

BroadWorks – the world’s number one VoIP platform – forms the working core of our network. A multitude of products are approved for use in the BroadWorks environment. However, CommX certifies only the best of these – devices that have been pre-tested and proven – for use in our architecture. More importantly, every time these products undergo revisions, they’re extensively retested before being placed into production – a process which ensures that our customers never experience negative impacts.

The second advantage is our QoS (Quality of Service, a set of standards that guarantee certain minimum levels of performance to a voice/data flow), which is delivered on your circuit or at your site. CommX has engineered designs in every solution to meet QoS standards, which ensures business-class quality in all customer environments. These designs are not only implemented in our retail customers’ communications systems; they’re also taught and embraced by our Business Partners.

The process is very straightforward. It’s important to plan your transition with the people who manage your IT infrastructure, so that CommX can plug in seamlessly, without taxing your resources.

A popular strategy is to run your new system parallel with your existing one while your employees become familiar with the new phones and features. This procedure eliminates the anxiety of a “hard cut” and allows ample time for the changes to be absorbed smoothly. You can even go live before the actual porting of your numbers, by call-forwarding the old system to the new!

Since we’ve preplanned together for this, there’s no need to panic! You may have dual connections for voice and data so a simple failover takes place until the dead circuit comes back. However, let’s assume the worst case: one connection, one location.

First, the network is still accepting and delivering your calls. “Hosted services” means that the real work is happening elsewhere. So, depending on the situation, it’s easy to reroute calls – both for your individual employees and for your organization. Rerouting can be done from cell phones, available landlines and/or Internet connections. If you do choose to panic, just call us, and we’ll take care of it. However, enjoying more control is one of the perks of your new system, so the ability to redirect your calls will soon become part of your new communications culture.

Can we ever! Managing your CommX communications system will be the easiest aspect of your process for opening or adding new sites. One of the most rewarding benefits of transitioning your communications to CommX is your new ability to provide service under a single platform. With CommX, you gain one cohesive system, in which all employees can communicate as if they were in a single campus – even if they’re hundreds of miles apart. And if your business requires it, you can even centralize incoming calls – because everyone is simply an extension away.

Definitely not. The type of access required is certainly in part measured by capacity, but it is mostly defined by quality standards. In fact, the majority of CommX customers simply use DSL and cable for their voice circuits. A word of caution: not all circuits deliver the same quality. That’s why they must first be tested and evaluated for their ability to handle voice.

To determine this, your broadband circuits must first be evaluated for capacity, reliability and usage.

As an example, let’s use a typical business-class DSL circuit that provides 3.0MB download and 768kbps upload capabilities. The lower of the two values (outbound, in this case) is 768kbps, of which roughly 85% (650kbps) is available for use, with the balance allocated to overhead support.

Two types of compression are common to VoIP applications: G711 and G729. A voice call using G711 compression consumes approximately 90kbps of bandwidth; using G729, it would consume approximately 30kbps of bandwidth.

Other variables also enter the picture. Is the circuit dedicated or shared with data? If shared, what is the level of data usage? Does the circuit actually deliver a consistent 768kbps level of data?

Obviously, these critical details differ from one communications environment to the next. It is precisely these variations that drive the need to validate your infrastructure’s readiness prior to adding VoIP services.

Give us a call. We’ll be delighted to answer your questions, work with you to define your requirements, and help you start taking advantage of all the powerful benefits that CommX voice services can offer your business!

813.933.6767 x123