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Part 2: An Overview of Business VoIP Options

Jeremy — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:50:49 +0000

This is the second article, in a series, that covers the steps involved in migrating your business to VoIP. The objectives are: to demystify the transitioning process and provide you with valuable information about Business VoIP options and how your company will benefit. Last week, I gave a brief overview of the commonalities and differences between Business VoIP and traditional business telephone systems. This week, we’ll go over some of the Business VoIP options which are available to your company for systems and services. The very first thing you should consider is: whether hosted (cloud) or non-hosted (premise-based) Business VoIP is right for your company. Here’s the primary difference between the two configurations: Premise-Based VoIP Hosted VoIP a business will purchase all of the necessary equipment and keep it in their office. the VoIP servers are located off-site and managed by your service provider. Hosted VoIP has rapidly been becoming the more popular option. However, there are situations in which Premise-Based VoIP might be more appropriate. You can read a more detailed comparison of the two, here: Hosted VoIP vs. Premise-based VoIP: 14 Key Differences. Consider Your Cabling Needs for VoIP and Computer Data In most cases, your existing computer network cabling will be more than adequate. Your primary options are: 1. A single set of cables, for VoIP and Computers Your VoIP phone plugs into your network jack and then your computer plugs into your VoIP phone. This forms a chain, which allows both devices to share the same cable. 2. Two sets of cables: one for VoIP and one for Data Each VoIP phone and each computer has its own network jack and cable. In any configuration, the most important thing […]

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Part 1: What is Business VoIP?

Jeremy — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 14:50:04 +0000

This is the first article, in a step-by-step series, that will discuss the entire process of migrating your organization to a Business VoIP System. Last week, I gave a general overview of the migration process, in: Your Business Can Migrate to VoIP in 6 Easy Steps. The following article can be considered a bit of a review for our loyal readers –or a crash-course on Business VoIP for those who are new to the blog. We’ll be focusing on the basics of what Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is and how your business can benefit. Next week, we’ll dive right in and begin discussing the options available to you for Business VoIP. What is Business VoIP? Simply, VoIP is a technology which gives users the ability to make and receive calls over the internet, rather than old copper telephone lines. How is a Business VoIP system different from a traditional business telephone system? Both VoIP, and traditional telephone communications, accomplish the same thing –allowing individuals to have a conversation with each other, without having to be within close physical proximity. The most significant differentiating factor between VoIP and traditional telephone communications is how one’s voice is transmitted during a call. Traditional telephone communications rely on pairs of copper wires, which are able to establish connections between telephones, via expensive switching equipment (such as a traditional PBX [private branch exchange])). For the entire length of the call, a continuous copper connection must be established between the locations. VoIP telephones rely on the internet as a way of establishing connections between telephones. How does operating a VoIP phone compare to a traditional office telephone? Operating a VoIP phone can be remarkably similar to operating a traditional […]

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The 10 Things You Should Know About Recording Telephone Conversations

Jeremy — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 13:15:45 +0000

For the last few days, Justin Bieber’s name has been conspicuously plastered on just about every news source you can imagine. Given how eager I’ve been to write a blog article on him, I realized that this would be a good time to do so. Just one problem… I haven’t been able to find many parallels between Justin Bieber and VoIP. So far, I have: both of them can be recorded for listening to later and they are both subject to laws and regulations. Since many of our customers have been asking us about recording telephone conversations, I thought that we could spend this week discussing possible legal aspects of recording telephone conversations. In some situations, recording telephone conversations can be illegal; in all situations, Justin Bieber’s recordings should be illegal. Why do I need to know about the laws regarding recording telephone conversations? You are still subject to the laws, even if you are unaware of them. You could be subject to heavy fines (up to thousands of dollars per violation). You could be subject to criminal prosecution. There are both Federal and State laws about recording telephone conversations Federal law on recording telephone conversations: Only one party of the call needs to be aware that the call is being recorded. In other words, any participant of the call can record it without notifying the other participants. You cannot record a call that you are not a part of. That falls under wiretapping and it’s illegal except in very specific circumstances. State laws on recording telephone conversations: Some states follow the US Federal Law. There are 12 states which require that every call participant is aware of, and consents to, the […]

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Don’t Get Bent Out of Shape over Your Network Cabling

Jeremy — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 13:07:28 +0000

Plus, 7 tips to help you keep your network cabling in good shape! A few weeks ago, one of our technicians was troubleshooting some connectivity issues that a business client was experiencing. Within their office, there were no apparent network issues, but accessing the internet was a different story. After much work and assuming that it was a software problem, he realized that a physical connection was actually at fault. In the end, he fixed the problem and his story gave me an idea for my next blog entry. Read on and learn how some simple considerations now, can save you a lot of headaches (and potential profit loss) later on. Also, at the end of this article, you can ask us any networking questions that you have and our experts will happily answer them. When you open up your web browser, or have a conversation (using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)), you probably don’t give thought to how the data are transmitted. Nonetheless, you expect that when you pick up your VoIP phone, you’ll be able to dial a number and connect. Likewise, you sit down at your computer and you expect that the internet will work. Your business’ network cabling is the backbone of how you communicate and if it’s “down”, your operations could grind to a halt. As a business, it’s a good idea to take measures that will reduce the probability of unplanned downtime. Proper installation of network cabling requires specialized knowledge and careful planning, since even the best equipment won’t compensate for poor handling. When network cabling is installed by the book (fyi: one our reference books on Network Cabling approaches 800 pages), then the degree to which they are affected by […]

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The Top 7 Features of the Bria VoIP App: Because You Can’t Fit Your Desk Phone in Your Pants

Jeremy — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 13:17:46 +0000

Use the Bria VoIP App and Your Cell Phone to Make and Receive Calls: From Anywhere in the World, and Using Your Work Number A desktop Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone is truly a remarkable device, but it’s not exactly very portable. That’s where the Bria VoIP App steps in. If you’re someone who’s frequently away from your office (or desk), but you want to make and receive calls using your work telephone number, then I want to tell you about my new favorite phone app. I use it on my iPhone 4s, but read on to find out which other devices you can use the Bria VoIP App with. A company known as CounterPath, has developed an application, Bria, which is known as a “softphone” (as in, “software phone”). The Bria VoIP App makes your VoIP desktop phone portable by seamlessly integrating it with your cellular phone. The Bria VoIP App also uses encryption, which is especially important for those in certain industries with strict privacy regulations. What Can Your Phone Do With the Bria VoIP App? The following are just a handful of the features offered by the Bria VoIP App: For this example, imagine that your office number is 1-855-783-2332 With the Bria VoIP App on Your Cell Phone, you can: Receive incoming calls made to your office’s number (1-855-783-2332) Make calls using your office’s number (when you call from the application, the person whom you called will see your office number (1-855-783-2332) and not your cell phone number!). Great if you need to call clients while you’re away from the office, but you don’t want them to have your personal cell phone or home number. Dial any extension (typically 4 digits) for any number […]

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Get Peace of Mind by Choosing the Right VoIP Provider Like TripSaver did

Steadfast Telecommunications — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 13:12:30 +0000

Dr. Alan Ganz is the Chief Technology Officer at August Ninth Analyses. He received his Bachelors degree from CCNY and his Masters and PhD degrees from Columbia University, all in Physics. August Ninth Analyses (ANA) is a different kind of automation provider. Its technology is do it yourself (DIY). Even inexperienced users can install, operate and maintain a full-range Control & Analysis system for manufacturing batches. Of course, even the most adept do-it-yourselfers often need a helping hand. Realizing this need ANA developed a novel method to deliver assistance in the most efficient way imaginable. Instead of sending an expert out to the field, ANA provided a tool that allows them to participate remotely at the user’s site. Unsurprisingly, they discovered that this portable, Cloud-based data gathering kit, now called TripSaver, is useful for anyone needing to connect experts with problems – instantly and efficiently. TripSaver is not video conferencing, which is people-centric; it is remote participation, with expert attention directed to objects. The portable kit opens a window to the world of machines, buildings, processes and products. Expertise rather than experts is what moves globally. A big plus is that by reducing the need for travel, TripSaver saves money and reduces CO2 emissions. “Don’t be fooled by all the sophisticated video and measurement capabilities,.TripSaver is also about people,”, says Dr. Alan Ganz, the inventor of TripSaver. “People, interactively solving problems together in real-time, bond as a team.” Henry Weber, President of ANA, has insisted on the need for consistent clear audio communication as the foundation for effective real-time interaction. Henry explains, “Cell phones don’t always work where the problems are, and several VoIP providers, previously tested, proved inconsistent. A product that is meant […]

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Can I Fax Over VoIP Using My Fax Machine?

Jeremy — Mon, 02 Dec 2013 13:07:03 +0000

The Answer to sending and receiving a fax over VoIP and 3 Alternatives We’ve been receiving a number of questions about sending and receiving a fax over VoIP (Voice Over IP) lately using a normal fax machine. IT IS possible to do, but it’s not quite as simple as plugging the machine into a phone jack. However, don’t worry, it’s not complicated either. YES! The fax machine still has a place in our business world, so I’ll tell you how you can keep using yours, and I’ll also tell you about some alternatives that may pleasantly surprise you. Brief History: The first commercial fax machines began to appear during the 1960s. At the time, you could transmit one page every 6 minutes. Slow by our modern standards, but still faster than mailing a letter or sending out a carrier. In the late 1970s, and 1980s, the fax machine really went “viral”; unlike disco, they haven’t disappeared completely. On youtube, there’s a really great episode of an early 1990s show called The Secret Life of Machines on the fax machine. It’s about 25 minutes in length, but I think, well worth the time! Why can’t I just plug my fax machine into my VoIP system to send a fax over VoIP? Traditional fax machines utilize a protocol known as T.30, which is designed for analog phone networks. To fax over VoIP using a fax machine, a protocol known as T.38 must be used. A VoIP network is brilliantly optimized for voice communications, but not for fax. In a simplified explanation, VoIP works like this; 1) Your voice is encoded into a digital signal. 2) The digital signal is chopped up into “packets”, which are chunks of compressed […]

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This VoIP Feature Could Improve The Way You Do Business.

Jeremy — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 13:20:13 +0000

If your business is already using VoIP, you probably know that it has lots of useful features to make your business run more smoothly. Have you heard of this one? The feature is called Time Conditions, if you’re not using it, I suggest you try it out and see what it can do for your business. We live in a world where our workloads keep increasing, but the amount of time we have in which to complete them, has stayed the same. Rest assured, your VoIP system can help you, and it’s well equipped to do so – with features like Time Conditions. In a few words, Time Conditions is a feature, which allows you to specify what your VoIP system should do with your incoming phone calls; depending on a predetermined schedule you set. Time Conditions is a very flexible feature, as I’ll demonstrate through the following examples. These are only a few of the many possibilities for Time Conditions. Example 1: Let’s say that your business operates from 9:00am to 5:00pm. By utilizing Time Conditions you can arrange something as simple as having your calls go straight to voicemail when you’re unavailable – during lunch, or after business hours. If you would prefer, you could have your calls ring right at your co-worker’s VoIP telephone instead. Example 2: Leaving the office, but staying available to your customers for just a little longer. How about utilizing Time Conditions to forward your calls to your mobile phone between 5:00pm and 8:00pm. After 8:00pm calls can be forwarded to your VoIP systems voicemail. This would be particularly useful if your company is located on the East Coast, but your West Coast customers need to be able […]

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A Brief History of the Conference Bridge

Steadfast Telecommunications — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 13:00:52 +0000

A conference bridge gives you the ability to speak with multiple people at once. It enables you to have a meeting with several people without them all having to be in the same physical room. In the 70’s, conference calls were accomplished by physically bridging the copper lines together. This setup was generally limited to only 3 participants. Copper lines were designed for one on one conversation. Adding more participants to the conference call resulted in the quality of the call diminishing. Participants would have trouble hearing each other clearly. By the 80’s, telephone system manufacturers added a conference call feature to their telephone system. It was also limited to 3 or 4 participants. However, the quality of the conference call was greatly improved, since the system provided amplification and line balancing. During the 90’s, some manufacturers had special conference bridge cards that increased the capacity of participants. Unfortunately, this card was expensive, required professional onsite installation and was not very reliable. Later on, with the advent of the digital era, some digital telephone system manufacturers included a conference bridge in the basic system software package. It required no additional hardware and increased the capacity to about 15 participants. It worked reasonably well on copper lines and very well on the more expensive T1/PRI circuits. T1/PRI circuits were only available on the larger and more expensive PBXs. In today’s VoIP telephone system environment, businesses can accomplish conference calls by outsourcing to a company that provides conference bridge services. The conference calls have to be scheduled in advance and cost as high as 50 cents per minute, per participant. The option of choice is a VoIP Telephone System running on SIP trunks. With VoIP Systems, a […]

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VoIP Auto Provisioning: Why worry?

Steadfast Telecommunications — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 12:08:44 +0000

Auto Provisioning is a great tool. It enables a carrier to send you an IP phone that you will plug into the Internet. Once plugged in, the phone will automatically find the provisioning server and download the correct configuration files. So why worry? Look behind the fold. The way auto provisioning works is that when plugged in the phone contacts a provisioning server. This server can be housed at your PBX provider’s data center or the manufacturers data centers. Using the MAC address of your phone the server points the phone to the correct provisioning files to download. These files contain the complete configuration of your phone including the username, password, proxy server, time zone, and even your park and BLF keys. This sort of setup usually saves the carrier the expense and effort needed for programming an IP phone to connect to their servers. Mail order VoIP firms use this method frequently so they never have to login to your phone if there is ever an issue. Instead, they can change the configuration file on their servers and have you restart the phone. This sounds like a great technology that will make your life, and theirs, a lot easier. Think again! The issue with auto provisioning is security. In order to facilitate auto provisioning, the VoIP server needs to remain open to accept inbound requests, from phones all over the world, for provisioning files. However, by leaving it open, individuals with some technical knowledge can hack into the server or spoof your MAC address and gain access to these configuration files. This can result in fraudulent activity on your account. This leaves you paying their telephone bill. At Steadfast Telecommunications, your security is our […]

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