Best VoIP Providers For Business

VoIP has been transforming the telecom industry for years now. As a business owner or manager you may be wondering if you are missing out on something important by sticking with your tried and true analog telephone service. Does VoIP really work? Can it really save a business money?

Yes, indeed, VoIP technology is for real. It is sometimes called “network voice,” a term that describes what the technology is all about. The idea is that your company computer network can carry telephone conversations as an application if they are compatible with other network equipment. This is possible when telephones are turned into network peripherals called IP telephones or SIP telephones.

This sounds like a clever tech trick, but just where does the cost savings come in? For VoIP to make any difference, you need to be able to get rid of your old telephone wiring, PBX system and analog lines. Then the phones and the computers share the remaining company LAN and broadband connection to the outside world.

Here’s where it gets tricky. All VoIP isn’t the same. Voice and data packets might look similar, but they have very different needs. Voice is a real time streaming service. Anything that interferes with the smooth and continuous transfer of packets from one phone to another without delay is going to make the conversation sound crummy. Network congestion, latency and packet loss that doesn’t faze data transfers will destroy phone calls. There is no plug-and-play for VoIP. The network, including any outside telecom lines, have to be specially set up to support voice services or they won’t work very well.

The best VoIP providers take measures to insure that your phone service works as well as it does now or even better. In general, this means that you need a private line connecting you to your service provider. That line must be specially conditioned so that voice packets have priority over data packets. You won’t notice fractions of a second delays in data downloads, but you sure will if they affect the phone calls. Voice needs a guarantee of bandwidth, latency, jitter and congestion so it can work perfectly.

For most companies, the ideal approach is to let your VoIP service provider also be your bandwidth provider... at least for any lines transporting VoIP phone calls. This way you can be sure that those lines will be optimized for best VoIP performance. This is especially important for smaller companies that will save money by using a single integrated T1 line or SIP trunk to provide both dedicated Internet access and VoIP telephone service.

Larger companies may have dedicated SIP trunks that transport only phone conversations. Like ISDN PRI, each SIP trunk can transport a certain number of calls within its bandwidth capacity. How many simultaneous calls depend on the CODEC (Coder/Decoder) that does the conversion between analog and digital. The universal standard is G.711 which is the same standard used in T1 telephone and ISDN PRI. Other codecs offer HD voice that is more understandable than standard telephone audio or they use less bandwidth to cram more conversations per trunk. Be careful here, though, the lowest bandwidth CODECS gain their efficiency at the expense of voice quality.

Perhaps the most popular business VoIP service right now is called hosted VoIP, hosted PBX or telephony in the cloud. You have only SIP telephones in-house. All switching and connections to outside lines is done at the service provider. Cost savings of 60% or more are being promoted for this type of service.

There are other arrangements you may also be interested in. Some VoIP companies offer an “analog handoff” so you can use regular telephone sets with VoIP service. You don’t get as many features with this hybrid arrangement, but you may save the cost of upgrading all your phones and wiring. Note: Some VoIP providers may include new SIP phones with your service agreement to sweeten the deal. That can make the upgrade well worth your while.

Still other VoIP providers work with your in-house PBX telephone system and only replace the trunk lines that would otherwise go to the local telephone company or competitive carrier. If you are happy with your current phone system but just want the opportunity to save on your monthly phone bill, this can be a good solution. When it comes time to replace or upgrade your PBX, you can review the situation and see if going with a hosted PBX makes more sense than paying for a new system.

Even if you only have a single telephone or a few desk phones in your company, you may be able to save substantially with service from one of the best VoIP providers for business. Get competitive quotes and features now.

The Gift of Bandwidth For Administrative Professionals

This week is Administrative Professionals Week. It’s a time to honor those “Radar O’Rilleys” of the office who keep everything running smoothly so management and staff can concentrate on getting their own jobs done. You’ve no doubt signed a nice greeting card and perhaps taken your secretary, administrative assistance, receptionist or other admin. support pro to lunch... Haven’t you? If not, better scramble and do something nice quickly. You have no idea how much doo-doo you could be in on Monday.

After the hoopla ebbs, there is something that still needs attention. Besides a little fawning and personal kudos, what administrative professionals could really use is better tools to help them be more productive. I’ve dealt with many great administrative assistants over the years and can attest that they are models of efficiency. They’ll take whatever’s available and make it work magic. But think how much more would get done if the tools worked better.

One big bottleneck in any business can be the WAN bandwidth connection. That includes point to point lines linking your business locations, and broadband Internet service. When the network slows down, everybody slows down. Those high performance admins that burn through a keyboard a week wind up drumming their fingers on the desk while waiting for critical files to transfer. Does that sound like a wise use of resources to you?

I’m going to make a suggestion here. Why not take about a minute or so and ask your administrative assistants if they are being slowed down by the performance of your computer network, especially for outside files. If the answer comes back “yes,” you probably can’t make a better investment than increasing that bandwidth.

That can be easier and cheaper than you imagine. Just ask your assistant or IT manager to run a quick bandwidth pricing check through a telecom broker. It can be done online in almost no time. All you need to know is the address of the business, who should be contacted and how much bandwidth you have in mind. Start with double what you have now and see what the results are. You might be shocked to find that you could have a lot faster network service for the same money as you are paying now. Wouldn’t it be a shame to let that opportunity go to waste?

Pssst. If you are one of those hard-charging administrative assistants being limited by data connections that are way too sloooowww, why not take charge and make this happen. When you tell your boss that you could get a lot more done with a faster network connection, also mention that you can take care of researching this without distracting from your critical work. Then get an instant online quote for bandwidth services and print off the results. Good chance the boss will say: “Go ahead and order that.” Then you’ll have one really sweet gift for Administrative Professionals Week.

Technicians at Your Beck and Call

With the economy on the rocks, having even one full time technician on your staff can be a luxury for smaller companies. Does that mean that you have to put off the telephone and network upgrades and maintenance you really need? Or settle for hiring somebody who isn't very skilled but works cheap? No way. Not when you can have technicians at your beck and call without having them on your staff.

The trick is to hire contractors, but not just any contractors. What you want are pre-screened professionals who are capable and experienced in exactly the service you need. You don't put them on salary. You have them bid on the job and then pay for only the specific work you want done. Often you'll get a package deal. You buy the equipment and the installation, setup and training services on contract and get one special price. You can get wireline services, such as T1 lines or SIP trunks, along with your hardware so you know everything is going to work perfectly before the technicians turns it over to you. In some cases, you'll find several eager contractors anxious to bid on the same job. Lucky you!

So where are all these valuable technicians? You haven't getting resumes dropped off lately. In fact, no one has even called you in the longest time to see if you could use some help. Does that mean having to work you way through the phone book listings or calling a temp agency? Absolutely not.

Take the easy and proven approach. Use the quick and easy online matchmaking service called the VAR Network. VAR stands for Value Added Resellers. Those are the people you want. They specialize in particular product lines and have the connections and training to bid on your project and deliver results. You don't have to settle for a general "handyman" either. These VARs are professionals, but few represent all lines or offer all services. They specialize. That's an advantage for you, but doesn't it make finding the right VAR difficult?

No, not when the VAR Network is based on an automated online database system with several thousand registered VARs. That's right. Thousands of technicians in the network. Of course, they all have their own service areas. Some major equipment dealers serve the entire nation. Other specialized professionals may serve a very limited geographical area. It doesn't matter because the sophisticated matching capabilities of the VAR Network pair-up your requirements with only those VARs who offer the right expertise and serve your particular area.

Sounds like there's going to be a hefty fee for this service, doesn't it. No, no fee. As a business owner or manager with a definite commercial need, you are just who the technicians in the VAR Network want making inquiries. There is absolutely no fee to browse the network or put in a request for quote. If you have multiple needs, go ahead and put in multiple requests. You'll never pay a fee. What you will get is contact from qualified VARs eager to satisfy your requirements. Then it's up to you to decide which, if any, to hire.

Have you ever felt so important? That's because your business really is important and valued by the technicians in the VAR Network.

The Ethernet Next Door

Life is tough when you're bandwidth limited. You spent what seemed like a fortune years ago to get a T1 line from the phone company. It was fantastic at the time, but now business has grown and everything seems to be slowing down on the network. You asked them for more bandwidth and they just laughed. You couldn't possibly afford to get access to their fiber optic SONET ring. If you can't afford it, how can your competitors afford it? Why don't they seem to be as constrained as you are?

What they know and you're about to find out is that there's a new business broadband service in town and it's right next door or down the street. Your current provider is not about to tip you off because they want to hold on to your business and the big premium you pay them for Internet access. What's really sad is that you could be getting all the bandwidth you need and for a lot less money than you think. Not only could you match your competitors' performance, you might just leapfrog them.

This new service really isn't so hush-hush. It's just being deployed so fast that it's not well known right now. It's not your traditional telecom service, either. It's an extension of the networking standards you are already using. It's Ethernet.

We've used to thinking of Ethernet on the LAN but having to go to a completely separate protocol for access to the outside world, especially the Internet. Even point to point connections have to be converted from packets to channels on a telecom carrier's service, right? That's been the case, but it isn't any longer. Now you have the option to extend your LAN to join up with your other facilities as Ethernet all the way. You can also use Ethernet as access to dedicated Internet service.

The big player in what's called "Carrier Ethernet" is a company called XO Communications, headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. XO is a billion dollar company with more than 4,000 employees and 90,000 customers, including the government, businesses nationwide and even other carriers. They have nearly a million miles of metro fiber installed, with 18,000 miles of inter-city fiber links and a thousand central office locations. There are 3,000 fiber-fed buildings on their network.

But that's not even the most exciting news. XO is also a leader in both wireless Ethernet and Ethernet over Copper technology. Why is that important? Because not every building is "lit" for fiber optic service. A big office complex with lots of high tech tenants will find it worth their while to get fiber cables pulled-in from the nearest carrier POP or Point of Presence. But many other businesses find the construction costs too daunting.

That's where alternate delivery technologies come to the rescue. New modulation techniques make it possible to carry Ethernet connections over the same copper telco lines normally reserved for telephone services and T1 connections. XO is able to provide business customers beyond the reach of its fiber network with EoC (Ethernet over Copper) connections at speeds from 10 Mbps to 88 Mbps in the 75 metropolitan markets it serves.

Another option in 36 major metropolitan markets is fixed broadband wireless service in the 28 - 31 GHz spectrum. Where wireless access makes sense, it completely avoids the construction hassles of wireline drops. Ethernet speeds from 10 Mbps to 155 Mbps are available using this technology.

I've saved the best news for last. Ethernet service from XO and other competitive carriers is much, much less expensive than what you'd expect to pay for high bandwidth data services. How much less? How about 50 to 90% less per Mbps? If that sounds attractive, use our Ethernet WAN Search service to see what's available for your business location.

Who Says You Can't Sell T1 Lines?

You've built a successful business selling business telephone systems or computer networking services, but you still fall short of offering your customers a comprehensive solution. The one thing missing is the PBX trunk lines or WAN network connections. Wouldn't you like a piece of this business, too?

Of course you would, but isn't that the purview of the phone companies? Yeah, that's what they want you to think. When business owners and consultants see that empty jack marked "T1" they often just call the local telco to provide the connection. They also often wind up paying way too much for their line services and the consultants get nothing or maybe some token referral fee for their trouble.

The reason everyone thinks of calling the local phone company is that as the ILEC, or Incumbent Local Exchange Carrier, they traditionally own the first mile connection. That's the copper twisted pairs that run from a punch block in the telephone closet to the nearest central office location. What's not as well known is that industry deregulation has allowed the growth of competitive carriers for everything from dedicated broadband Internet connections to local and long distance services, frame relay or MPLS networks, Virtual Private Networks, and even carrier Ethernet. In fact, some of the larger competitive carriers can now offer fiber connections from their own offices right to the customer without having to negotiate with the ILECs for first mile connectivity.

Now, here's where you cash in. One of the big reasons that competitive voice and data carriers can offer impressive cost savings is that they don't have the thousands of entrenched local sales offices with huge fixed administrative costs. Instead, most of their accounts are provided by independent master sales agencies such as Telarus, Inc., developer of the VAR Network. The VAR Network is an affiliation of independent marketing agents and business owners, such as yourself, who bring customer needs to them. As a VAR Network Partner, you have the opportunity to earn monthly commissions on those line services you give away to the phone company now.

But, wait a second. Aren't T1 and related line services a specialty unto themselves that requires special expertise and relationships with the carriers? You bet they are. But there's an organization already in place with that expertise and relationships. That's the VAR Network. You only need to be able to relate your client's requirements. The rest is taken care of.

Here's an example of how this works in practice. You've just contracted to design and install a new VoIP system, including running the network wiring and jacks, installing the handsets, and configuring the IP PBX system. You know that your customer needs a dozen outgoing phone lines and maybe 50 DID or Direct Inward Dialing numbers plus Caller ID for all phones. You probably also know that a T1 PRI trunk line is probably the best match for this situation, but there may be other solutions that are also attractive. SIP Trunking is a newer service that may also fit the requirements. You don't need to research that yourself. All you need to do is go into your VAR Network back office and put in a request for quote for a voice line that meets your customer's requirements.

Next, a line services consultant will call you or your customer (your choice) to refine the requirements further and suggest possible options. Detailed price quotes for several competing services will be sent by email. If the customer likes the price and terms, the consultant will send the appropriate carrier paperwork and help you and/or your customer to get it filled out and signed. After a credit check, the lines will be provisioned and turned up. Billing will commence and commissions will be paid. Part of the monthly commission check will be sent to you.

Yes, it's that easy. You've got clients that need line services. Carriers have lots and lots of bandwidth to sell at very attractive prices. You might as well step into the income stream and start collecting those commissions.

And you thought you couldn't sell T1 lines. Or Ethernet WANs or Gigabit Ethernet. Or managed routers. Or any of the many other services that are perfect for your customer's needs. Well now you can. It won't cost you anything to sign up, either. This opportunity doesn't cost, it pays. Learn more and sign-up at VAR Partner site before any more of those lucrative line service opportunities slip through your fingers.

Over 2,000 of Your Competitors Are in This Network

Are you in the business telephone systems or computer networking business? What do you suppose your competitors are doing right now to generate more business? Unbeknownst to you, they're getting free leads from interested business users in their service areas from the VAR Network. While you're waiting for the phone to ring, they're getting email requests to call warm prospects and bid for the jobs. Perhaps that's why their trucks seem to be everywhere on the road while you're wondering how come those expensive ads you placed don't seem to result in inquiries.

Take heart. You can be part of the VAR Network too. It only takes a few minutes to join and you don't have to pony up any cash to get listed. Once your business is listed online, the leads will start rolling in.

Here's the secret of success that many people in the voice and data business don't know yet. Yellow Pages and newspaper ads have their place. So do cold calls, flyers and personal recommendations. That used to be all you need. But in this Internet age, many, many high value customers are savvy enough to be looking around the Web even for local businesses. That's especially true before and after normal business hours when owners have the time to shop for services that they can't quite get around to during the day.

This increasing piece of the business pie is what the VAR Network was designed to capture. It's an automated database system that intelligently assesses the appropriateness of suppliers to the inquiry data provided by prospective buyers. Type of service required, make and model of equipment requested, and geographical location are major factors that determine which dealers are informed about any particular opportunity. The buyer knows that they'll only be contacted by dealers who are ready, willing and able to meet their needs. Sellers know that they'll only be notified of prospects who will be worth their while to pursue. This approach is orders of magnitude more efficient than typical media ads.

So how does a potential buyer find the VAR Network? Mostly through online search engine listings that are specific to what they are looking for, both technically and geographically. Also through online paid ads and offline marking efforts by network agents. The agents are telecom marketing professionals, not competing equipment dealers. Their whole job is getting the opportunity in front of high value prospects needing equipment, installation, and service.

The VAR Network also comes with another strategic advantage. It's owned and operated by Telarus, Inc., a major broker of voice and data telecom line services. If you've ever sold a PBX phone system or Internet router and then told the customer to call the phone company for line service, you've left money on the table. By partnering with agents at the VAR Network, you can offer T1, DS3, PRI, and Integrated voice and data lines to your customers along with equipment and installation for one stop shopping. The VAR Network experts will take care of closing the line sale, including all the contractual paperwork. For a few minutes effort in entering the line service lead into the system, you'll receive a generous monthly commission for the length of the contract. It's like bonus money on every job.

Heard enough to be interested? Remember, there is no up-front cost to be listed or receive leads. You contribute to the VAR network only on sales you are actually paid for. Line sales cost you nothing, you get paid for referring leads that close. Take a couple of minutes and have a look at the VAR Network now. If you like what you see, you can get more information on the business opportunity and enter your application anytime through the VAR Partner site. It's the easiest thing you'll do today to increase your earnings.