infrastructure

Legacy Systems and Beyond: 5 Ways to Plan for Enterprise Growth

September 21, 2016 by admin

Businesses aim to expand, but what happens when their infrastructure and IT systems can’t keep up? Not only will revenue likely peak sooner than expected, but the organization could come to a standstill that may affect future investment.

It’s not just startups that have to look toward future growth. Medium and large organizations cannot settle for where they are now, especially in an increasingly competitive and global business climate. Rather than react to challenges related to growth, corporate heads must be proactive and prepare for business expansion, from talent acquisition to systems updates.

Here are five ways to plan for enterprise growth:

1. Overhaul existing infrastructure and IT systems.

A company is unlikely to move towards growth if it doesn’t have the tools and technology needed to expand. Rather than relying on old infrastructure or networks, business owners and managers should consider upgrading their systems to be compatible with changing technology, software updates, and more. For example, they could reduce the number of proprietary applications or devices in favor of cloud-based services and software for increased flexibility and reduction in on-site costs.

2. Review choices for vendors.

As a business grows, it’s important to inspect the offerings of current vendors and compare them to competitors. It may be possible to cut costs, negotiate a better deal, or switch over to faster or more reliable products or services.

3. Hire effective recruiters.

Great recruiters know that talent is critical to the success of a company. Talent is the fuel for profit-driving ideas and productivity within a business. Getting the most sought-after employees in the door is a crucial step toward corporate expansion. Business heads must ensure they are hiring the best recruiters to find, interview, and vet only top talent.

4. Focus on talent retention.

Recruiting talented employees is not enough if companies are not able to keep them. More than three-quarters of business heads view employee retention as either important or urgent, according to HR publication TLNT.

Talent retention could cut down costs from hiring, onboarding, and training new employees. This leaves more room in the budget for other worker-related initiatives like incentive or health/fitness programs that are important to employees and make them more likely to stay with a company.

5. Determine how to maintain and oversee systems.

Even if it’s not the right time to start anew with current infrastructure, corporate leaders must decide how they will maintain these systems for compliance or other aspects necessary for growth. In addition to keeping compliant with rules and regulations within their industries, company heads will have to guard against cyber attacks, patch up security loopholes, and more. This will require a high level of oversight of existing systems and the right management and talent in place.

Business heads are aiming for a bright future. Consider the above factors to stay on a straight path toward growth.

Successfully Navigate These 5 Roadblocks to VoIP Implementation

July 13, 2016 by admin

While the popularity of Voice over IP (VoIP) has exploded since the advent of the Internet, the technology does not come without its challenges. Implementing VoIP or upgrading current voice and data communications systems does not have to be a hassle if potential roadblocks are recognized before they escalate.

Market research firm Technavio forecasts that the market for global mobile VoIP will have a compound annual growth rate of 28% between 2016 and 2020. The rise of the mobile VoIP market will increase the need for voice calls as well as video, making VoIP technology that combines voice, data, and video on one platform necessary for companies to do business.

Following are roadbloacks to successful VoIP implementation, and tips on how to avoid them:

1. Old Infrastructure

Implementing VoIP often requires replacing old infrastructure and equipment in order to make technology compatible with these new systems. Even if IT managers are tempted to keep their current network connections as they are, they will likely have to upgrade to get the voice call quality they desire.

2. Integrating New Technology with Old

It is difficult for certain tech changes to happen right away due to budgetary, training, or other issues. IT managers may have to integrate new technology with old networks or equipment. Whether or not they are dealing with old technology, managers need to ensure their VoIP and telecommunications systems are compatible with existing equipment.

3. Network and Data Security Effectiveness

Since VoIP involves Internet and data connections, there are security risks involved that could endanger networks, individual devices, and more. IT managers should perform a security audit and patch up any software or loopholes that could result in data breaches, cyberattacks, or other incidents. They should also install software or implement cybersecurity procedures to further protect their telecommunications systems, including establishing firewalls, strengthening passwords, and restricting access only to essential personnel.

4. Connection Speed Optimization

With the move to voice/data calls, IT managers will have to be ready with more bandwidth. Connection speeds that are not optimized for VoIP will likely lead to dropped calls, issues logging onto the Internet, and other problems that could affect worker productivity or even corporate reputation. Test speeds with new telecommunications technology and use connection configurations according to manufacturer or service recommendations.

5. Call Quality and Lost Calls

When call quality is affected by connection speeds or other tech issues, it could lead to echoes in calls and muffled sound that can be frustrating to overcome. Make sure employees are not losing calls when implementing new call technology. It could be beneficial to check provider reviews or testimonials before signing a contract.

Recognize and overcome these five roadblocks to get your business on the path to successful VoIP implementation.

Implementing SIP Trunking: Key Considerations for Businesses

March 3, 2016 by admin

As more and more businesses are adopting unified communications (UC) services to handle their data, voice, and other messaging needs, they are faced with a decision over whether or not to also make the jump to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunking. It’s a question that arises naturally once the decision has been made to move to UC — after all, why maintain legacy time-division multiplexing (TDM) hardware and convert to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) down the line when all data can be consolidated from the start?

SIP trunking is a VoIP protocol that replaces TDM. Among its many benefits is its ability to simplify the hardware involved in implementing a UC solution, as multiple sets of wires are not necessary to carry voice and data. It also adds functionality in the form of video capabilities that just aren’t possible on legacy voice networks. Also worth noting is that the majority of phone carriers are already using IP telephony for most long-distance traffic.

Things to Consider When Implementing SIP Trunking

Before beginning the implementation process, a thorough infrastructure audit is a logical first step. Moving to SIP trunking generally results in a significant increase in traffic over the network, and a network that isn’t up to the increased data flow can hobble things out of the gate.

Certain elements of infrastructure hardware will need to be upgraded. The private branch exchange (PBX) will need to be SIP-enabled. There are several methods of achieving this, but some businesses choose to simply migrate to a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solution that includes PBX functionality. If desk phones are not IP enabled, they may need to be replaced, though there are apps that allow a mobile device to handle SIP-based calls.

Finally, the addition of a good session border controller (SBC) is crucial. An SBC is often considered to be a sort of firewall for a SIP network, and in addition to its very important security functions, it also acts as an interpreter between a number of different implementations of SIP that don’t natively interoperate with each other.

Now Is the Time

For companies thinking about a move to UC or just considering replacing their legacy voice network with VoIP, there has never been a better time to make the switch. SIP trunking and IP telephony are now well-established technologies, and the early kinks and growing pains have all been worked out.

SIP trunking has proven itself a reliable technology with a long future ahead. There are also enough players in the field that the cost of services and equipment have come down considerably. Businesses looking to make the switch now have a wide array of equipment options and provider choices.