In response to a recent article in PC World titled, "How Switching to VoIP Can Save You Money," (see Source link below) we thought it might be informative to add our two cents.

SIP Trunking (VOIP) can be used effectively in larger installations as well.  Most SIP trunks can be provisioned to offer DID's so that calls can be routed through an on-premise platform directly to an individual extension.  While there are cost benefits that can be realized without degradation of service, in most cases the company implementing these SIP trunks or VOIP services need to be sure that their internal networks and Internet access points are configured directly.

Here's a scenario that happens almost every day - sending packets of voice over an Internet pipe that only has a certain bandwidth, and at the same time, someone or several people try to download a video or even download or upload a large software program. Those voice packets have to compete with the other packets for space in the pipe.  This can cause what is known as latency or jitter which degrades voice quality.  Best practices suggest that businesses should have separate access to the Internet for voice traffic or install end-to-end circuits that guarantee a quality of service (QOS).  Applying such best practices can increase the cost of a SIP Trunk or VOIP deployment but ultimately provides better quality while still providing a reduction in costs.

Most SMB's do not have large IT departments so we suggest they work with a qualified reseller to implement these services. The qualified reseller will help ensure that the networks are configured correctly to provide cost savings with limited to no sacrifices in quality.  ESI works with over 600 qualified resellers in the SMB space that can offer these implementation services along with other quality voice video and access solutions.