VoIP Gets Down to Small Business
VoIP for small business has finally arrived. We test the top providers and give you the know-how you need to get your company up and running.
By Oliver Kaven
October 12, 2005 12:00AM EST
Editors' Choice: ShoreTel
VoIP Glossary
Benchmark Summary: How We Tested
Summary of Features: Business-Class VoIP
you've no doubt seen the ads on tv from the likes of companies such as vonage, lingo, at&t, and verizon, urging you to do away with your traditional home phone lines and instead use your broadband connection to make calls. (for more on consumer voip, see "talk is cheaper," in our february 8 issue, go.pcmag.com/talkischeaper.) the push for residential voip (voice over internet protocol) has made a big splash this year, finally bringing the idea of digital phone service into the mainstream. but the bigger news for voip is in the business world, where voip solutions have existed for several years, steadily maturing and gaining a foothold in the market. in fact, shipments of ip-based phone systems for businesses are expected to surpass traditional phone systems this year, according to the research firm in-stat.
what's more, it wasn't long ago that only large enterprises could consider voip an option, because of the high equipment and support costs involved. but vendors such as avaya, shoretel, switchvox, and 3com now offer solutions that companies with as few as 20 employees can afford and maintain. and other companies like d-link are expected to enter the game with affordable solutions for even smaller businesses within the next several months.
see business-class voip costs compared .
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