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Welcome to the Key Communications Blog! Providing voice and data communications solutions to VT and NH for over 15 years. 802-296-6800
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Next VoIP System: Pure IP or Hybrid?
Key Communications offers custom built Hybrid-IP/PBX, Converged-IP/PBX, or Pure-IP systems to fit your needs now and grow with you into the future.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system solutions come in two distinct flavors: the Hybrid or Converged IP/PBX products, capable of supporting both TDM (Digital and Analog) and IP communications, and the next generation of IP solutions, often referred to as Pure-IP. Pure-IP solutions have all the advantages in a "starting from scratch" environment, including better economic value, ease of deployment, greater manageability and standards-based architectural designs that enable integration into IT applications and processes. However, in the real world, each organization must weigh more than mere technological advantages in making a "pure" versus "hybrid/converged" communications system buying decision.
Eventually, the Hybrid IP/PBX approach will be as passé as the plain old analog telephone systems of years past that have largely been relegated to the scrap heap. Likewise, IP/PBXs will someday be no match for the new generation of highly integrated, IT-based voice applications. BUT, that day has not come quite yet. Pure IP solutions, as they mature, will overtake legacy solutions for their abilities to directly integrate with essential business process applications such as corporate directories, CRM, ERP, and other critical back-office applications.
BUT, for now, Hybrid and Converged IP/PBXs continue to live on and, in fact, to thrive. This is due in large part to basic business economics. Most enterprises find that it makes financial sense to preserve investments in existing TDM equipment. The Hybrid and Converged approach lets them do just that.
For each business, the decision to go Hybrid/Converged versus Pure IP depends on several factors, including:
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone system solutions come in two distinct flavors: the Hybrid or Converged IP/PBX products, capable of supporting both TDM (Digital and Analog) and IP communications, and the next generation of IP solutions, often referred to as Pure-IP. Pure-IP solutions have all the advantages in a "starting from scratch" environment, including better economic value, ease of deployment, greater manageability and standards-based architectural designs that enable integration into IT applications and processes. However, in the real world, each organization must weigh more than mere technological advantages in making a "pure" versus "hybrid/converged" communications system buying decision.
Eventually, the Hybrid IP/PBX approach will be as passé as the plain old analog telephone systems of years past that have largely been relegated to the scrap heap. Likewise, IP/PBXs will someday be no match for the new generation of highly integrated, IT-based voice applications. BUT, that day has not come quite yet. Pure IP solutions, as they mature, will overtake legacy solutions for their abilities to directly integrate with essential business process applications such as corporate directories, CRM, ERP, and other critical back-office applications.
BUT, for now, Hybrid and Converged IP/PBXs continue to live on and, in fact, to thrive. This is due in large part to basic business economics. Most enterprises find that it makes financial sense to preserve investments in existing TDM equipment. The Hybrid and Converged approach lets them do just that.
For each business, the decision to go Hybrid/Converged versus Pure IP depends on several factors, including:
- the architecture of the existing voice infrastructure - Will your existing infrastructure support Pure IP?
- the readiness of the IP network to support VoIP traffic - Is your wiring capable of handling a Pure IP system or are you looking at a high cost wiring job on top of your system purchase to make the system work as expected?
- the IT department’s ability to take on such a large project
and, finally
- how voice communications relates to overall strategic business goals. Whatever the deployment choice—Hybrid/Converged or Pure—all decision-makers should fully understand the overall advantages and disadvantages of the two main types of platforms.
Here are seven tips that provide some basic guidance for the decision-makers:
Here are seven tips that provide some basic guidance for the decision-makers:
POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service, ie: Analog lines) vs. PRI (Primary Rate Interface, ie: Digital lines)
The most basic and traditional phone service is called POTS or Plain Old Telephone Service. Chances are that you won't see it advertised that way. Instead it will be called business line or dial tone service. What you get is an analog connection to the nearest telephone company Central Office or CO. Any conventional telephone will plug into the RJ11 jack on the wall and give you dial-tone when you lift the handset. You can expand the number of rooms with phones by paralleling twisted pair wiring to other phone jacks. But you still only have one line and, if it is in use, no one else can make or receive calls.
Basic POTS is local phone service. Long distance service is either bundled for a single price or assigned to a competitive long distance carrier that offers lower per-minute rates on separate billing. Caller ID is an add-on service that is multiplexed on the same phone line and displays the caller's phone number and other information on phones with the necessary display, or a separate Caller ID unit. Toll free service can be added to forward incoming calls from a toll-free number to your phone line.
Up till now the phone lines we've been discussing are individual analog POTS lines. You pay for each one separately and the total cost is generally the cost per line time the number of lines. Once you need 8 to 12 lines or more, it usually makes economic sense to switch to digital trunk rather than use multiple analog lines.
The digital trunk, called a T1 voice line, converts up to 24 separate phone lines into a single digital connection between you and your phone service provider. The most popular variety of T1 service is called T1 PRI or Primary Rate Interface. It is also known as ISDN PRI for Integrated Services Digital Network. The difference between a T1 PRI line and a T1 voice line is that the PRI protocol establishes one channel of the 24 as a switching and data channel. This makes calling faster and allows you to have Caller ID for the other 1-23 channels or 1 to 23 outside phone lines.
Basic POTS is local phone service. Long distance service is either bundled for a single price or assigned to a competitive long distance carrier that offers lower per-minute rates on separate billing. Caller ID is an add-on service that is multiplexed on the same phone line and displays the caller's phone number and other information on phones with the necessary display, or a separate Caller ID unit. Toll free service can be added to forward incoming calls from a toll-free number to your phone line.
Up till now the phone lines we've been discussing are individual analog POTS lines. You pay for each one separately and the total cost is generally the cost per line time the number of lines. Once you need 8 to 12 lines or more, it usually makes economic sense to switch to digital trunk rather than use multiple analog lines.
The digital trunk, called a T1 voice line, converts up to 24 separate phone lines into a single digital connection between you and your phone service provider. The most popular variety of T1 service is called T1 PRI or Primary Rate Interface. It is also known as ISDN PRI for Integrated Services Digital Network. The difference between a T1 PRI line and a T1 voice line is that the PRI protocol establishes one channel of the 24 as a switching and data channel. This makes calling faster and allows you to have Caller ID for the other 1-23 channels or 1 to 23 outside phone lines.
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