Demand for VoIP continues to grow, especially in today’s increasingly tough climate. In addition to cost benefits, one of the drivers in uptake has been the flexibility of hosted VoIP in terms of a small businesses paying per user per month without the need for any large capital expenditure. According to Diana Myers, directing analyst at Infonetics: “Managed IP PBX, hosted IP PBX and hosted UC services accounted for three-fourths of the business VoIP total. We expect hosted UC services to take off, with worldwide revenue doubling between 2009 and 2013.”

However, no matter how good a technology is or how high its adoption rate, how do you go about ensuring you get the VoIP solution you want, not just the one you are told you need? Consider asking the follow questions before you sign on the dotted line:

Think Local…

Where is your prospective VoIP reseller located?
When thinking of entering the VoIP arena, SME’s would do well to ‘think local’ – especially true when considering premises-based VoIP. Review the packages offered by local resellers with a proven track record. Flexible service solutions – for example fully or locally managed services – will ensure quick response times. It stands to reason that if local resellers are offering VoIP-only systems and are not prepared to tailor their services to suit your needs (for example, you might require a hybrid of traditional and VoIP, or a mixture of connectivity to the outside world, and this may not be on offer) then you might be forced to look further afield to avoid being tied into a solution that does not meet requirements.

Good Groundwork…

Is the VoIP reseller prepared to conduct a thorough analysis of your existing network before recommending the best solution, or are they focused on ‘box shifting’?

Any reseller worth their salt will not sell you a VoIP solution without first suggesting and conducting a thorough network analysis. Providing a solution without analysing a network – both LAN and WAN – could mean that the existing network is not able to support the voice traffic you are aiming to carry on it. Ensuring that voice traffic and data traffic are treated appropriately is also an important factor to consider. Alongside these fundamental capacity issues, a reputable VoIP provider should also be asking questions such as what features you might want in the future and what your day to day requirements are at present to ensure that you get the best possible service. (For more information, look at the list ‘Questions for your provider‘).

Value for Money…

Is the solution they are offering actually value for money in the long run?
Value for money is not just about the cheapest price solution. Over the long run, there are key factors that will influence the quality and performance of your VoIP service. Regarding a businesses delivery network (internet / telephony connectivity) it is essential for any small business to check particulars, especially when using broadband services: local loop unbundling platforms, contention ratios, maintenance contracts and service level agreements are all important factors to consider before deciding if the overall contract demonstrates ‘value’ to them.

Delivery Network…

Is the right broadband service available and being recommended?
As a part of BT’s deregulation, a process known as local loop unbundling (LLU) was put in place to provide competition and help drive down connectivity costs. This means that a wide range of telecommunication operators are now able to use and ‘take control’ of lines within the BT network. The subsequent DSL services that they offer (which are overlaid on the physical BT line) are generally cheaper but this price competitiveness has to be offset against service issues. Be aware that cheaper services can mean a lower grade service provision, due to more traffic being run over the line. The key question to ask your reseller here is do you know ‘what the contention ratio on this package is’? Although BT are tending to move away from the term, a supplier should be able to quote the contention ratio of the service – the lower the better. A 50:1 contention ratio is no better than what is offered on a residential broadband connection for example – not good for a business grade service! The contention ratio quoted needs to be guaranteed from the business premises through the network, at exchange level. One gets what one pays for so it pays to be wary of providers offering 1:1 contention services at very cheap rates.

What broadband maintenance contract is your VoIP reseller offering you?
Many new VoIP providers are now looking to provide maintenance contracts, similar to those available with leased lines. For any business, large or small, it is worth taking time to find out what exactly is included in the price within the contract you are about to sign? For instance, what type of maintenance package is in place? Is pre-configuring of hardware inclusive? What IP addressing is included? What is the length of contract? What do the termination clauses state?

A business must consider maintenance contracts when thinking of ‘value’. In the past this was not such an important question, as most SME’s were on BT lines, with business calling plans and clear service level agreements on a year or two year contract. However your service level will now depend on the LLU service that your selected reseller has chosen. It does not matter how good the supplier might be: if the maintenance at the exchange is weak then the service is likely to fail. Over 95% of DSL line related faults occur at exchange level or within the ‘first mile’ from a business site. Your reseller will know which LLU providers are available in your area, what the expected quality of service should be in your area and which of these providers traditionally offer the best service levels.

What is a good service level agreement?
Have you ever read the small print… after you bought the product? Well, the same is true of making a decision on selecting your VoIP reseller to work with and agreeing the type of service level you expect. Whether this be 24/7 fault monitoring, a 2 to 4 hour response time or a 24 hour fix time you need to decide what level of service you require from your supplier. Clarifying this from the outset ensures that you get the service level you require, avoiding later problems.

Come on in, the water’s fine…!

Here at 500, we have found that our customers value the high quality of consultancy advice we are able to offer them. One of our strengths and a key differentiator is that we provide solutions that are scalable, offer full resilience and are value for money. With our VoIP expertise and our knowledge-base we can also guarantee 100% up time by routing calls over our diverse networks. We concentrate on your telephony allowing you to concentrate on your core business.

If you require any further information, then call us on 0845 0000 500

Full article is available in the VitAL May / June 2009 Publication, pages 18-24.

VitAL Magazine is a UK based business to business journal for directors and senior managers who are concerned about the business issues surrounding the implementation of IT and the impact it has on their business. It has a circulation just shy of 10,000 senior professionals.

Steve Rothenberg, CEO of Zultys Inc. acknowledged the commitment 500 has made in expanding the presence of Zultys solutions in the market and for bringing the benefits of Open Standards SIP-based Unified Communications to businesses.  He went on to say:

“On behalf of Zultys, please accept this token of recognition to 500 Limited for having earned Premier Reseller status.  Not only have you shown commitment in working to expand your business base, but you have proven your expertise in Zultys Unified Communications solutions and IP PBX and SIP phone products, and have demonstrated your ability to implement effective Zultys solutions for your customers.”

500 is committed to providing ‘best of breed’ premises-based IP PBX systems.  We believe that Zultys is currently the best open standards SIP PBX solutions provider available, having a proven track record and a committment to on-going product development such as ‘find me, follow me’, integrated web conferencing and later this year telepresence (video conferencing), ensuring the ongoing benefits of VoIP - and all at price point typically 25%-45% less than other offerings.

If you have any queries or questions then please call us on 0845 0000 500.

BroadSoft, Inc., the worldwide leader in VoIP applications, recently announced that Technology Marketing Corporation’s (TMC®) Unified Communications magazine has named the company’s Hosted Unified Communications solution a recipient of its 2008 Product of the Year Award.

“UC is quickly becoming the holy grail of enterprise communications for its ability to transform business processes and increase workforce productivity. Unfortunately, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are unable to realize its power due to the high cost and complexity of deploying an on-premise solution,” said Alex Doyle, senior director of solutions at BroadSoft. “BroadSoft’s hosted solutions eliminate this burden, thus enabling companies of any size to reap the benefits of advanced communications solutions. UC is not just for large enterprises anymore.”

The full press release is available to read at Broadsoft receives UC Magazine Award

“Hertfordshire law firm SA Law has deployed a Zultys MX250 IP PBX unified comms/VoiP system.  The system includes support for telephony, voicemail, fax viewing, call recording, instant messaging, Microsoft Exchange, plus Outlook contacts and email.  The system implementation, including swapping out a legacy PBX and upgrading a BT ISDN service, was carried out over a weekend, so as to minimise disruption within the firm.  The project was handled for SA Law by two companies new to the Insider.  They were 500 Ltd (0845 0000 500) and Zultys’ UK distributor Siracom.”

If you would like any further information then please contact us on 0845 0000 500.

“Zultys has been recognized for their exceptional work in advancing IMS and NGN services and technologies, and we honor Zultys with an NGN Leadership Award. With the significant growth in next generation network technologies, receiving this award distinguishes them as a leader in the
industry,” stated Rich Tehrani, president of TMC.

“Zultys is delighted to be the recipient of this prestigious award” said Steve Rothenberg, “We embraced open SIP standards at the inception of the company, which has allowed us to create innovative, energy efficient
SIP IP PBX solutions that pack a lot of features and functionality into a single server. This allows us to provide a lot of performance, with fewer servers, making our solution the most ‘green’ small and medium business Unified Communication and networking solution available”

The Law Society Gazette recently published a piece on ‘Why aren’t your computers talking with your phone system?’.

Peter Goodman, a partner at SA Law in Hertfordshire, met with Rupert White, from The Law Society Gazette, to discuss how they were using computer-telephony integration, including VoIP, within the company.

“SA Law brought in a local IT/telephony company called 500 to tear out the ageing (and cranky, he told me) phones and exchange and wire everything up together.”

“The savings that could be made sound dramatic, and the capabilities that have become available to the firm since tying these areas together make a lot of sense. The phones are a lot cheaper, they can start recording calls easily, all voice work can be tied into case management, and their teleconferencing sounds vastly improved.”

Peter commented on the article written by Rupert, highlighting the flexibility of VoIP and Unified Communications.  “We’re well pleased.” he quotes.  He concludes, saying companies should consider a “supplier whose products are compatible with the open standards”.

The full article is available at ‘Why aren’t your computers talking with your phone system?’, Thursday 09 April 2009 by Rupert White.

Zultys, the premier developer and manufacturer of pure SIP-based Unified Communication solutions for businesses and enterprises, today announced that the company has been recognized with the 2008 Product of the Year Award from Unified Communications magazine (Technology Marketing Corporation–TMC®) for innovations to its family of advanced IP PBX products (such as the MX250 and MX30) and Unified Communications solutions.

“It’s very gratifying to be recognized by Unified Communications magazine with the 2008 Product of the Year Award for the difference we’re making in the global Unified Communication Marketplace,” said Steve Rothenberg, CEO of Zultys. “We’ve seen a warm reception by the market to the innovations we’ve made to our all-in-one IP PBX products, and the new features and capabilities we’ve been introducing that make it easier than ever to deploy and maintain organization-wide UC services that really impact a company’s bottom line. We’re continuing the momentum with our upcoming Release 5.0 with features such as “Find Me, Follow Me,” and MXconnect™ -the ability to make any phone, anywhere, your personal business phone, and much more.”

“Zultys has proven they are committed to quality and excellence while addressing real needs in the marketplace. Unified Communications is pleased to grant a 2008 Product of the Year Award to their MX250 IP PBX and the innovations in their Release 4.0 series of enhancements,” said Rich Tehrani, TMC President and Editor-in-Chief of Unified Communications magazine. “We’re pleased to honor their hard work and accomplishments, and look forward to more innovative solutions from Zultys in the future.”

A full list of Product of the Year winners will be published in the March/April, 2009 issue of Unified Communications magazine, www.uc-mag.com.

500 has had a very busy and enjoyable two days at the Unified Communications Expo at Olympia on 11th-12th March. Our thanks are extended to all of the many visitors we met with over the two days.

500 used the UC Expo as a platform to demonstrate the industry’s first fully integrated IP telephony web collaboration solution, MXMeeting™.

MXMeeting™, developed by Zultys Inc., combines desktop web interaction, instant messaging, virtual meeting rooms, online presentations, training, demo’s and remote support and control into one easy to use, scalable, integrated service.

MXMeeting™ builds on Zultys’ premier and long-established IP-PBX portfolio. Maturing since 2001 - and already supporting integrated call handling, voice mail, gateways, presence server and instant messaging server for up to 10,000 users - MXIE, Zultys’ unified communications client software, is fully integrated with MXMeeting™ which supports PC, Mac and Linux client platforms.

With the draw of the MXMeeting™ visitors were also interested in finding out more about 500 Premises, our premises-based IP PBX product from Zultys - and also 500 Hosted, our hosted IP telephony solution.

A big thank you for all those of you who visited our stand. We are currently following up all the contacts.

San Mateo, Calif., March 11, 2009 — Avistar Communications Corp. (Nasdaq: AVSR), a leader in unified visual communications solutions, announced today that Zultys, Inc., a leading provider of all-in-one unified communication solutions, will integrate Avistar’s C3 Media Engine and make it available to its customers around the world. Through this agreement, Zultys customers will have the ability to add best-in-class desktop videoconferencing to their unified communications systems. Zultys plans to launch the integrated solution in the fall of 2009.

Simon Moss, CEO of Avistar, said, “After a thorough and competitive review, Zultys selected Avistar. Zultys is recognized for its innovative, open standards IP communications and telephony products. Avistar C3™ will help Zultys open new revenue streams and provide important new videoconferencing features that will strengthen its positioning in its markets worldwide.”

“Videoconferencing provides the ROI our customers are looking for as part of their unified communications solutions, especially in a down economy, where travel is well scrutinized,” said Steve Morrison, Vice President, Product Marketing, Zultys. “Avistar C3 augments our line of VoIP and web conferencing products, empowering our customers to collaborate and take aggressive action to remain competitive.”

Avistar C3 Media Engine
Based on the award-winning Avistar C3 Desktop™ solution, the Avistar C3 Media Engine provides a business class desktop videoconferencing experience to technology partners who require a visual communications experience within their applications. Business-class videoconferencing is recognized as a valuable communications tool that provides corporations serious cost savings, improved productivity and ROI. According to a recent Wainhouse Research study, one third of those polled see the use of videoconferencing accelerating given today’s economy, as it reduces the need and cost for travel plus improves collaboration and decision-making. At a fraction of the cost of typical videoconferencing solutions, Avistar C3 makes videoconferencing easy and approachable for both advanced and novice business users.

About Zultys
Zultys, Inc. is showing what’s possible for Open Standards IP communications and telephony. Its Open Standards IP technology is the building block for its award-winning IP PBX systems. Zultys develops products that enable companies and organizations in more than 110 countries and 19 languages to deploy integrated communications systems. For more information visit: www.zultys.com.

About Avistar Communications Corporation
Avistar (Nasdaq: AVSR) is a unified visual communications solutions, providing proven business-class technology. Avistar’s desktop videoconferencing installations include more than 100,000 committed desktop seats worldwide, bringing together business users anytime and anyplace. Companies such as IBM Corp., Sony Corp., LifeSize Communications, Inc. and Polycom Inc. use Avistar technology to power their unified communications solutions. Avistar works with leading-edge technology partners and resellers including CityIS, Beyondis, Datamart and Fontel in more than 40 countries.