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| September 2009 |
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Out Front With Advocate Networks SIP: The Next Big Change for Enterprises By Tim Wise, Similar to the other big technology conversions, (analog to digital and frame relay to MPLS), the conversion from TDM voice services to SIP (or VoIP) voice services is finally entering the enterprise market. While SIP-based voice services have been offered by service providers for the past three to four years, the offerings have been primarily focused on the SMB market. However, the large Tier 1 carriers are now offering complete SIP-based voice solutions to the enterprise market (companies with 500+ employees). The early leaders appear to be Global Crossing, Qwest and Verizon Business. Global Crossing has the best long distance-only based SIP offering with significant operational experience. The Global Crossing offer not only proposes super-competitive LD rates (less than $0.015 CPM) but also better utilization of bandwidth for calls (T1 equivalent - 30 to 35 concurrent calls per T1 versus 24 concurrent calls for T1 TDM). In contrast, Qwest has focused out of region (non-RBOC territory) on its Integrated Access offering to provide local equivalent services to complete the offering. Finally, Verizon Business, with its BEST (Burstable Enterprise Shared Trunking) offering, is probably the most innovative. By utilizing its PIP/MPLS network, the BEST solution allows an enterprise to aggregate its voice trunks in the network, thereby optimizing the overall voice trunking - an inherent challenge with TDM-based voice trunking. The SIP conversation will probably accelerate over the next 12 to 24 months given the cost advantages inherent in these offerings (decreased costs ranging from 5 to 30 percent). Even in the face of the current economic challenges, enterprises are open to this technology change due to the significant savings, as well as the long-term operational management improvements. However, as with any change, enterprises must carefully analyze and plan a conversion to SIP-based voice services. The risks of SIP include shared services - voice and data reliant on the same connection, more diligent QOS management for the WAN, operational and process review with the underlying service provider (new service for the service provider personnel as well), provisioning issues from the TDM network, migration from TDM PBX to VoIP platform, billing issues and changes, and other unknown risks with any relatively new service. Of course, if carefully analyzed and planned, these risks can be mitigated and enterprises can take advantage of the significant benefits of SIP-based voice services. If you would like to learn more about converting to SIP-based voice services, please contact Tim Wise at (678) 987-5995 or tim.wise@advocatenetworks.com. |
 In This Issue
What our customers are saying...
-Blaine Williams, Infrastructure & Architecture Manager Do you have a Wireless Governance Gap? By Rob Stewart, Managing Consultant - Enterprise Consulting, If you do, chances are your wireless costs are eating you alive. Wireless costs in the enterprise space have skyrocketed in recent years. In a boom market, businesses looked at mobile voice and data devices as productivity multipliers with necessary costs for doing business. Yet with belt tightening in full swing since the fourth quarter of 2008, businesses newly examining their mobility costs are frequently horrified to find them high and out of control. Part of the problem is old contracts and substandard pricing — but that is roughly only 20 percent of the issue. Mostly, it is a lack of clearly defined governance and management policies, which require discipline and knowledge to repair. Companies that tackle both issues find that they can cut their mobility bills significantly — up to 50 percent. Read more about controlling your wireless costs Four Steps to a Successful Sourcing Event By Marco Kuysten, Senior Consultant, On the end-user side, increasing pressure to reduce cost is leading to more and more companies looking to source their communications spend. On the service provider side, the current economic situation has led to workforce right sizing and a careful evaluation of participation in sourcing events. This results in fewer resources, and sometimes reduced eagerness to participate in sourcing events. Running a successful sourcing event (getting the right service providers to participate and achieve savings) takes more effort and planning than it has in the past. These four steps will help in running a successful sourcing event. Read more about running a successful sourcing event Strategic Sourcing versus Traditional Purchasing: And the Impact on your Bottom Line By Tom Beaty, President & CEO, Recently, after hearing the positive-yet unexpected-outcome of a transportation strategic sourcing effort by Insight Sourcing Group, a senior executive asked the project leader a million-dollar question: How in the world did you get 15 percent savings from a supplier we've been using for more than 15 years, let alone more than 25 percent from their biggest competitor? While the results were compelling, the executive in question was surprised and somewhat angry that a long-term supplier he viewed as a partner had been willing to yield such significant savings. Read more about strategic sourcing versus traditional purchasing Look For Us! Channel Partners Phone Plus Conference & Expo Inc. Magazine 5000 Conference & Awards Ceremony COMPTEL Plus Fall 2009 Convention & Expo TAG Excalibur Awards Ceremony Atlanta Business Chronicle Business Growth Expo
Referrals are always appreciated (and rewarded)! Please contact Marina Harmon at marina.harmon@advocatenetworks.com or call (678) 987-5915 for information about our referral program. To learn how Advocate Networks can reduce your communications expenses, please contact Scott Fogle at (678) 987-5990 or scott.fogle@advocatenetworks.com. |
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