Glossary of terms IP VoIP LAN WAN QoS PoE VoB = Internet protocol = Voice over internet protocol = Local area network = Wide area network = Quality of service = Power over ethernet = Voice over broadband

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for a discussion on VoIP and its place in your business please contact our sales department on 0800-505-3373 were we would be delighted to assist you further.

Before implementing a VoIP phone system there are 3 key areas to consider. These are:

1. Type of network
2. Service supplier
3. System resilience

The success of any converged solution is largely dependent upon the network infrastructure that your company deploys, ether locally (LAN) or over a wide area (WAN).

LAN
When VoIP phone systems are deployed over a LAN, it is imperative that the infrastructure employs a Quality of Service (QoS). This prioritises real time critical applications such as voice and video packets ahead of data, thus ensuring that they arrive in the correct order and with minimal delays.  

Additionally when implementing VoIP over a LAN there is the need to consider how each device is powered (IP Telephone, IP Security Camera etc.). This can either be provided via your standard electrical circuits (but that adds another cable trailing behind your desk) or via the LAN using a system called Power over Ethernet (PoE).

Service Supplier
When choosing a network provider it is extremely important that they guarantee Quality of Service (QoS), otherwise you will experience severe degradation in the quality of voice communications.

Purple Penguin only partner with companies that can offer guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) over truly converged networks.

System Resilience
A converged solution utilises a single network infrastructure for all types of media; voice, video, data and streaming TV. This means that if the network fails, all types of communication fail with it. So you are ‘putting all of your eggs in one basket’ hence the basket needs to be very secure. The more resilient your basket (the network backbone) the more you can carry safely.

Voice over Broadband
Whilst this technology is perfectly viable, Voice over Broadband (VoB) would typically be used by the residential market where continuity of service is not critical to the end user. Whilst being without your broadband service to access the internet and emails is frustrating it is not as critical to business continuity as the loss of phone services.