Top tips for moving to IP-PBX
What should you consider before moving to an IP-PBX and how do you choose the solution that's right for your business? Steve Frost, Market Manager for Unified Communications Cisco Systems UK&I gives a few pointers.
It is now widely understood that a converged network supported by an IP-PBX brings a host of benefits, including capital and operational expenditure reductions, collaborative enhancements and the support of new working practices, such as virtual teams or remote working. For all the benefits, every major technical upgrade is not without its challenges, and a clear roadmap is required to ensure a smooth implementation to achieve your business benefits.
Each business has different needs and each implementation will vary in applications and scope. Some organisations might implement a converged network when moving to a new green field site, others might conduct a partial move within their current site. Regardless of the situation, there are common aspects to be considered to make an implementation successful. As a general rule, the project is best approached in two stages: firstly, making all necessary preparations before you buy and then taking well considered steps when choosing the products and services.
Before you buy your IP-PBX:
1) Conduct a business benefit and total cost of ownership (TCO) analysis in order to define the desired business objectives you want the new infrastructure to achieve. This is important to ensure there are no remaining uncertainties on the board level and secure support from the top. When preparing the business case to the board, it is important to consider as wide a range of benefits as possible and suggest consultation to ensure that the proposed infrastructure does not just cover IT and telecom, but crosses all areas, including human resources, CRM and finance.
2) Ensure you conduct a ‘readiness’ audit across your organisation to identify what technical upgrades your current infrastructure may require as well as determining your infrastructure holds sufficient bandwidth and supports requirements such as quality of service (QoS), power over Ethernet (PoE), wireless, voice and video if you are planning to implement these. It is also important to conduct a skills audit, in order to identify whether you have the right expertise to conduct the deployment in-house or whether you need to hire a partner.
3) Establish how much preparation and education is required to bring people up to speed with the new technology. This may include putting a plan in place to educate employees on how to use the new products and services.
4) To make sure your implementation goes smoothly, ensure you have a ‘trusted advisor’, consisting of either a partner, supplier or integrator, who you can turn to if you run into a problem. When selecting your supplier, choose one that you know you can rely on. Maybe you have worked with them before or they were recommended to you by a trusted contact.
5) Make sure your converged network is future proof. By mapping the capabilities Unified Communications can support (for example video and “presence” based services) at this stage, you will ensure your investments deliver real long-term value.
6) Ensure you are familiar with the lease and finance obligations of your existing equipment in order to avoid any potential cost explosions in case it is not possible to terminate the lease in the near future. It is worth checking whether there are trade-ins or migration plans available – they are offered frequently now.
When choosing:
1) Determine what applications you would like to integrate into your infrastructure and onto your network. Decide whether you will use it simply for voice communications, or whether you would like to extend the functionality by implementing video, Unified Communications, call centre applications or your CRM database for example.
2) Before buying, make sure your PBX vendor and service provider can support all the applications you require. This will avoid you having to switch providers and incur extra costs as well as building a long-term relationship that will benefit your business.
3) Check whether the proposed platform supports open standards, such as Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), which enables appliances from different manufacturers to work together. This is important if you want to keep your technology options open and integrate your existing equipment with any new, thereby harnessing your investments.
4) As with any other technology today, security considerations are also an important part of an IP-PBX implementation. Ensure that security is an integrated element that is incorporated into the infrastructure design and implementation, so security features are embedded in the network, rather than bolted on at the edges. Discuss any issues with your IT and voice providers.
5) Make sure you are up to speed with any new trends in the marketplace. New developments in wireless and dual mode, for example, may well soon be a reality and you might want to consider support for these applications in your infrastructure.
6) In your organisation, employees with different roles will require different functionality and features from their phones. Some users might require multi-featured handsets, such as people working on shop floors or warehouses where they don’t have access to a desktop, whereas others will only require standard features. Therefore, ensure you buy the right handset for the right user.
Moving from a traditional PBX system to an IP-PBX is a big step for any organisation and making sure everyone makes the most of the new system will require a lot of planning. Once you’ve got the technology in place you need to ensure it is used to full effect – to this end, it is important that you understand your corporate culture, anticipate any reactions to the new technology and plan to enlist power-users and evangelists to support the roll out of the new service. Push for senior management to promote the technology and show everyone how the new phones and communications services work through practical training sessions.
If you consider all eventualities in advance and the people involved in the project work well together, the implementation can take place without major headaches. Your organisation can then begin to reap the benefits of a united Unified Communications infrastructure delivered via an IP-PBX.
ITSP nexVortex Launches Special Promotion for Epygi Resellers 
Provider of business grade VoIP, NexVortex has initiated a promotional program offering Epygi resellers education and bonus commissions for new SIP trunking contracts. The company presents valuable tips on positioning and selling what, for many, is a brand new technology.
"How this concept is presented to your customer is vitally important," a company spokesperson said. "It's critical to go that next step beyond just the significant cost-saving benefits and unique business features. Offer them the security and peace of mind that this technology economically provides. nexVortex can help you prepare to deliver this message."
The nexVortex program gives resellers the perspective they need, not only to acquire new clients, but to block competitors from taking the customers they already have. The plan includes a webinar intended to help VoIP sellers deliver the right message along with the special incentive plan for new accounts sold by Epygi resellers.
For a limited time, any new account initiated by an Epygi reseller for his customer triggers a special one-time additional commission of 50% of the first month’s billing for any plan sold. The bonus is on top of the regular commissions earned.
A webinar will present the details of this program as well as the details of the new service and pricing plans. Attendees will also learn about the recently announced Disaster Recovery Routing feature. To receive email containing information and instructions on joining this meeting, resellers must register online using the following link.
Webinar: nexVortex Channel Update for Epygi
Date: Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Time: 2:30PM Eastern / 1:30PM Central / 12:30 Mountain / 11:30 Pacific
Duration: 1 Hour
Registration Link: http://ccimeet.econfcall.net/pcrsvpform.jsp?refno=8701546
Epygi CEO and President will speak at CeBIT on CTI Opportunities in the VoIP Market 
Mario Cuello, CEO and president of Epygi Technologies, will speak at CeBIT Australia on Monday May 1. His business case, entitled "Expanding the Benefits of IP-PBX through Computer Telephony Interface," will present the revenue opportunities available to distributors and resellers in the SMB market. The talk will include hints on positioning products and services for hospitality, legal, medical, and call center use. Attendees will gain a better understanding of how to thrive in this dynamic and challenging area of technology.
CeBIT Australia is Australasia’s leading Information and Communication Technology (ICT) event. Taking place May 1 -3 in Sydney, the conference will cover the entire spectrum of technology and the key elements that make up ICT products and services.
Telecom Services Spending among Indian SMBs Grew by Over $ 200 Million in 2006 
Spending on cellular services set to grow 13% this year, says new study from AMI Partners
KOLKATA, INDIA - Small and medium businesses (1-999 employees) in India spent over US$ 5 billion on telecom equipment and services last year, 5% over 2005. Spending on telecom services such as cellular services, IP centrex services and local and long distance telephony accounted for more than 90% of total telecom spending, according to the latest report by New York-based Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc.
"Today telecom connectivity is not just about talking through the instrument but it works as a business tool, a work assistant, a marketing device and a mechanism which gives the advantage to face the competition", says Nilanjana Mitra, Kolkata-based Analyst at AMI-Partners. "Our survey shows that 89% of SMBs in India currently use mobile phone voice services while 11% access email via their mobile devices. Other services such as audio conferencing are also on the rise, especially among tech savvy MBs."
There is increasing pressure on SMBs in India to focus on customer relationship management (CRM) solutions to sustain their growth in the highly competitive business environment. This has a direct impact on their need for better communications and varied ways of remaining connected with their customers.
Some other connectivity devices that are gaining prominence among SMBs are IP-PBX and IP phones. "SMBs are gradually gaining awareness of the advantages of IP-based communication modes over traditional telecom, namely hassle-free interaction with business partners worldwide at a much reduced cost," Ms. Mitra says. "Current adoption of these technologies is at an embryonic stage within SMBs in India. We expect future growth trends to be quite high and the growth rate to continue unabated for the next couple of years."
Cellular spending - which currently comprises 18% of overall telecom services expenditure in India - is set to account for a larger share of the spending pie over the next five years. The main drivers that propel SMBs to adopt cellular services are their need for mobility, 24/7 connectivity, and accessibility to business partners. More than 20% of SMB revenues are generated from interstate as well as international customers thus increasing the need for better communication and CRM.
Among Indian telecom service providers, BSNL continues to be the market leader in terms of local and long distance services. The remainder of the market is fragmented with Bharti, Reliance, MTNL and Tata battling for market share. "However, within different cities, Bharti is a leading player that provides stiff competition to BSNL and MTNL, especially in the top four metros - New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai", Ms. Mitra says. "Other players like Tata Teleservices and Reliance have also shown significant year-over-year jumps in SMB market penetration due to aggressive marketing and promotional campaigns."
About the Studies
AMI's 2006-2007 India Small Business Market Overview and Comprehensive Market Opportunity Assessment and 2006-2007 India Medium Business Market Overview and Comprehensive Market Opportunity Assessment studies highlight these and other major trends in the context of current/planned IT, Internet and communications usage and spending. Products and services covered include established and emerging hardware, software, applications and business process solutions. Based on AMI's annual surveys of SMBs in India, the studies track a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to budgets, purchase behaviors, decision influencers, channel preferences, outsourcing, and service and support. Also covered are detailed firmographics and critically important technology attitudes and strategic planning priorities. This data points to key opportunities and messaging hot buttons for vendors and service providers seeking to match their offerings to SMB market requirements.
For more information about this study, AMI-Partners, or our global SMB research, please call 212-944-5100, e-mail ask_ami@ami-partners.com, or visit the AMI's Web site at www.ami-partners.com.
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