Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a signaling protocol that is used by technology products for creating session-oriented connections between two or more endpoints on an IP network. These endpoints could be IP telephones, instant messaging clients, or collaborative multimedia conference applications.

Many businesses are sipping it up…(No pun intended) What I mean is, they are taking their time adopting to the technology and for good reason. Although SIP technology is cheaper (In some cases free), the cost of upgrading infrastrucure to support Quality of Service (QOS) can sometimes outweigh the savings.

While the protocol is now “final” enough to build sophisticated telecom systems using SIP, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) working groups continue to forge new ways on how to apply SIP. One way that has been making it’s way to the top is SIP Connect.

What is SIPconnect?

SIPconnect is a standards-based method of interconnection between IP PBXs and VoIP service provider networks. It specifies the architecture, required protocols and features, and implementation rules necessary for seamless peering between IP PBXs and VoIP service providers.

Let’s take a look at the various applications: 

For end users in the small business or large enterprise, SIPconnect eliminates, or greatly reduces, the need for a costly gateway at the end user’s site.  In addition, new features from the service provider or the IP PBX vendor will be delivered more quickly.

For VARs and Interconnects, the SIPconnect compliant service provider will handle the complexites associated with connecting the SIP Trunk to the legacy TDM world.  This eliminates the need for a lot of integration and troubleshooting work and allows the partners to focus on other, revenue generating activities.

For Equipment and Software Vendors (Application Servers, IP PBX Vendors, SIP Proxies), SIPconnect greatly reduces the time and resources required to verify interoperability in the network.  This single item, interoperability, currently drains many man hours from the services and equipment providers that could be better used creating new and more exciting features.  This in turns reduces the amount of revenue that could be realized from those new features.

The SIP Trunking Service Provider that uses SIPconnect SIP trunks realizes higher revenue streams much more quickly.  Network services are rolled out more rapidly, greatly reducing the time to revenue for new services and features.  In addition, the service provider can greatly reduce the time and staff required to complete interoperability testing.

In the meanwhile…While service providers like Cbeyond continue the slow and steady rollout of SIP connect sit back, relax, and take a SIP!

Let’s face it, if Microsoft builds it, they will buy it. Partnered with Aastra, D-Link, Quanta, and Uniden, Microsoft has developed complete end-to-end VoIP phone systems based on Microsoft Response Point software platform. Released on November 12, 2007 MS has finally begun their journey into the SMB VoIP market a voip PBX appliance that is still very limited in it’s capability at this time. Although late in the game, I am sure they have plans of dominating the market in the near future.

It currently supports  up to 50 users with analog trunks. The future will support SIP trunks with no plans for digital trunks such as T1/PRI made known at this time. It does however boast superior voice recognition technology. Most of the end user menu options are accesible via a voice driven menu at the touch of the trademarked “ResponsePoint” button. Check out this short demo video to see it in action: http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&vid=2a5ff762-46e8-40cd-8cee-aad6087111c4.

If not a pbx solution for the business, I think it would make an excellent solution for the home. Check out some images here: http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/voip/microsoft-response-point-voip-for-business.asp

VoIP requires robust infrastructure that has to be operational 24×7. If your email goes down for 10 minutes it’s not as critical, but if your voice services go down for 10 minutes, it’s a huge deal!

Keeping in mind how critical voice communications is, it is essential to plan the network accordingly. Don’t go cheap on the essential infrastructure components like network switches, routers and even cabling. Most companies tend to use the cheapest contractor for cabling when it can be one of the most critical components of the network that can haunt you for years to come. Make sure who-ever installs your cabling tests and certifies it for the amount of data that will be pushed through it.

Use intelligent switches that support multiple VLANs and QoS. This will come in handy to segregate different types of traffic, like data and voice traffic and prioritize voice traffic. VLANs allow you to have one physical network but logically have it split into multiple, so your voice can travel on VLAN1 while your data travels on VLAN2. You can have other services like video travel on VLAN3.

This not only provides your users a better experience for different voice, data and video services but also will assist in quicker troubleshooting of network issues as they arise and allow for testing of new services before deployment.

Remember, your entire infrastructure has to perform together. You can’t have one switch supporting VLANs while others don’t and you can’t have switches supporting VLANs while your routers don’t. Make the investment in the beginning and enjoy a successful roll-out instead of having to patch things on a routine basis later on.

If you don’t have in-house expertise for some of these technologies, it makes sense to go to a third party. If your planning is right from the beginning, it will be easier to scale your network and provide the quality of service your users expect.

Remember, you’ll have to provide POE (Power over Ethernet) for your VoIP nodes (handsets). You should have power backup on the POE circuit so your phones will stay operational even if there’s a power failure, users will expect this.

Recently, I talked about how some ISPs tend to block SIP traffic. If you have a branch office that does block SIP traffic, then you have the logical option to change the SIP port on your devices. This however, is not always feasible. Next best thing would be, if you have a VPN between the branch office and main office, to create static routes in your routers to route all SIP traffic over the VPN tunnel.

You’ll notice ISPs blocking SIP calls usually do this by blocking SIP port 5060 so if you change the port on your phone system to something else, and configure your end nodes to use the new port, they will work. This traffic will be visible to your ISP though, so the better option will be instead of changing ports to just route SIP traffic over you VPN.

Always check your local laws as I am no lawyer so any ideas you try, you are doing at your own risk.

I can’t believe ISPs are actually thinking they can hold the flood back by simply blocking SIP port, such ISPs are truly grasping at straws to keep their ancient model in the market.

For small business, investment in a phone system (be it VoIP or traditional) is critical and usually large. True, some VoIP systems can reduce this upfront cost, but you may end up sacrificing on feature set if you go with the wrong provider. There is an alternative; if you are just starting out or a branch office is just starting up in a new market, consider hosted PBX service.

There are many companies now providing hosted PBX services. These services are seamless and you still have a good VoIP phone at your desk. Usually these companies will give you a control panel where you can create extensions, handle call routing, messages and on hold music along with a host of other features.

You really don’t sacrifice feature set by going the hosted route. The thing to consider is how much does the service cost over a long period of time. Since hosted services come with a recurring fee, over time this could add up, but for a quick setup in a new market, I believe it’s a life saver.

There are a lot of companies out there providing hosted service, a Google search provides a lot of hits. I have had experience with Aptela and I can’t say their service has been flawless, but it’s been acceptable. Just remember, since hsoted VoIP requires internet access, if your internet goes down, so does your phone service.

We know Cisco is well entrenched in the enterprise, and now it is going full steam towards SMB space.

It will be interesting to see how the Fonality’s and Talkswitch’s of the world fair against Cisco who wants to compete and is showing that it’s ready by introducing very competitively priced products like the  Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series. We know if Cisco is ready to take over the SMB market, it has plenty of resources to do so and has the financial strength to stay the course as competitors are pushed out. Here are some recently released Cisco products for SMB market:

• Cisco Unified Communications 500 Series adds 32- and 48-user systems. The initial release of the Unified Communications 500 Series addressed the unified communications needs of small businesses with eight to16 users. These two new platforms allow small businesses to support up to 48 phones per location.
• Cisco SMARTnet Service for SBCS is Cisco’s award-winning technical support service program, offering multilevel service options and access to an extensive range of technical resources. Sold by a Cisco channel partner, customers get direct, anytime access to Cisco engineers for configuration assistance, problem diagnosis and recommendations through 24-hour telephone or Web-based support. The offering also includes software assurance with application and Operating System software updates and upgrades.
• Cisco Catalyst® Express Ethernet Switches provide flexibility of configuration to meet different networking requirements. The four new switches offer 24 10/100 access ports with Power over Ethernet (PoE); 4 10/100 access ports with PoE and 20 access ports10/100; 24 ports of Gigabit Ethernet; or 24 10/100 access ports.
• Cisco Mobility Express: Cisco has added ease-of-deployment features for the Cisco 521 Wireless Express Access Point and Cisco 526 Wireless Express Mobility Controller. They include an easy-to-set-up guest access portal; automatic policy configuration for voice, data and guest access; simplified security set-up with preset low-, medium-, and high-security options; and integration with Cisco Configuration Assistant.

Since Cisco has already proven itself in the enterprise market and SMBs definitely recognize the brand name, I believe it’s just a matter of time, and if Cisco stays the course, it will take over the VoIP phone system market in this space.

Here’s the news regarding SMB from Cisco.

Jayson Jepson pays 29 cents a minute to call London on his cell phone. Wouldn’t it be great, the founder of Mint Telecom asks rhetorically, if it were more like 2 cents a minute?

Now it is, courtesy of Mint and a growing corporate coterie selling cell phone versions of voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) software, which is used to transform Internet connections into inexpensive home or office phone lines.

Mint began offering a $7-a-month cell phone service two weeks ago. Skype, Vonage, IP Drum and other operators using VoIP software have caused tectonic shifts in the traditional phone-service industry. Now these same interests are dialing into cell phones, primarily because a growing number have high-speed Internet connections rivaling the performance of broadband operators, whether it’s over a third-generation cell phone network or based on Wi-Fi wireless connectivity.

A speedy connection is very important to VoIP, in which calls travel on the Internet just like e-mails and instant messages. Because VoIP is intended for voice communication, it is relatively unforgiving of Internet connections afflicted by sluggishness or clipped or dropped signals.

Consumers, of course, must weigh the cost of VoIP cell phone access against the savings they might derive from standard VoIP. Cell phone subscribers, after all, already pay a monthly fee for cell phone service. So why would they pay a company like Mint $7 a month extra, plus a per-minute fee, to make a call on the same phone?

Jepson argues that the savings for customers using VoIP services are significant enough to make it worthwhile to buy cell phone access over VoIP. “You could ask the same question for VoIP in general,” he wrote in an e-mail to CNET News.com. “It’s $24.95 for an unlimited calling plus $20 to $40 a month for broadband just to save a few cents?”

Most cell phone VoIP software comes from start-ups such as IP Drum, which is based in Norway. It’s a product that enables cell phones to use Skype, arguably the world’s most popular Internet telephony provider.

But VoIP giants Skype and Edison, N.J.-based Vonage say they also have ambitions to develop software for cell phone access.

“It’s an area we’re committed to,” said Skype spokeswoman Kelly Larabee.

On Monday, Santa Barbara, Calif.-based CallWave will reveal a new wrinkle in its lineup of VoIP-related cell phone services, including a unique call screening feature.

Originally posted here