Switching to VoIP

This is the Title of the Book, eMatter Edition

Copyright © 2007 O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Chapter 1: Voice and Data: Two Separate Worlds?

implementation failures among large enterprise adopters, and this may be why IP

telephony has such an intimidating reputation.

Nonetheless, if it’s done right, Voice over IP can transform the cost model of tele-

communications by combining the overhead of voice and data expertise and infra-

structure. It can also enhance productivity for end users by introducing new features

and for telecom administrators by centralizing management functions. Voice over IP

can decrease the expense of future computer-telephony integration projects, while

making it easier to link voice systems with web servers and database applications.

This book will give you practical guidance on switching to Voice over IP from tradi-

tional telephony systems. It gives a brief introduction to traditional telecom systems,

and correlates their features and fundamentals to those of IP telephony systems,

while showing ways of integrating traditional telephony assets into an IP-based voice

network. It will describe the standards involved, so you can make educated choices

among the large selection of components and vendors. It will also help you conquer

some of the most problematic issues that people face when building telephony sys-

tems with Voice over IP.

The PSTN

In 2004, ...