Evaluate Before You Implement
Author: Jim Mitchell
If you are planning to migrate from TDM to VoIP, please allocate time and budget to conduct a complete network assessment before you begin the process. Your suppliers can help you with this activity. By enabling you to fully understand what type of infrastructure investments you need to make to ensure a successful transition and cutover, this simple step could save you a lot of money and aggravation.
During the network assessment, look closely at the amount of bandwidth your network can accommodate. Because VoIP requires voice and data packets to compete for bandwidth, delays will be heard over phone lines if you don’t have enough bandwidth, or if you lack Quality of Service (QoS). QoS ensures that voice packets take precedence over data packets, and allows you to maintain the integrity of voice transmissions – even if someone sends a large file. You probably don’t have QoS installed today, but you will need it if you are deploying VoIP. You should be prepared to make some level of investment, because QoS usually necessitates some type of upgrade to your existing routers and network.
The network assessment is important, and so are your vendors’ recommendations. I’ve too often seen a supplier tell a customer that they require certain improvements, and the customer declines to follow recommendations stating that the suggested upgrades are too expensive. The outcome? The solution doesn’t work, and it ends up costing more in the long run – in frustration and currency.
