IP Telephony Evolution in the Enterprise

Companies are increasingly turning to IP-based systems to replace traditional circuit-switched networks. But how ready are the companies--and the technology--for the next wave of business communications?

IP Telephony: Evolution in the Enterprise

What It Is:
Internet Protocol-based communications systems are moving beyond voice-over- IP (VoIP) to create platforms to unify communications and data networks, and their applications, too.

Key Players:
3Com, Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, Nortel, Siemens

What's Happening:
Businesses are attempting to create new road maps to allow for the integration of IP-based tools with existing investments in traditional TDM-based communications networks-and consequently avoid "rip and replace" costs. Most large enterprises have begun using VoIP to develop a unified communications strategy that will allow businesses to achieve new levels of functionality with key applications that can take advantage of both voice and data integration.

Market Size:
A third of all new deployments in 2007 will be IP-based, growing to 67% of the market by 2011

Question: Have you begun an IP migration at your company? Are you thinking of doing one? Write to us at editors@baselinemag.com.

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