Details Are Important
Sweating the small stuff is important, as seemingly minute technological problems can cause lots of trouble when they're tied to something as indispensible as the phone. "Things as simple as headsets--you think existing ones are going to work, but they're older or not compatible," Allstate's Landreth says. Despite the fact that many of the company's headsets were less than 3 years old and had the right kind of jacks, they didn't work with the company's IP phones at the test site. The headsets were too sensitive and picked up background noise. Trial and error was the solution. "We bought a bunch of headsets and said, 'OK, does this one work and are we hearing the same echoes and feedback?'" she says.
When Advocate Health Care began rolling out VoIP, the network team sometimes felt as though it knew VoIP technology better than the vendors, since hands-on experience with the technology was new to both of them. To a degree, this challenge still exists. "The outside companies are still learning the technology," Horn says.
The right vendor, the proper network tools, a well-trained IT staff, an efficient network architecture--all are key requirements for deploying VoIP while minimizing the disruption to a company's workforce and business operations. In the end, careful planning and a thoughtful implementation program are the way to navigate the VoIP minefield and come out unscathed. That, and a little ruby-red nail polish.
Illustration by Hal Mayforth
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
Maintaining existing network infrastructures often incurs huge technical debt before newer technologies are adopted over time.
Amid ongoing regional uncertainties, telecom infrastructure in the Middle East has expand to include terrestrial low-latency network infrastructure, which offers resilience and agility in navigating political complexities without relying solely on undersea networks.
