Corporate telephony. VoIP - to offices, TDM - to mines. Corporate IP telephony: useful tips for implementation and use

Today, not a single modern enterprise can do without a corporate telephony system. There have always been a lot of offers in this market, and with the growing popularity of the cloud model, the number of possible options has only grown. To help our readers choose the best option,we asked leading vendors in the field to propose their solution for a fictitious company with 100 employees.

So, a fictitious company (hereinafter referred to as the customer) has three offices: in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan. The first employs 30 people, the other two employ 20 each, and another 30 employees work from home. The customer requires a corporate communication system with modern business telephony functionality, support mobile devices, simple configuration and setup.

In addition to the basic requirements (see sidebar “Problem Statement”), the customer expressed several additional wishes. In the future, he plans to integrate the communication system with a number of business applications, primarily with the CRM system. Therefore, it is desirable that the proposed solution allows such integration to be carried out as simply as possible. In addition, plans for the future include the implementation of video communication between three offices with the installation of three group video conferencing terminals and three personal ones (for top managers). The customer considers it optimal if this project can be implemented as a further development of the current one, that is, supplementing the communication system with video conferencing functions.

Formulation of the problem

Customer

Total 100 employees. Three offices: Moscow (30 people), St. Petersburg (20 people), Kazan (20 people), 30 employees work from home.

Task

Offer a solution (preferably with prices) to provide the customer with modern telephone communications.

Basic requirements:

• single multichannel incoming number for all offices;
• modern business telephony functions (call distribution and forwarding, conversation recording, voice mail, auto attendant/IVR, audio conferencing, provision of subscriber status information);
• connection to the communication system from mobile devices (iOS and Android smartphones/tablets);
• simple configuration and setup (via GUI from the browser);
• providing detailed reports and statistics on calls.

Terminals:

• 20 employees, managers and mobile users plan to “keep in touch” most of the time from their mobile devices (iOS and Android smartphones/tablets);
• 30 homeworkers will use their PCs for voice communications;
• 30 office users need landline telephones - offer products;
• the remaining 20 people actively move within offices, so wireless handsets (DECT or Wi-Fi - at the discretion of the solution provider) are more convenient for them.

All terminals must have the same set of functions.

The main intrigue lies in the choice of a model for implementing the task formulated by the customer. He has not yet decided whether he should install his own communication system or whether it is better to use the services of cloud providers. Therefore, he asked to justify the proposed options, if possible, by conducting an economic comparison of the two models.

ON YOUR OWN OR IN THE CLOUD

The popularity of cloud solutions is growing rapidly. However, according to Panasonic, with a twofold percentage growth in absolute terms, the volume of the cloud telephony market is still small, which is mainly due to the fact that its main consumers are small businesses. For such organizations, rapid system deployment and low cost of ownership are very important. And if in terms of such a factor as deployment speed, cloud PBXs outperform “regular” IP-PBXs, then their cost, according to Panasonic, is not always so attractive. Virtual systems can be really profitable - but for those companies that are created to implement short-term projects.

Panasonic experts claim that locally installed solutions, as a rule, have broader functionality, and their modular structure allows, as the company grows and tasks change, to supplement such a solution with the necessary components that meet new needs. They point out a number of risks inherent in virtual solutions - in particular, the fact that when using cloud technologies, information security is completely left to the provider. Their conclusion is this: despite the apparent attractiveness of virtual PBXs, in many cases it is more profitable and safer to use your own IP systems.

One of the main advantages of a cloud service is the absence of capital costs for infrastructure equipment (you only have to purchase terminals, and you can negotiate a lease for them). The main costs are monthly payments for cloud services, but in terms of OPEX we can also talk about savings. As representatives of the LanKey company note, maintenance of unified communications (UC) systems costs an average of $1,000 per month (which is comparable to the monthly cost of a cloud service), plus the cost of salaries of qualified personnel capable of operating such systems. We must not forget that when using your own systems you will have to spend money on updating the software - cloud service providers independently provide such an update.

Another undeniable advantage is flexibility and pay as you go. The cost of a cloud telephony and UFK service is usually calculated based on the number of users: the customer hired new employees - promptly connected additional licenses, had to fire someone - no need to pay for idle licenses. It is also important that the performance of the cloud service usually does not depend on the physical location of the office. Therefore, if the customer moves to a new office, there will be no difficulties with transferring the communication system.

Another advantage - fast start. “As a rule, implementing your own complex IT solutions takes from several months to several years. It takes time to formalize requirements, technical design, purchase and supply of equipment, as well as configuration,” explains Nikita Dogadchenko, head of unified communications at CTI. - If you use a cloud service, all the necessary solution infrastructure is already deployed on the provider’s side. As a result, the service implementation period is reduced several times.”

Since our customer is a small enterprise, he obviously does not have a fault-tolerant data center to host the communication system. Cloud providers try to use reliable commercial Tier III data centers, so they are able to provide customers with a financial guarantee of service availability at least 99.9% of the time per month. Achieving this level of reliability using a small company is quite difficult and very expensive. And this is another argument in favor of cloud services.

As Nikita Dogadchenko explains, a reasonable comparison of implementation models (“own system” or “from the cloud”) can only be carried out by considering a specific case and taking into account the specifics of the client’s business. According to CTI's calculations over a five-year period, in general, a cloud offering will be more profitable than building an in-house solution with similar levels of reliability, scalability and security (see Figure 1).

According to Maxim Repin, Cisco business development manager in the field of collaboration technologies, the choice between local, cloud and hybrid models of deployment/consumption of communication services ultimately depends on the priorities, specifics of the business and IT strategy of a particular customer.

OFFER OF THE COMPANY "LANKEY"

LanKey representatives immediately emphasized that, before offering the customer specific solution, it is important for them to study the existing IT infrastructure, find out what equipment and software is already available in order to use them as much as possible in the project and implement the new solution most effectively. They assumed that the customer already uses (or plans to use - if the company is being created from scratch) such infrastructure services as the Microsoft directory service Active Directory and corporate electronic system Microsoft mail Exchange, and users work with documents in Microsoft Office. In 70–80% of cases this is true. Taking into account these assumptions, Microsoft Lync 2013 unified communications system was selected as the most suitable solution (see Table 1).

Unified communications refers to a solution that combines all types of communications in a single product. In addition to business telephony itself, Microsoft Lync 2013 will provide a single corporate address book with the presence status of all subscribers, free calls to Skype subscribers, video conferencing, instant messaging, desktop sharing, Web conferencing, and mobile access. The obvious advantage of implementing Microsoft Lync in this case will be close integration with all customer services, namely Active Directory, Exchange, Microsoft Office products and Microsoft CRM (the future implementation of which the customer is thinking about). As LanKey representatives note, the customer receives a fairly impressive list of capabilities that no classic office PBX will provide him with.

LanKey specialists analyzed two approaches to the issue using Microsoft Lync: local implementation in the customer’s infrastructure and rental in the cloud (using the SaaS model). Taking into account the small size of the customer’s company, we can assume that he hardly has his own data center, a large number of powerful underloaded servers, and most importantly, a significant number of qualified IT specialists. Thus, LanKey concluded, with a high degree of probability, it will be much more profitable for the customer to rent the Cloud Lync service in the cloud.

The price of this LanKey service is 500 rubles/month. per subscriber for the most complete functionality (see Table 2). Since the customer has 100 employees, the costs will be 50,000 rubles/month. For comparison: if you implement Lync for 100 users within a company, then the cost of the software alone will exceed 1 million rubles. - and this does not take into account the costs of servers and implementation. In addition, if you implement your own service, the customer will have to purchase the software again every three years and pay for migration work. The LanKey company itself updates its service to new versions of Lync as they are released, and also provides its technical support and administration free of charge.

LanKey specialists approached the issue of selecting terminal equipment most carefully, presenting the customer with a large number of options and recommendations, but leaving freedom of choice: “take what you like and what your budget allows.” At the same time, they noted that with the growing popularity of the BYOD concept, equipment for employees is often no longer chosen by the company, but by the employees themselves.

Typical terminals Microsoft systems Lync 2013 - computers and laptops with software clients installed on them. To use all the capabilities of the system, just connect a wired or wireless headset to your computer. The headset can be anything, but LanKey specialists recommended a wired headset Microsoft LX6000 (priced at 2,000 rubles), which has buttons to pick up/hang up, turn off the microphone and volume. In addition, they noted the wide selection of wired and wireless headsets from Jabra, Plantronics and Logitech. Those employees who do not like a headset can use USB phones - for example, from Polycom, Jabra and Plantronics at a price of 3,000 to 6,000 rubles.

The choice of IP phones is not as wide as headsets, but there are still plenty of options: from relatively inexpensive models such as the Snom 710 and AudioCodes HD420 (RUB 5,000) to top-end devices with color screens for management, such as the Polycom cx600 and HP 4120 ( 13,000 rub.).

Mobile employees will be able to use any smartphones and tablets under Android control,iOS, Windows Phone and RT. You can download the Lync 2013 Mobile app for free from the app store. A smartphone on a Wi-Fi network is a wireless phone for Lync. In addition, even if there is no Wi-Fi, the Lync Mobile application still works - in this case, calls to the mobile are forwarded through the GSM network.

Video conferencing in Microsoft Lync is organized using a regular computer and a USB camera. For PCs, LanKey experts recommend the Full HD camera Logitech C930e for 5,000 rubles, for small groups - the controlled camera Logitech CC3000e (35,000 rubles). For round tables there are cameras with a 360° viewing angle (Round Table), for example Polycom cx5000 for 200,000 rubles. Since Microsoft Lync integrates with almost any videoconferencing systems from Polycom, if funds allow, the customer can purchase personal terminals with a monitor for top managers (for example, Polycom HDX 4500), and codecs for meeting rooms - for example, HDX 7000 or HDX 8000 , which cost from 400,000 rubles. For meeting rooms, there are solutions with large dual touch screens and high-quality cameras for 1 million rubles. and more.

CISCO OFFER

Taking into account the current needs of the customer and the potential for further development of its infrastructure, Cisco specialists proposed using the Cisco Business Edition 6000 (hereinafter referred to as BE6K) communication platform, which is based on the Cisco Unified Communications Manager UC system. This platform was specifically designed for small businesses and is optimized to reduce total cost of ownership through hardware consolidation, reduced power and cooling costs, and easy-to-use configuration and administration tools. As noted by Cisco, the core software and a set of integrated applications provide full-featured, comprehensive collaboration services and naturally integrate with the data network. Cisco BE6K supports capacity expansion up to 1000 subscribers and 2500 registered devices and provides the ability to combine up to 50 remote offices into a single network.

To implement the project, it is proposed to use a fault-tolerant hardware and software complex Cisco BE6K consisting of two Cisco UCS servers and a VMware vSphere 5 hypervisor. A number of applications (in the form of virtual machines) are deployed on the basis of this platform:

• Cisco Unified Communications Manager 10.5 (CUCM) provides registration of subscriber devices and applications, management of the number plan, establishment of audio and video connections.
• Cisco IM & Presence is based on the XMPP protocol and provides user status monitoring (Presence) and instant messaging (IM) services for Cisco Jabber software clients (including mobile devices). This service is available not only to CUCM subscribers, but also (free of charge) to all employees of the organization as part of the Jabber for Everyone program.
• Cisco Expressway provides secure remote access for system subscribers to all corporate communication services without the need for VPN connections, as well as the ability to provide full-featured external communications with business partners and clients.
• Cisco Unity Connection is a voicemail service integrated with Cisco Jabber email services and software clients.
• Cisco Unified Contact Center Express, a solution for organizing a contact center for up to 100 operators, provides multi-level IVR, detailed call statistics, an automated workstation for CC operators and supervisors, integration with business systems and CRM.

To implement a single multi-channel number, the customer is encouraged to use a digital or IP connection to the PSTN or telecom operator based on a Cisco router with a gateway or CUBE function for the SIP trunk. Depending on the customer's needs, this serial number can be terminated on an automatic attendant system, contact center or secretary workstations equipped with the Unified Attendant console.

The platform is administered using built-in Cisco Prime Collaboration applications. As Cisco notes, convenient user interface and the tool's automation tools significantly speed up system deployment and significantly reduce the time required to make ongoing changes. In addition, the user self-service portal built into CUCM can radically reduce the load on the system administrator for setting up and customizing functions. A “one-window” service is implemented for users, where they can independently (via the Web interface) simply and clearly personalize the main telephony functions, connect mobile devices, configure mobile number or schedule a conference.

Cisco offered its Jabber software clients (for Windows, MAC, iPad, iPhone, Android) as a means of communication for mobile employees, and for managers it also offered Cisco 8851 IP desktop phones with Intelligence Proximity functions for integration with mobile devices. Jabber clients are also available for homeworkers. For “stationary” office employees - Cisco 7821 IP desktop phones and also Jabber clients, which will provide instant messaging, presence status monitoring and desk phone management. For those 20 employees who actively move within offices, Cisco 7821 phones in Hot-Desking mode and Jabber clients for iPhone and Android are recommended.

Although Cisco specialists suggested that the customer deploy the Cisco BE6K platform at their site, they did not rule out other models for consuming telephony/UFC services. As Maxim Repin notes, the functionality of the proposed solution can be implemented on the basis of a cloud service on the Cisco Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) platform from Cisco partner operators (such an offer to the customer was received from CTI - see below). “Furthermore, by supporting a common set of applications, endpoints and software clients, a hybrid solution model can be implemented,” he says. - For example, often the customer’s head office historically uses its own platform, and the infrastructure for fast-growing branches or sales offices that frequently change locations, and means of supporting mobile/home-based employees are deployed using a cloud service. At the same time, for the company’s employees, the method of delivery of services is ‘transparent’ - they do not feel any difference.”

Cisco offered ample opportunities to develop its solution in terms of video conferencing. Managers can use DX series terminals as personal video conferencing terminals, which are registered and operate under the control of CUCM, which is part of the BE6K platform. The Cisco BE6K platform provides a number of additional functions - in particular, for compatibility with H.323/SIP terminal equipment and the organization of inter-corporate conferencing (TelePresence Video Communication Server) and Web conferencing.

ferences (WebEx Meeting Center). In addition, as an option for a cloud or hybrid model of consumption of communication services, you can consider expanding the telephony functionality with a video conferencing service. Such offers are in the portfolio of Russian providers - Cisco partners.

Everyone is happy with Cisco's offer, but the customer did not receive information about its cost. Without prices, it is difficult to compare this offer with others and make a final decision.

CTI OFFER

The CTI company offers the customer the opportunity to use telephony/UFC services both on the basis of a server solution purchased for their own use, and from the cloud. But at the same time, the company’s specialists focus his attention on the advantages of the cloud model. Using a branded portal, the customer can gain full control of all services, connect and delete users, change their profiles, receive reports on the use of services and call statistics.

The CTI solution provides all business telephony functions requested by the customer. All calls within the company, including between branches in the regions, become free, long-distance calls to local numbers are paid at local rates, and thanks to the use mobile applications for a smartphone or laptop, savings on mobile calls are achieved. To connect city telephone numbers Several options are possible. If the customer already has numbers that have been used by customers for a long time, then they can be saved by purchasing additional ones, if necessary. It is possible to provide a multi-channel number from scratch.

CTI representatives emphasize that when connecting to the service, the customer receives a complete ecosystem with the full functionality of UfK services, closely integrated with each other, including multimedia chat and text messages, display of user presence status, unified mail, video calls. The proposed service provides single-number accessibility with automatic call switching between tablets, smartphones and desk phones, as well as a single corporate directory in a single corporate environment.

“A single telephone directory, available on any device along with presence status, allows you to quickly contact the right person. With one click, you can send an instant message, call a colleague back, switch to a video call, hold an audio conference, or collaborate on a document via Webex, explains Nikita Dogadchenko. - IP PBX services ideally expand the capabilities of other corporate information systems. For example, calls to colleagues can be made directly from the employee directory on the portal or to new system connect outdated analogue telephone exchanges.”

For those employees who plan to “keep in touch” most of the time from their mobile devices, CTI specialists offered a full-featured Cisco Jabber software client that supports all UfK functionality, including video communication. For those employees who move around the office, Cisco Jabber plus a USB headset is also recommended for use at their workplaces. “Thus, our solution does not require the construction and maintenance of additional DECT infrastructure, and there is also no need to purchase Wi-Fi handsets - it is enough to use existing employee smartphones with Cisco Jabber installed,” notes Nikita Dogadchenko.

For home-based employees who will use their PCs for voice communication, we recommend the Cisco Jabber Desktop client with a set of the following services: voice, video, instant messaging, presence status, and availability via a single number. In addition, each such user is encouraged to use a USB headset. For “stationary” office users, CTI experts recommend Cisco Jabber Desktop + Cisco 7821 IP phone with an equally complete set of services.

Finally, the customer’s top managers will receive Cisco DX80 terminals, which CTI representatives described as “the most modern this moment desktop communication solution." These devices with 23-inch touch screens are full-fledged video conferencing terminals with Full HD cameras (1080p resolution). In general, the solution from CTI is ready for multi-user video conferencing. At the same time, users of Jabber clients have the opportunity to connect to multipoint conferences together with video terminals that will be installed in meeting rooms.

CTI's offering appears to be one of the most functional and attractive. Unfortunately, the company did not provide the customer with a quote. According to the Journal of Networking/LAN Solutions, the DX80 terminal alone costs about $4,000, which is more than all the terminal equipment costs included in the Mango Office offering.

MANGO OFFER

The company proposed a solution to the customer’s problems based on the virtual PBX (VATS) Mango Office. As the customer requested, he was offered a single 100-channel number for all offices: this could be a number in the codes of Moscow (both 499 and 495), St. Petersburg, Kazan or 8-800. But Mango experts recommended using a single local multi-channel number in each city of presence and, if necessary, an 800 number. Any company employee can receive a call to any of the numbers, regardless of his location. Local and long-distance/international communication services will be available on all numbers. Internal communication between employees, including those located in different cities, will be free.

The basic functionality of VATS is quite rich: two-level IVR, voice mail, conference calling, call recording, notification of subscribers about the estimated time until the operator responds, connecting numbers of other operators, Caller ID (your choice of displaying the number to which the subscriber called or the subscriber's number), black/white lists, calls from the website, fax reception by email. Employees can be divided into groups and each of them can use one of five call distribution algorithms, the scheme of which can depend on the time of day, the number of the caller, and call history of subscribers (forwarding to an employee with whom you recently spoke). Detailed statistics on calls are provided for employees and groups: received, made, missed calls, load by hour, average response speed, average talk time.

Setting up a VATS, listening to conversation recordings and accessing information and analytical services are carried out through a simple Web interface of your personal account - no special technical knowledge is required for this.

In its proposal, Mango detailed the benefits of additional functionality implemented through its Call Center (CC) service. It is convenient to use for sales or customer service departments, receptionists, and employees who handle a large flow of calls. The head of the department can monitor the work of employees in real time: track their status and the number of workers on the line, bring additional operators onto the line if the load increases, see who is talking to whom and for how long, connect to conversations in listening, conference or prompting mode . In addition, the manager can obtain final statistics of employee performance.

In this case, employee monitoring capabilities will likely be very useful in monitoring the activities of remote employees working from home. In turn, all employees get the opportunity to see the call queue in real time, which colleagues are on the line and who is free to transfer a call, intercept calls from the queue, change their status (“On line”, “Break”, “Do not disturb”) . Calls are forwarded, made and received with a mouse click, and any telephone or softphone can be used. When a call comes in, the caller's card appears on the screen with information about him and his contact history.

For employees working in an office at fixed workstations, the most convenient terminal, according to Mango experts, is a landline SIP phone. True, this is also the most expensive option. Such phones for 30 office users can be selected in the Mango Office online store. The cost of the cheapest model (Panasonic KX-UT113) is 2900 rubles. Popular phone models are Yealink SIP-T21 (4100 rub.) and Grandstream GXP1400 (3100 rub.), the latter option is included in the offer for the customer (see Table 3). Other possible options for office workers - a regular analog phone connected via a gateway (the cost starts from about 1,300 rubles per port) or a softphone for a PC. The latter option is likely to be the main one for home workers. Owners of PCs with Windows OS can install the free softphone Mango Talker, for MacOS there are free softphones Telephone and Linphone, and for Linux - ZoiPer, and a number of other applications are also available.

Employees moving around the office can use softphones (Android or iOS) that work through the office Wi-Fi network(free option), or, which is much more convenient, DECT-SIP phones. A popular model is the Panasonic TGP500 (RUB 3,800), which supports up to six handsets and up to three simultaneous conversations.

Employees who plan to work primarily from mobile devices can use SIP softphones or GSM communications. Mango experts recommend such free softphones as CSIPSimple, Linphone, ZoiPer and Bria for Android, ZoiPer and Linphone for iOS, and other options are also available. All VATS functions will be supported. If there is an IP connection at the employee’s location Bad quality, then you can receive calls coming to a single VATS number via GSM. Full VATS functionality will be supported for incoming calls.

Mango Office provides three integrated cloud services - VATS, Call Center and CRM system. If a company decides to connect CRM, then combining it with VATS will not be difficult. All calls will be recorded in the CRM; through its interface you can conveniently search and listen to recordings of conversations related to the selected client or employee. A pop-up card will provide the employee with complete information about the client when calling, allowing him to quickly enter data based on the results of the conversation and plan further work.

Video communication between employees can be carried out within the framework of an ongoing project if you purchase SIP video terminals (for example, landline SIP video phones).

Among the many advantages of their solution, Mango specialists call the “one-window” principle: VATS, telephone numbers, communication services, telephone sets (for help in setting up telephone sets, you can order an engineer’s visit), plus simple connection of additional Call Center and CRM systems with integration of services without additional boards and software improvements. In addition, they indicate increased fault tolerance of the solution: in the event of an emergency (for example, a power outage in one of the offices), calls will be automatically forwarded through alternative communication channels (for example, through mobile operators) or sent to employees of other offices. According to Mango, setting up and administering VATS does not require the involvement of third-party qualified specialists.

PANASONIC OFFER

The company proposed to the customer to implement a communication system based on IP platforms (IP-PBX) Panasonic KX-NS series, which are distinguished by rich functionality, as well as ample opportunities for optimizing communication costs within the organization. The developed solution will allow you to have a unified corporate directory and dial plan, centrally manage all PBXs via a Web interface, ensure employee mobility, receive detailed statistics on calls and perform other tasks specified in the task.

It is proposed to install a KX-NS1000 IP-PBX at the central office in Moscow, and a KX-NS500 IP-PBX at the branches. As Panasonic representatives note, one of the main advantages of their IP-PBX is the ability to quickly expand due to the modular structure and continuity of equipment generations. The new IP platforms are compatible with all Panasonic telecommunications equipment, including telephones. A previously installed PBX can also be used as a stack gateway to expand capacity and make calls over traditional telephony channels.

IP-PBX KX-NS1000 allows you to connect up to 256 external lines with various types signaling: in particular, up to 256 IP lines using the SIP protocol and up to 96 external IP lines using the H.323 protocol. The system supports up to 640 internal lines and the same number of SIP/IP telephones, and if necessary, up to 512 DECT microcellular telephones and 64 IP or SIP base stations can be connected to it. Obviously, this functionality provides wide scope for the development of the customer’s system.

Small IP platforms IP-PBX KX-NS500, which are planned to be installed in offices in St. Petersburg and Kazan, combine the advantages of traditional and IP telephony, as well as UC servers (KX-NS1000). According to Panasonic experts, this is an ideal solution for small and medium-sized businesses due to the ability to expand capacity from six basic analog lines and 18 subscribers to 288 internal lines. The KX-NS500 offers a wide range of features that can be customized to suit a customer's specific needs. In particular, the built-in unified communications system allows you to use the most useful functions based on IP telephony. The system also comes pre-installed with advanced voicemail and applications for creating a small call center.

In order for company employees to be able to move freely around the office, IP base stations must be installed in each city to deploy a microcellular system wireless communication. In the central office, it is proposed to use KX-NCP058 as a base station, and KX-TCA series models as DECT system phones.

All offices are offered to use the Communication Assistant CTI application - a multifunctional program with a user-friendly interface that allows you to receive and process calls, as well as manage many other Panasonic IP-PBX services. This is a client-server class application, and its server part is already built into the KX-NS series IP-PBX. The customer only needs to install the client part on the employees’ computers. Communication Assistant supports integration with various CRM applications, in particular with the 1C:Enterprise product.

IP conference phones KX-NT700 are recommended for organizing telephone conferences in branches. According to tests conducted by Panasonic, this conference phone provides best quality sound compared to similar equipment in this segment presented on the Russian market. An important distinguishing feature of the KX-NT700 is the ability to convert speech in real time. Depending on the situation, this option allows, for example, to slow down the listening of a conversation by reducing pauses in speech and thus improve the perception of the interlocutor.

Thanks to the built-in repeater in the KX-NS series models, IP phones can be installed not only directly in the office, but also at home for remote employees, and also include mobile personnel using softphones on their smartphones in the network - the latter are also registered as internal subscribers corporate network.

Panasonic's new IP platforms allow each employee of the company to be assigned a short single internal number, which can be used to record up to three telephones - both mobile or SIP, and traditional. To communicate with a subscriber, just dial his short internal number, and he will answer on any of the telephones convenient for him, regardless of where exactly he is.

As noted in Panasonic's proposal, the implementation of such projects is a technically complex task; one of the key factors for its successful solution is the installation and configuration of the system by qualified specialists. The company's specialists always recommend that clients contact partners who have the status of a Panasonic PBX technical center. In this case, installation and Maintenance will be carried out at the highest level, and all equipment is provided with a five-year guarantee.

The company believes that Panasonic's many years of experience in the field of corporate telephony, modern terminals with highly sensitive microphones, wideband speakers and a variety of capabilities provide the organization with an optimal solution in terms of cost and capabilities.

Panasonic's proposal does not contain information on the cost of the proposed solutions, but it is indicated that on average the cost of its own PBX in terms of 20 subscribers approximately coincides with the cost of paying for cloud PBX services during the year for the same subscribers, and after the first year the cost of owning its own IP -PBX becomes lower than cloud one.

BRIEF CONCLUSION

So, our customer has plenty to choose from. Unfortunately, not all companies indicated the price of their products and services. Apparently, an additional round of negotiations will have to be held with those who did not indicate cost indicators. Or choose from those options where all the important characteristics are indicated. Moreover, among them there are quite decent in terms of functionality and very attractive in price.

Alexander Barskov- Leading editor of the Journal of Network Solutions/LAN. He can be contacted at:

May 21, 2003

Igor Maslennikov, director of business development at SomrTek

When it comes to corporate IP-telephony in Russia, then, as a rule, a “bast” stereotype comes into play - they say, nothing good can happen in Russia and things don’t go beyond talking about IP-telephony in enterprises.

Meanwhile, corporate IP telephony in Russia really exists and is developing. Moreover, it exists and is developing in at least three versions, and I don’t know any enterprises and organizations that would not use at least one of them.

The many faces of IP telephony

The first option is based on the use of “provider” IP telephony - either in the form of a corporate contract with a “card” IP telephony operator (in this case, to call another city, employees dial the operator’s telephone number, identification number and card PIN code, and then - the telephone number they need), or by reconfiguring the private telephone exchange (PBX) in such a way that long-distance and international calls“transparently” or through a special “intercity access number”, are sent to the IP telephony operator immediately in the form of IP packets via a data channel. This is the most widespread option (according to my data, many Russian enterprises and organizations use it).

The second option is the use by enterprises with a geographically distributed structure of a corporate data network to exchange voice traffic between the company's points of presence. Typically, this is done by connecting IP telephony gateways to corporate telephone exchanges at points of presence and setting routing rules on them. This system allows you to save significantly on telephone bills. In this case, of course, calls to cities and countries where there are no points of presence of the company are sent, as a rule, to an IP telephony operator. This option is also used very widely: I don’t know any enterprises with any significant “geography” that would not use it.

The third option, which most fully realizes the capabilities of IP telephony, is to build an integrated corporate IP network with functions for transmitting voice and data (and possibly also video, technological information, etc.). This option is the most convenient, economical and promising. Convenient - because the company has a digital telephone network with a single numbering plan, a single control center, with many additional services, ranging from the usual hold and transfer of calls to other numbers, which is familiar to all users of corporate telephone exchanges, to the capabilities inherent only in IP telephone systems, among of which:

• a corporate telephone directory that lives on the company’s LDAP server and is accessible directly from the IP phone screen;
• personal call management systems, which make it possible to control the behavior of the phone via a Web interface, for example, forward calls received in your absence - all or only some, depending on who called - to mobile, home or another corporate phone;
• unified messaging systems that send voice messages, faxes and messages Email into a single Mailbox, which the user can access through a Web browser, using an email system, or by telephone;
• the ability to turn any corporate IP phone into your own, with your number and all personal settings (to do this, just enter the username and password on its keyboard).

The cost-effectiveness of the option is ensured through integration corporate communications and data networks, which reduces support and maintenance costs corporate systems communications and increase their coordination and efficiency. Firstly, it is enough to support only one network, and not two different ones - telephone and data transmission - and, secondly, the merger of two networks into one eliminates the peculiar competition between “telephone operators” and “computer specialists”, which often interferes with business.

Let us dwell on this third option as the most promising - now few experts doubt that such systems are the future.

IP telephony in the hands of employees

What new, useful and interesting does an IP phone bring to the daily activities of a company employee, besides voice communication itself?

Today there is no comprehensive answer to this question, since IP-PBX systems are still too young, their differences and advantages have not yet fully emerged, the process of gaining experience and the emergence of new ways to use IP phones has only recently begun, and yet some What can you say now?

Availability graphic display The IP phone looks set to become the standard, at least in corporate environments. This display and the standard (that is, based on open industrial standards Java, XML) tools used to display information through it (of course, along with the ability to work with sound) allow you to build corporate communications, warning and information systems in a completely new way. In my opinion, in the future, it is the integration of voice services with corporate applications that will be the main driving force behind the transition of enterprises to IP-PBX systems.

The main requirement that is placed on the enterprise network infrastructure when deploying IP telephony is well known: the network must support standard mechanisms for ensuring the required quality of service (Quality of Service, QoS) at the network and link levels, be able to separate voice and data traffic and transmit voice packets with higher priority than other types of data. Of course, it must be reliable: fault tolerance must be ensured at all levels of the network.

In addition, there are a number of requirements specific to IP telephone elements of the network infrastructure. For example, in territorial distributed network Gateways that provide access from the corporate network to the local telephone network must be able to route calls through public telephone networks if it is impossible to send them through the IP network (this may be necessary in the event of an IP link failure). Second example: switches local network should be able to electrically power IP phones over an Ethernet cable, this is very convenient and smart. It would be nice for IP phones to have a built-in two-port switch, as is done, say, in older models of Cisco IP phones, so that each workstation equipped with an IP phone and a computer does not require two Ethernet sockets: an Ethernet socket can be connected connect an IP phone, and then connect a computer to it.

Efficiency mark

As a rule, when it comes to deploying a full-fledged IP-PBX class system at any enterprise, the most controversial assessment is the assessment of the economic efficiency of such implementation. What should you keep in mind when preparing such an assessment? First of all, it makes sense to compare two different strategies for the development of an enterprise’s infocommunication infrastructure, and not the actual IP-PBX with a traditional corporate telephone exchange. (Considering IP-PBX in isolation from other functional systems of a corporate IP network means about the same as trying to discuss what is better - a wheel or a caterpillar, without deciding on the vehicle - a tank or a motorcycle?)

If an enterprise has a strategy aimed at integrating all types of communications within a single IP network, increasing the efficiency of employees and their interaction through the introduction of new corporate converged applications, improving their mobility, reducing capital and operating costs for construction, support and coordination activities of several different infrastructures, then in this case the introduction of IP telephony will be only a logical and consistent step in the implementation of this strategy.

Since no one today doubts the feasibility and justification of investments in building a corporate network infrastructure, when introducing IP telephony in an enterprise that already has a data transmission network, the costs of upgrading it (so that the network can provide required level quality of network services) should not relate solely to the costs of implementing IP telephony. Good network infrastructure isn't cheap, but it's worth it. A network with integration of services makes it possible to abandon the multitude of parallel existing and maintained systems available today at all enterprises (network, telephone, fire, technological, security, etc.). IP telephony is just one type of IP services that can be provided within a corporate network.

Thus, on one side of the scale are the costs of upgrading (or building from scratch) a “correct” IP infrastructure (reliable, supporting QoS mechanisms, equipped with additional technical means such as the ability to power IP devices via a network cable or wireless access points of the IEEE 802.11b standard for the operation of wireless IP phones along with wireless access to the network, both of which are needed not only for IP telephony!), and on the other - reduction construction and operating costs and increasing enterprise efficiency through the introduction of new integrated applications and changes in the way employees organize their work. Conducting an analysis of the benefits and costs of IP telephony is a very complex matter, and it must be done in the context of a long-term enterprise development strategy.

Prospects

How will events develop in the future? How soon will IP-PBX replace traditional telephone systems? Of course, this will not happen in the near future; the transition process will take many years. But the world's leading analysts believe that at the turn of 2005-2007 a turning point will occur: the number of IP telephone business systems will be equal to traditional ones in number telephone lines, and by market volume. Thus, according to IDC forecast, by 2006 50% of all telephone traffic will be IP traffic. Analysts at Frost and Sullivan estimate that by 2006, more than 50% of PBX systems sold will be IP systems. Yankee Group experts believe that by the end of 2005, 28% of all business telephone lines will be IP lines, and IP phones will become the dominant desktop voice terminal by then.

Today, the widespread implementation of systems of this class in Russia is hampered by such a circumstance as the low level of real demand for information and management systems in general. Only in conditions of a developed, highly cultured economy, information and management systems are a serious competitive factor.

In the meantime, we have to deal with the poor awareness of people making business decisions about the implementation of such systems and strategies, with the technological and functional immaturity of existing proposals (the professional community of specialists in the field of IP telephony is in search of, in the process of inventing and developing functional and business models of using IP communications in enterprise activities), with a relatively high price level for IP phones and other infrastructure elements, as well as with the problem of compatibility of equipment from different manufacturers and different IP telephony protocols.

It is not surprising, therefore, that today almost all examples of the implementation of systems of this class in Russia relate to enterprises of highly profitable and at the same time highly competitive industries, or to federal and municipal authorities, which, as a rule, have a geographically distributed structure and/or are building new networks at the level of a building complex, that is, to situations in which the advantages of converged IP networks are most clearly manifested.

The development of corporate IP telephony in Russia will occur gradually and in stages. Those enterprises that are currently using IP telephony gateways to reduce communication costs (this is the second option discussed at the very beginning), at some point will definitely face a choice: continue to develop and maintain two networks in parallel - telephone and data transmission (IP). -network) or integrate voice communications into a single corporate IP network. And in the long term, the choice is a foregone conclusion.

To prevent IP telephony from turning into a headache and constant costs for the company, it is necessary to understand in advance what consequences the choice and implementation of a particular solution will lead to. Should I use my own PBX or a virtual one? Which provider should you choose? Which is better: softphone or IP phone? How to make an auto-updating phone book in the IP phones of company employees? Why do “phone numbers” force developers to redesign CRM? All this, as well as recommendations for choosing equipment, can be found in our selection of materials!

VoIP telephony providers: who to choose?

There are one and a half hundred VoIP providers operating in Russia, but choosing among them the optimal one for corporate use is more difficult than it seems. From this article you will learn what problems VoIP providers solve today, what determines the quality of their communication services, what additional opportunities they provide to clients, and most importantly, how to choose the right provider for corporate telephony so as not to regret it in the future?

Softphone or hardware IP phone: which is better?

When IP telephony technology is implemented in an office or as a home solution, the question arises: what is better to choose for making and receiving calls: a softphone or a hardware IP phone? This dilemma has an ambiguous solution. This article examines the pros and cons of software and hardware solutions, and also gives practical advice and recommendations for choosing communication terminal devices for office and home.

What is the advertising of “virtual PBX” silent about?

Virtual IP PBXs are a fairly recent product, or rather a service in the corporate telephony market. The advantages of virtual PBXs are very well known, thanks to their widespread advertising. But it is not so easy to find out what problems and difficulties users of this service actually face. This material discusses the main distinctive features of virtual PBXs with a detailed analysis of the positive and negative aspects of this technology.

How to build telephony based on Skype For Business?

It makes sense to pay attention to the Skype For Business solution from Microsoft if you need a unified communications system, that is: telephony, video conferencing, collaboration with documents, instant messages, presence status and other features in one “bottle”. In you will find an analysis of options for building telephony based on Skype For Business with a description of the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution.

How to make an auto-updating phone book in the IP phones of company employees?
One of the advantages of IP phones over conventional analog devices is a single telephone line. The address book, which is automatically updated when new employees appear. Why the unified address book function is vital for organizations with a large number of subscribers (1000+), and also why it is better to choose VoIP equipment that supports the open LDAP protocol is clearly shown in this short video.

15 popular misconceptions about phone numbers!

If the company is developing its own CRM system, then be sure to show it to your developers. It examines typical misconceptions of programmers and ordinary people about telephone numbers, for example: a telephone number uniquely identifies a person; There are only two dialing formats; the country code corresponds to exactly one country; the telephone number contains only numbers; a person has only one phone number and it never changes, etc. In the future, this will help you avoid serious modifications.

What can modern modular VoIP gateways do?

AddPac company is one of the popular VoIP gateway providers in Russia. The equipment of this manufacturer is known for its reliability, which is why all major domestic landline and cellular operators use it in their networks. Record this webinar give you detailed information about the capabilities of the most modern modular VoIP gateways with dozens of ports, as well as an understanding of whether such devices are needed in your communication network.

IP phones: is there such a thing as “good and cheap”?

The crisis has forced many domestic companies to look for cheap alternatives to proven solutions. This also affected IP phones. The demand for cheap equipment from Chinese manufacturers has increased many times over. But is cheap equipment ever good? Usually no, but there are exceptions. In the next video talks about one such example - the company ATCOM, which managed to release very inexpensive, fully Russified and, most importantly, stable working IP phones that are not inferior to market leaders (Yealink, Grandstream, Escene, etc.).

IP telephony is the youngest, yet promising and inexpensive type of communication, which has many advantages over a traditional connection. This is a qualitatively new way of transmitting data without using a fixed telephone line. Making a call via IP can be compared to receiving mail via e-mail - it is convenient, free (or very cheap), available wherever there is an Internet connection.

MegaFon solution

How does IP telephony work?

When using a dedicated PBX line, you pay not only for the conversation, but also for the construction and maintenance of telephone exchanges. That is why, unlike IP telephony, PBX always requires a subscription fee, regardless of the number of calls made. Long-distance and international calls are charged separately and, as a rule, are not very profitable for the client. Data transmission over IP is an excellent alternative for those who keep up with the times, actively use the achievements of recent years in their business and do everything to minimize costs without losing communication quality.

In what business is IP telephony applicable?

You can freely use IP telephony from anywhere in the world. If your business involves frequent travel around the country and abroad, communication via IP is the ideal choice. Using regular telephone lines, you are forced to pay for communication services in proportion to the distance between you and the interlocutor, while in the case of IP telephony, the cost of the call will change slightly, regardless of whether you and the other subscriber are in the same room or there are hundreds of kilometers between you.

IP telephony is an excellent solution for both small, medium and large businesses, as well as for individuals. While a dedicated telephone line is a specific connection to the office, IP telephony is suitable for mobile people and companies. Even if you decide to change your office or are forced to go on a business trip, you can continue to use IP telephony wherever there is Internet. Agree, each time setting up a new dedicated telephone line for your business is a feasible task, but it requires a certain amount of time and money. If you use IP telephony, you won’t even have to pay for the connection again, re-register your number, or perform other unnecessary manipulations. The number to contact your office will remain the same, since the IP to which it is associated has not changed. This means you can stay connected no matter where you are using IP data transfer.

Due to the rapid growth in popularity of IP telephony recently, many operators are ready to provide such services.

What is the advantage of our offer?

• Excellent communication quality, which is especially important during business negotiations. Stable communication with high quality data transmission is an important component of the company’s image.
• High level of service: we value and respect our clients, so we try to solve any difficulties that arise as quickly and efficiently as possible, our specialists are always available to you. You can submit a request to connect to IP telephony, ask a question, or get help from a qualified specialist on our website, as well as by toll free number through the operator.
• Affordable tariffs: conversation via IP technologies is very, very affordable in terms of price. You already pay for traffic to the selected operator, so outgoing calls to mobile and landline numbers have extremely low prices. Incoming calls are free for you, connection to the service is also free of charge.
• A high degree of protection of conversations from eavesdropping when using telephony via IP: data exchange via an IP connection guarantees the confidentiality of information. When using standard telephone communications, unfortunately, there are often cases of attackers connecting to your telephone line and, as a result, their long-distance and international calls at your expense. When using data transmission over IP, the risk of becoming a victim of intruders is eliminated.
• Additional services that are always available to IP telephony users: Caller ID for incoming calls, the ability to set up call forwarding, organizing conference calls with the participation of several subscribers and much more. You can receive calls both on your phone and on your computer (this option is confirmed in Personal account user), funds are debited from one account, which is convenient for both individuals and legal entities.
• System electronic document turnover: you no longer need to worry about the safety of paper documents, organize their sending and receiving, use the services of couriers, or wait a long time for the necessary originals. We offer an electronic document management system that is popular among many international companies. You will be able to receive the necessary paper documentation in the shortest possible time, in in electronic format. Acts, invoices and other reporting documents are always available in your Personal Account.

The IP telephony service is often used by corporate clients whose branches are located in different cities. They have the opportunity to set up short internal numbers for company employees, as well as significantly reduce telephone costs by using traffic instead of dedicated telephone lines. A nice bonus is the ability to “unify” telephone numbers - you can choose uniform numbers for your employees or offices in different geographical locations.

What devices are required to make a call over IP?

You can access telephony via IP using simple IP equipment: PC (you will need to install a standard softphone), a special IP telephone device, easy to use, or an IP gateway. Which IP devices to choose for making and receiving calls is up to you. Many companies today actively use video communication; this is suitable for organizing a video call. mobile phone, laptop or PC. However, if you do not want to give up the equipment that is familiar to you and your employees, data transmission via IP channels can be configured on a regular radiotelephone and even a fax using an IP gateway.

How to activate the service?

Once again, please note that the procedure for connecting to IP telephony is free.

All instructions and explanations can be obtained from our specialist by leaving a request for connecting telephony via IP on our website. Becoming a MegaFon IP telephony user is easy: just be our client and apply for the service

Telephony provider Grand Prix Telecom provides telephony services for legal entities: local digital telephony - Moscow and the region, long-distance and international telephone communications. Modern equipment and digital lines provided by the telephony operator Grand Prix Telecom provide quality and stability of communication, high availability and instant connection with any subscriber anywhere in the world. A full range of telephony services and communication equipment is available to all clients: IP PBX, SIP phones, Voip gateways and other professional IP equipment. Telephone installation of offices and enterprises from the telephony provider Grand Prix Telecom,

Providing telephone services

Do you need high-quality corporate (local, long-distance, international) communications, but you don’t know who to turn to for such services? In this case, the telephony offered by Grand Prix Telecom will be useful to you. We have prepared a whole range of professional and affordable services especially for you. This will help you not only optimize the work of your organization, but also significantly reduce communication costs.
Modern telephone communications have enormous capabilities. There are several basic technologies that can be used to connect direct multi-channel numbers and a telephone to the office. We are talking about the following types of telephony:
traditional digital;
IP telephony;
direct numbers with code 495 and 499;
special offer for international communications.

All this allows you to choose exactly the option that is most suitable for your organization. Thanks to this, telephony has become accessible to everyone without exception. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that these communication systems have wide functionality. For example, digital or IP communication allows you to connect an unlimited number of lines, which is ideal solution for corporate clients. In addition, using the code 495 or 499, the customer can choose a beautiful number, which will allow him to stand out from the competition. Corporate telephony for an enterprise will optimize the workflow of employees and add new opportunities for communication in production.
Among other things, modern telephony provides highest quality communications. It has maximum protection against unauthorized entry, so you won’t have to worry about eavesdropping and leakage of confidential information. Moreover, this is the most profitable offer for an office, because you can combine several regional branches into one network.
The Grand Prix Telecom company offers you the most profitable opportunities for long-term cooperation. Our experienced employees will develop an individual project taking into account the specifics of your organization, and then connect a multi-channel number with additional functionality. You can discuss all questions with our consultants.