What is SIP Trunking?
SIP Trunking is essentially a digital replacement for your business phone line and works by giving you a digital phone line solution. You have more than likely heard of VoIP, otherwise known as Voice over IP. This works by connecting your business phone system to a publicly switched network, otherwise known as the PSTN.
There are numerous benefits to using SIP trunking, generally the reduction of telephone charges while using the same amount of services. You will also find that this reduces maintenance costs simply because you have voice and data running on the same network.
Resolving the Problems of Yesterday
There were once a plethora of issues associated with telephone systems, for example, did you know that it was easy to ‘tap’ into a typical PBX phone system and gather vital information from the speakers on both ends? There was almost no security in those days, but now, with VoIP lines, things are a bit different, and you will find that it is nearly impossible to break the security on a VoIP system. This, however, is just one of the problems that a good VoIP system will be able to resolve, and just one of the goals of SIP trunking in business.
It should be understood that every single business is different and will have different goals, and with that being the case, the SIP trunking method will need to be different for each company, depending on the needs. In the end, it will be a matter of creating, customizing, and integrating a SIP solution that fits your entire organization.
The Benefits of SIP Trunking
There are many benefits to SIP trunking besides the ones that we mentioned previously. First of all, you will be able to combine your local and long distance services along with your internet services into a single line, and even experience dynamic bandwidth allocation which will save you a considerable amount of bandwidth. In addition to that you will be able to reduce charges on your long distance calls, or eliminate them completely with on-network calls. Hardware costs will also be reduced, and you can even integrate the new hardware with your existing legacy system to save money initially.
With most companies, as you might expect, you will be able to scale your new communications system to your existing needs. If you only need a small system at first, there is no reason to pay for the most expensive, high-end hardware. As your business grows, however, you can continue to add to your system, and ultimately give yourself more robust communications options.
Disaster Recovery and You
Accidents happen in business; it is a fact of life, but what happens if there is an issue with your building? What if you cannot access your phones for some reason? You probably know by now that phones are literally the lifeblood of your business, and without them, you would be hard pressed to do, well, anything. This is another area where trunking saves the day. The features included with the trunking service are not hosted on-site, but remotely, meaning that if something were to happen, such as a fire, or another event that completely disables your building, you would be able to redirect all of your calls to another location. In other words, you have the option to forward your calls and continue your business as usual. This is without a doubt one service that might save your business one day, even if it is in the distant future.
At first, you might be hesitant to simply hand your business communications over to a third party. After all, this is your lifeline, but not to worry. You will have the ability to access the system from any location, and you will find that the service has data centers across North America equipped with the latest technologies.
SIP trunking is an outstanding solution and one that you should certainly consider employing. Start looking into the different services today and unify your business communications tomorrow.