As technology continues to rapidly evolve, the cost of telecommunications equipment will continue to decrease – but don’t be surprised to find maintenance costs on the rise.
Traditional digital and key phone systems like the Avaya Partner, AT&T Spirit, and Lucent Merlin Series (Classic, Legend, and Magix) required little to no maintenance and for some customers seemed to last a lifetime. Now that IP based phone systems have dominated the marketplace, we find more and more customers surprised at the maintenance required to keep them running.
When explaining this shift to our clients, the analogy Teltek’s consultant’s offer is to relate an Internet Protocol (IP) based phone system to a client’s computer network. Just as their computers and servers require regular maintenance, updates, and the occasional reboot, now the same is true for IP based phone systems. Over the past 3-5 years, phone systems have become significantly more application driven, thus requiring a dedicated PC or server in the configuration to function. In the past, this new critical component was not considered to be a priority. However, when this element is neglected it can wreak havoc to a business looking to sustain a reliable phone system.
Numerous updates are required on a monthly basis for software, firmware, anti-virus protection, etc. to stay current. These updates may be critical patches required by the manufacturer, firewall and security changes, or even basic Microsoft/Windows considerations. Additionally, with the convergence of voice and data one must also consider how closely integrated the components of each have become and the potential risk this can cause. Here are three examples which we think are the most important to consider:
- IP phone systems offer the ability to utilize a single cable infrastructure (i.e. one CAT-5e cable to connect a user’s PC and telephone). This configuration can offer a substantial cost savings on a new installation, but a minor cabling problem will cause a service interruption to both the telephone and data networks. This outage can cause a user (or a number of users) to be completely unproductive until the trouble is resolved.
- Voice over IP phone service offers an inexpensive alternative to traditional Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) services but requires a higher consumption of bandwidth, which could slow down internet speeds or cause poor call quality. The infrastructure and networks these services are delivered to the customer on are also much more susceptible environmental factors which cause total outages. Monitoring bandwidth usage and service provider activities is a critical factor in a reliable communications system.
- Last, but not least, IP telephony solutions share a number of the Internet Technology (IT) components like firewalls, routers, Power over Ethernet (POE) switches, servers, and computers. If any of these components were to have a failure this it could potentially take your entire telecommunications system down.
Please do not misconstrue the above points as my way of suggesting against IP Telephony, but more as setting realistic expectations which we believe should be considered when procuring a new phone system. Recent IP technology advancements have provided business owners with a cost-effective way to conduct business faster, easier, and more efficiently from just about anywhere in the world. Just remember – with every reward also comes a risk.
Teltek believes in taking a proactive maintenance approach to keep all critical systems and components running properly. We offer our customers standard and customizable maintenance plans even if the phone system was not purchased from Teltek originally. These plans provide routinely scheduled on-site maintenance visits, remote programming support, and liaison services to other vendors to name a few benefits. By keeping our customers communication systems components routinely maintained and up to date, we can prevent and nearly eliminate costly communications outages.
Teltek is a second generation, family owned and operated telecommunications integrator and certified Avaya Business Partner and NEC Dealer. Our knowledgeable staff specializes in current Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), digital, hybrid, and key telephone systems in the small to mid-sized market place. We distinguish ourselves by offering one-stop service and bundling a large variety of products and services such as: communications architecture and consulting, unified messaging, mobility solutions, voice and data cabling, and local, long distance & internet brokerage services. Serving Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania and other surrounding areas, trust Teltek to coordinate your next phone system repair, cabling project, system installation and office relocation.
Chris Nicoli, CEO
www.myteltek.com
sales@myteltek.com
1.866.9.Teltek
236 East Main Street
Westminster, MD 21157
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