As the technology has advanced, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is rapidly replacing traditional ISDN based telephony as the primary choice for the enterprise. By switching to VoIP, organizations experience huge advantages in terms of flexibility and potential cost savings. The downside is that it still raises concerns over security and guarantees of call quality.

Traditionally, the only option for many organizations was to send VoIP traffic over the Internet. The problem is that the Internet was never designed to carry voice traffic and as a result, it does not have the level of security, nor the Quality of Service (QoS) to ensure that call quality is the same as traditional ISDN.

NetworkFlow is now one of the few companies to enable Session Internet Protocol (SIP) over its own MPLS network. In doing so, the company is allowing ISDN type functionality for incoming and outgoing voice calls over IP.

This type of platform is already gaining great favor with customers who can combine many data and voice features on one cost effective and secure network with guaranteed Quality of Service.

NetworkFlow’s MPLS network provides significant advantages for organizations with one or more sites, including the following functionality, all from one service: WAN between sites; Site to site VoIP; secure Internet access; SIP trunks; secure home workers with private MPLS ADSL connection for voice and data; and multiple QoS at all points to ensure accurate delivery of time critical voice and data.

“This truly is the next generation of telecommunications networks,” explains David Alexander, commercial director of NetworkFlow, in a company statement. “For all its benefits, the Internet poses no end of headaches for today’s IT managers who simply cannot control the Data and Voice traffic. By offering our customers SIP over our MPLS network, we can guarantee a very secure and high quality connection that meets everyone’s needs.”

SIP trunking provides the ability to make and receive telephone calls over the Internet. The technology provides an Internet Protocol for establishing and maintaining multi-party, mixed media sessions over converged networks. SIP enables the creation and deployment of feature rich services that go beyond simple VoIP calls.

 

SIP is the signaling protocol which allows mixed-media sessions of text, voice and video applications using existing devices, including PC/laptops, PDAs and future smart phone technology. MSN instant messaging and the G3 GSM network are both based on SIP.

The reality for the enterprise is that it needs to be able to effectively and securely transfer information over the Internet. As the benefits of VoIP have become too great to ignore, the technology is gaining ground. Now, SIP over MPLS is providing even more functionality, with added security and quality guarantees. For the end customer, this increased functionality will deliver benefits that go beyond mere cost savings.