Increasingly, businesses—and even some people—are looking to the idea of voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) service to not only add new features to a phone system, but even save money while so doing. But to many of those businesses and people, adding IP service to normal operations can be intimidating. So with that in mind, we take a look at IP service and try to make it a little simpler to both consider and put to use.

The first point to start with is what's already in place. Sometimes current systems can be put to work in pursuit of an IP phone system. The old adage about not fixing things that aren't broke does often still apply today, so take a look at the differences between phone lines and IP trunks. Most businesses are still using phone lines for most of calling, mostly because such connections still work, and quite well. While many big-name firms are starting to sell session initiation protocol (SIP) services locally, that's not the case everywhere. Also consider that using SIP services for international calling may not have the quality level that many businesses would desire. Lower price can be a sign of lower quality, so it's a point to keep in mind.

Hardware is also an issue to keep in mind. With interoperability testing being what it is these days, many handsets will work with several different platforms. For those who decide to buy a commercial phone system, the available handsets with that vendor will generally not only work with the vendor's own protocols, but also with SIP, useful for those who go after an open-source system like Asterisk (News - Alert). Some may complain that 100Mbps Internet access isn't fast enough for such things, but generally, it does work well assuming there isn't a lot of video or high-resolution graphics involved.

Some may wonder if a quality of service (QoS) agreement is necessary or even desirable, and there are times when it's appropriate. It's particularly valuable if IP voice is being conducted over a wide-area network (WAN), and most of those who are using a WAN likely have the equipment to make QoS really possible. A QoS over a WAN, meanwhile, will likely come with a price tag (News - Alert).

For those operating under some tighter budget constraints, a great place to start looking is Asterisk. An open-source phone system, it has plenty of room to scale up and down as need be. It works quite well, though some report that setup can be a bit of a chore given the graphic user interface (GUI) involved. Since Asterisk is offered through Digium (News - Alert), who offers up Integrated Services for Digital Network (ISDN) and analogue cards for PC use, ISDN connectivity can be had for those who were already using it.

The good part about setting up an IP phone system is also, on some level, the bad part: there are plenty of options out there for those who want to set up such a thing. While having plenty of options means that just about every particular use case is considered, it also means it's necessary to know just what's needed before setting it up. With that information in mind, it can be a lot simpler to set up just the right system and get the most out of it.