VoIP Gateways Article

Businesses expand and open up new satellite offices. Organizations do acquisitions and mergers, bringing more far-flung locations into the fold. And sometimes entities already have multiple sites for which they are seeking more efficient interconnectivity solutions.

VoIP systems and Internet connectivity can help address all of these scenarios, enabling companies with multiple locations to communicate inexpensively around the world, as beroNet explains in a recent blog. And, the company says, its beroNet VoIP gateways were designed specifically for this purpose.

The first step in implementing this kind of solution, the company says, is determining the technology your current telecommunication system requires. For example, a two BRI port solution would require a beroNet VoIP Gateway (News - Alert) with four BRI ports. In this case, beroNet says, two ports would be used for PBX connectivity, while the other two would connect the organization to the outside.

There are also a couple choices in terms of network configuration. In one case, the gateways can be connected by opening a port in each firewall. In the other, the gateways are connected via a virtual private network.

beroNet says that using the firewall method is akin to “building a stone bridge over a moat.” That’s because, while it improves traffic flow, it also creates a direct route for attackers. That said, beroNet explains, the VPN approach is preferred. “Using a VPN is like building a labyrinth around your castle,” beroNet explains. “[It’s] much more secure than opening a port.” Plus, companies that already use VPNs for file sharing may be able to piggyback VoIP on those facilities.

After an organization has decided on its network configuration, it’s ready to focus on hardware configuration, beroNet says. That involves configuration of the ISDN ports and SIP setting, and a dialplan will determine how communication over the VoIP gateways are routed. The blog provides more details on those processes, as well as guidance on how to allow for least-cost routing.