[November 13, 2008] New technology changes networking options Tweet Nov 13, 2008 (The Fort Morgan Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- "High-speed communication is our lifeblood of business today." So said Jerry Blecha, a Fort Morgan representative of Independent Communications Inc. in Littleton. During Wednesday's Brush Area Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon at Bunker Hill Country Club, Blecha and his colleagues discussed the business possibilities of the most recent form of high-speed communication. Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a relatively new technology that converges telephone and Internet into a single service, so phone calls are sent through a broadband Internet connection rather than telephone lines. "That's a brand-new technology that is out there that a lot of people have heard about but not seen implemented," Blecha said. Independent Communications President Ron Creel said his company refrained from becoming too involved with VoIP when it was first introduced. The company got involved after the initial problems were resolved and the service became affordable to business professionals, he said. According to Independent Communications Sales Manager Ken Gurvin, one benefit of the system is that it can be used to create a virtual network of people spread among many locations. It allows employees who have traditionally worked in an office environment to perform the same jobs from home, he said. Additionally, Gurvin said, utilizing the system results in lower recurring monthly telephone charges, higher speed and increased productivity. Accountability options are also available so managers can be assured that their employees are working, he said. "Those are the sort of things that are now available in rural areas of Colorado and across the nation," he said. Creel said Independent Communications now utilizes the VoIP system in its own Littleton office to connect associates in many different areas. The system allows the company's office manager to avoid commuting from her home in Thornton and frees the business development manager from wasting valuable selling time in the office. "They don't need to come to the office other than to pick up tools and materials," he said. "...Voice-over IP has worked very well for us." The Fort Morgan School District is currently working to implement a VoIP system to link all district school buildings, Blecha said. Although VoIP is not the preferred mode of communication right now, Gurvin said, it is likely that the system will grow in popularity in the coming years. "Voice Over IP is not necessarily for everybody, but you don't want to get left behind," he said. "If it is appropriate now, great. If it is not appropriate for you now, it will be in the future because ultimately that's the way it's going." -- Contact Jesse Chaney at [email protected]. To see more of The Fort Morgan Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.fortmorgantimes.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Fort Morgan Times, Colo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]