Karen Libby, New Business Development for Blue Rooster Telecom, prepared a presentation to explain what is VoIP and the pros and cons for businesses.

1. VoIP: What the heck is that?

2. When is a phone not a phone?
• VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is the
"new" way to talk... but is it for everyone? For
some businesses, it's the best thing since
sliced bread. But, is it always"enterprise-
grade"... good enough for your business
needs? Let's get into the world of VoIP, so you
can evaluate for yourself!

3. The World of VoIP
There are Three Main Types of VoIP:
• 1. Business VoIP services, such as a hosted PBX
• 2. VoIP-based business telephone systems
• 3. Consumer VoIP services

4. Business VoIP Services
• A hosted PBX is a telephone system that is
housed OUTSIDE of the customer's office, in
the provider's network. The customer uses an
outside internet connection and VoIP
telephones connected to their local area
network.

5. Advantages & Disadvantages
• Pros: These services are usually a fixed cost
per month with unlimited calls. Additionally,
employees have common voicemail and
dialing plans.
• Cons: Service outages caused by the
customer's internet connection, hosted PBX
provider or local area network. For a reliable
hosted VoIP system, costs of local network
upgrades can be high.

6. VoIP Based BusinessTelephone
systems
• These systems place the telephone system
hardware at the customer's office. The
features are similar to a hosted VoIP, and the
telephone lines can be VoIP-based (called SIP
trunks) or traditional telephone lines.

7. Advantages & Disadvantages
• Pros: Long term savings on maintenance over
traditional phone systems. Employees can
simply plug their phone into ANY network jack
in the officeThe connection is stable, so the
problems of hosted VoIP systems don't come
into play.
• Cons: Cost is 20-50% higher than a traditional
phone system. Installations are tricky and
need to be handled by a trained professional.

8. Consumer VoIP
• These are free or low cost services such as
Skype, Vonage or Google Voice. These services
are used for saving money on long distance
telephone calls and international calls.

9. Advantages and Disadvantages
• Pros: These services save money, especially if
an employee is in another country.
• Cons: The quality of calls varies, since the VoIP
provider has no control over the Internet
connection. The cost of dropped calls or poor
clarity can outweigh the savings. You pay for
what you get!!

10. Blue Rooster offers complimentary consultations
on phone and internet services, including VoIP
based telephone systems