VoIP 101: What is VoIP and Why It’s Important

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol, and it allows you to make calls and send texts over the internet instead of your cellular provider’s infrastructure. In some cases, this means you can keep using your home phone number, but most service providers will give you a new VoIP number. Some companies require you to have your own VoIP-enabled device, such as an ATA or adapter, while others let you use your smartphone or tablet with no extra equipment required.

VoIP 101: What is VoIP and Why It’s Important

What Is VoIP?

VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. If you’re not really sure what that means, don’t worry—the acronym confuses many people. In simple terms, VoIP lets you make phone calls using your internet connection instead of a traditional line. There are plenty of reasons why businesses (and consumers) should be interested in switching to a VoIP system, but one of them is cost savings. By going with VoIP over a traditional landline, you can reduce costs on monthly phone bills, installation fees, and even equipment purchase costs (like handsets). Plus, technology keeps getting better—over time you may find that upgrading your phones or adding new features becomes much easier with VoIP.

Benefits of VoIP

Businesses that make use of VoIP get a lot of benefits. Since it’s cheaper than traditional telephone lines, more businesses can afford to make use of it; they don’t have to worry about being left behind when competitors are using different communication tools. They also find that their business communications run smoother since they can access them on any Internet-connected device at any time. More than that, businesses find that their employees are happier when they don’t have to interrupt them in order to communicate with them. Since there aren’t any landlines, calls only come through if someone wants to reach out to you, which means you won’t be interrupted by work calls when you’re relaxing or taking care of other tasks around your home office. With VoIP, you can take control over your communication options, instead of having to follow along with whatever phone company decides to offer you. You can even add features like call forwarding and voicemail transcription so that everyone involved has an easier time keeping up with what’s going on at all times.

Types of Voice Over IP

There are many different types of VoIP systems, but they typically fall into one of three categories. First, traditional software-based servers. This type of system uses a software-based server to handle telephony services for one business or a group of businesses. Second, cloud-based solutions are hosted on centralized servers in data centers maintained by providers such as Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon Web Services. Third, hybrid systems combine aspects of both software-based and cloud-based solutions. Since a hybrid system can be customized to meet specific needs better than either type of system can individually, these solutions are quickly gaining popularity among enterprise-level companies looking for flexibility at an affordable price point.

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