n Get the Right Integration Partner: Choosing integration partner for deploying an IP network within an enterprise is not easy and one should be very careful while looking for one. One should look at technical skills and the level of experience the integrator possess in IP and any live case study which the company has successfully implemented.

n Suite of Services: While opting for IP, enterprise should look at the entire gamut of offerings and the network should not be seen as just a voice solution.

VoIP and VPN Gain Acceptance
Technology	No of Corporates
VoIP	22
DSL	22
VPN	21
Gigabit Ethernet (1,000 Mbps)	14
Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps)	8
New technology adaptability among corporates is very good with 22 out of 58 companies going for VoIP and 21 opting for VPN.
Source: VOICE&DATA Networking Masters Survey 2002

n Service Level Agreements: If one is deploying a high-end network, one should also include in their respective SLAs. Some vendors offer graded services i.e. different category of services. So ensure what suits you best.

n Existing Infrastructure Support Solutions: Before you plan for an IP EPABX, make sure that your existing infrastructure (like wiring) supports such a solution, and also check out for interoperability of the new EPABX with the existing devices. Also ensure that the IP-addressing system can handle the new voice over IP application. Also remember that in India, voice and data integration over a single network is still not allowed, so you would not be able to fully exploit the benefits of IP.

n Technology Roadmap: Enterprises should be aware about technology roadmap before opting for a particular vendor. Most big vendors would give a definite roadmap for IP enablement of their PBX by adding the gatekeeper, gateway functionalities and some software upgrades. However, they do differ in the level of functionalities, scalabilities and costs etc.

Also, few would have live sites demonstrating the same in India. Hence the customer should ensure that the road map provided is scalable and without any loss of feature functionalities and is not a fork lift upgrade to be cost effective.