Print this article

Comment This

Email this article

Businesses and organizations of all sizes are entering a new phase in the adoption of IP Communications-a category that includes IP telephony; unified messaging and voice mail; customer contact; and audio, Web, and videoconferencing solutions. Until recently, the IP Communications debate focused on whether it was a viable, “ready-for-prime-time” technology, but in the last few years this new technology has gained a strong foothold in the mainstream market.

THE TECHNOLOGY
The reduced cost and increased efficiency of the IP PBX comes from the efficiency of the VoIP codec that are used in it. Depending on their individual requirements, organizations can make a choice.

The voice quality through these protocols, as well as over PSTN circuits, is measured in MOS (mean opinion scores) on a scale of 1 to 5. With 1 being bad and 5 being superlative. This is an opinion score, as 'listeners' are requested to listen to the voice quality, and give their opinion on it. The complexity of human voice conversations ensures that the loudest or the sharpest sounds are not necessarily the most clear, or desirable. So, protocols like G 711, which has been around since 1972 and which uses the full 64 kbps channel, can give excellent MOS of around 4.4. The G 729 codec, which occupies a 24 kbps channel, can give around; and the G 723, which occupies a 17 kbps channel, can deliver an MOS or around 3.92.

The quality of codecs described here are those found out by only one vendor, but they are indicative of their quality and efficiency.

	EXPERTS PANEL
	KVSSS Gunneswara Rao, director, VoIP, D-Link India, Ranajoy Punja, VP, marketing (India and SAARC), Cisco Systems

Added to these voice codecs are silence suppression codecs. It is accepted that the useful voice part in any conversation is only around 40-50%. The rest is silence. There are codecs for suppressing this silence too, such as G 168 and G 165, the former being more recent and considered more efficient. And finally, because the human ear and the mind is not used to 'complete' silence, there are separate codecs for adding ambient 'sound' in the background so that the listeners do not find the conversations to be 'artificial'.

OPEN SOURCE
PC-based IP PBX construction tools are today available across the world. Many of these are paid service on open source software, and many are also free open source based. If an enterprise has the resources and skill to manage and maintain these on its own, without reference to a vendor, they can be good options at very low costs. Hardware for this construction is available off the shelf, and software can be downloaded from many websites.

Contrary to the impression, hosted IP centrex will catalyze the growth of IP PBXs.

WHAT HAS CHANGED IN EPABX OVER THE YEARS?
The traditional EPABX has evolved from a TDM architecture (traditional systems switch calls using time division multiplexing, which is a digital circuit-switch technology) to an IP architecture. IP PBXs utilize VoIP technology to packet voice and switch it via an IP network. Since this is the same IP network on which data applications and IP based audio and video are carried, organizations see increased RoI. Thus there is a shift from deploying multiple networks for voice, video and data to a Converged IP network, which transports IP based data, voice and video traffic.

ADOPTION PATTERN
The adoption of IP PBXs has been gaining ground gradually since 1999. Indian organizations have adopted IP PBXs usually for these reasons.

• End of Life of their existing EPABX

• Lack of Scalability on their existing EPABX

• New facility

• Need for productivity enhancing applications

• Increased need for collaborating (voice, video, data) at reduced cost

Till date, the trend (in the absence of regulation favoring convergence) has been to deploy IP PBXs in the closed user group (CUG). However, off late, more and more organizations have also started deploying IP PBXs for their PSTN requirements as well.

Till a few years ago, IP PBX systems were deployed only at large enterprises. However, more and more SMEs are now adopting IP PBX systems. One of the key reasons for this late adoption by SMEs was the non-availability of low-cost IP PBX platforms suiting their needs. However, vendors have now woken up to this opportunity, and there are many solution today targeted at the SMEs.

THE MIGRATION TO IP
IP Communication solutions offer migration at an organization's preferred pace. By integrating with most of the major legacy PBXs and voicemail systems, as well as other business applications, most leading IP players empower customers to migrate to full IP based on their business needs, instead of being forced to adopt technologies due to limitations like interoperability of the various business applications. Additionally, companies can (and they are doing so) use a building-block approach for migrating their communications to IP on a site-by-site, group-by-group, or application-by-application basis.

Successful customer migration to IP communications is as much about processes as it is about technologies. Understanding this, leading industry players have developed detailed plans and processes that make migration smoother, faster, and easier for companies of all sizes.

This is an example of applying the old way of thinking to an entirely new paradigm. In the TDM world, telephony was thought of as a series of boxes that were located in each building in the company. Each box had a certain number of shelves, each shelf had a certain number of line cards, and each line card have a certain number of ports.

In the IP communications world, telephony is just one of the services in the network. And, this service is available from anywhere in the network, independent of location. For example, a multisite business may deploy the call control (IP PBX) software only at the central site, then enable the remote sites to access the service remotely over the network.

Today, vendors are of the opinion that the piece of sheet metal called a PBX, which is bolted down in the basements will disappear eventually-no boxes, no shelves, no line cards, no ports.

ROI ISSUES
When the total cost of ownership (TCO) of IP communications solution running a converged IP network for voice, video, and data is calculated, organizations can show a substantial amount of saving. The organization should have carried out due diligence to find out what applications they would want to implement using IP PBX. The benefits from these applicatiosns-eg, collaboration and video conferencing-should justify the investment in an IP PBX. Else, the RoI calculations could go haywire as the investment would not be contributing to any productive activity in the organization.

DRIVERS
Cost and increased functionalities and applications over IP PBX remain constant drivers. In the absence of any promotion of converged networks by the government, the next wave of IP PBX deployment is likely to come from the increased availability of bandwidth through broadband. Once bandwidth is freely available, the next wave of IP PBX deployment will be seen, as IP PBX is also a router. IP PBX will play the role of a network in a box down the line.

For example, Texas Instruments has recently bought a large number of broadband CPEs for its employees in Bangalore. The purpose is to promote telecommuting and flexi hours in the office. Integrating this huge and dispersed IP network can only be done over IP PBXs.

WHAT DRAGS DOWN IP PBX?
Lack of collaboration between the IT teams and the Administration department: In enterprises, the IT team operates and maintains the data network while the administration department operates and maintains the PBX. Since IP Telephony is another application on the data network, the PBX team usually feels threatened that going the IPT way may make them redundant. And it is this fear that needs to be removed, which is possible only if the two departments collaborate and work towards a common business goal rather than working towards their individual goals.

Lack of education on the business benefits of IPT: It is a known fact that the strength of IPT is the application. The full potential of IP telephony can only be exploited when organizations adopting IP PBX deploy IP telephony applications (such as unified messaging, video telephony, and collaboration tools).

The current telephony regulatory environment in India does not allow organizations to 'converge' their PBX's on the PSTN and CUG side into a single PBX: The above regulation has forced organizations to deploy two PBXs (one for their PSTN requirement and another for their CUG requirement). A good number of organizations have deployed IPT for their CUG needs because the IPT system also provides the users access to all the applications (such as unified messaging, video telephony, and collaboration tools). However, these very organizations have deployed TDM PBXs for their PSTN needs because on the PSTN side, they are not able to give the users the benefit of using the applications-all applications sit usually on the data/CUG side of the network.

However, many organizations have now started deploying IPT for their CUG and PSTN needs in spite of the regulation because of reduced OPEX with IP PBX systems, as against the TDM PBX systems.

Lack of a standard protocol such as SIP, in the call control engine: Many IP PBX vendors today have call control engines, which are either built on proprietary protocols or proprietary extensions to a standard protocol such as H.323. This deters organizations that have a major requirement for interoperability.

BUYING TIPS

• Evaluate whether there is a need for the functionalities of an IP PBX in the organization. Do not buy IP equipment just for the sake of having the latest technology. Consider all the options such as VoIP services hosted by a third-party, replacement of all or part of an existing PBX with VoIP-capable switches, or adding a VoIP gateway in front of an existing PBX.

• No doubt that IP PBXs will save money, however it is preferable that cost savings should not be attempted by buying used equipment. Plus, the PBX installation cost does not change whether a system is old or new, which is a significant portion of the cost.

• Enterprises can also look to mix-n-match by buying the software and hardware for the IP PBX separately. Besides the open source free software, even some of the big names are planning to market the software on a concurrent call user basis. So a 20 concurrent call software and licence may be available for Rs 20,000 only, while a 20 concurrent call complete PBX unit is today available for around Rs 3,20,000 from the same vendor.
      Depending on the criticality of the PBX applications, budget, and the maintenance skills available, the software could be installed on a PC to an industrial class server.

• Budget for upgrading the LAN as needed, to provide acceptable quality of service and battery backup to power the network in case outside power fails. Bandwidth is often not the problem, but old switches and routers can create bottlenecks.

• The integrator should be authorized by the PBX vendor. This gives them the ability to access the manufacturer directly for equipment upgrades or troubleshooting tricky installation problems.

• Make sure to retain the complete documentation of the PBX system after it has been retained. This will include complete administrator documentation and the passwords. Most IP PBXs allow MAC changes over a browser interface, for this the documentation and the admin passwords would be required.

• Budget for advanced IP phones, including handsets with emergency battery backup built in. Also factor in the cost of additional software that would be required for integrating services like CRM with the IP PBX.

Alok Singh
aloksi@cybermedia.co.in