VOIP Yes or No

Voice Over The Internet (VOIP) YES or NO!
Q: If I buy a system that isn’t compatible with Voice over IP (VOIP), will it become obsolete quickly? A: No it won’t. We are confident you will be able to use “conventional” analog and digital phone lines for twenty years or more. A VOIP phone system simply means that the phones communicate with your main phone system box using VOIP. However, when a call is made outside the office, the call is converted to conventional analog or digital technology for use on the phone lines from the phone company.
Q: Does VOIP eliminate long distance? A: Usually no. Multi-location business can eliminate toll costs between offices using VOIP. However, any call made to someone not in another office of the same company will still incur toll charges regardless of whether their phone system is VOIP or not. If you have only one office, the answer is always no.
Q: Is VOIP easier to deploy? A: Only if your office has Cat 5 data cable installed. Many offices cabled in the past only have CAT 3 data cabling which will not work
Q: Can VOIP be run on my existing data network, so I don’t need another jack Cat 5 or otherwise? A: Yes, with a caveat. While VOIP can be run on an existing network, you will need to have routers that can perform what is called QoS (Quality of Service). This gives voice traffic priority over data packets. Without QoS, the quality of the voice calls could become unintelligible during times of heavy data traffic on your network.
Q: Is VOIP easier to maintain? A: Probably. Moving a conventional phone requires a technician to move wires in the back room. VOIP phones will retain their programming when moved, so typically no technician is required assuming there is a working network jack at the new location.
Q: Does VOIP offer more features than digital/analog phones? A: Absolutely. The most compelling reason to migrate to VOIP is for the features-specifically the mobility features. VOIP allows a user to have a phone at his/her home and still have it connected to the phone system. The same is true with remote offices. Distant phones and offices can be easily and seamlessly integrated into a VOIP system so that calls may be routed to the distant phone exactly as if the calls were located in the office.
If you are considering VOIP, know that digital systems while less expensive, are probably going to be less functional in the future. The best option is a digital system which is already VOIP capable. This allows for cost savings for any future use of VOIP phones. Either way VOIP is here to stay.