Voice over IP is a term we have been hearing a lot about in the past two years or so. But how many of us have a proper handle on what Voice over Internet Protocol actually is and how it can save companies money?
To help plug this knowledge gap, the BT Business Club has just posted online a free guide to VoIP that explains what it is and how small businesses can take advantage of the technology.
According to BT, only 18 per cent of businesses in Scotland are making calls over the internet, significantly less than the 25 per cent average for small businesses as a whole in the UK.
Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: “A quarter of small businesses in the UK are already using VoIP services, but that means the vast majority still aren’t.
“What we’re showing with this guide isn’t just how to make calls over the internet, but the real benefits it can bring to smaller companies. These extend way beyond cost and allow even the smallest company to create a more mobile, flexible workforce. It can also mean increased efficiency and productivity without significant capital investment. As well as that, VoIP starts small businesses on a journey towards unified communications by bringing everything together in one place.”
The level of VoIP usage by small business was determined by independent research commissioned by BT Business and conducted by Vanson-Bourne in March 2007 amongst 435 companies with up to 50 employees across the UK.
BT Business Club is an “online resource for SMEs with a wide range of information to help them make better-informed decisions about their business, IT and telecoms.” It includes fact sheets, case studies, guides and articles on key business issues, and news and views on the latest communications technology for small and medium businesses. For more information visit www.businessclub.bt.com
The guide is available for download from www.bt.com/understandingvoip . Downloading requires the completion of a short registration form and Adobe Acrobat to open the PDF file.
