Compelling businesses cases are hard to come by. Quality and security is the subject of FUD. Perhaps most importantly, those enterprises that are forward thinking enough to appreciate the operational benefits of IP, have quite recently implemented advanced TDM solutions that are bridged with their contact management systems. These investments still have a distance to travel before they can be written off.

Nevertheless, the perceived industry wisdom supported by analyst predictions and all the research data recently collected points toward the day when all enterprises will implement a VoIP solution. The argument for a single network infrastructure to carry all company data voice, data and video - is logical and compelling. The savings available from bypassing the line rental and call costs of PSTN can run into millions per annum in certain circumstances. The technology is proven to work out of the box and daily we read about (and implement) innovations that raise the bar of the quality and certainty of VoIP to the point where it is indiscernible from that provided by the PSTN.

The reality is that no transport technology ever replaced another over night be that technology to carry people, goods or electrically generated signals. (Stevensons Rocket first carried rail passengers in the UK 1829. The last operational stagecoach in the UK - Minehead to Lynton - plied its trade in 1926.) Transport technologies evolve and have always relied on a handover point, or a gateway, to provide the user with the benefits of both old and new at the most appropriate point. That point is determined by cost, as are most evolutions in human endeavour. By the same argument, the VoIP gateway is an essential element of the evolution from traditional TDM voice systems to VoIP solutions.

Hardware manufactures, the PBX companies notable among them, depend on new product lines to guarantee their futures. In line with industry wisdom and predictions, the next range of PBX product is a VoIP solution with the essential PSTN gateway that beg the customers to make the big leap to VoIP. Yet as we have seen, there are some significant barriers to this leap. Therefore, the reseller channel has to look at ways to enable the leap and to sustain revenue streams while their customers sum up the courage to make it.

This is the role of the independent VoIP gateway. It enables a blend of VoIP and traditional telephony on a single implementation and with VegaStreams advanced dial planner capability; the user experience will not change at all. The gateway enables enterprises to leverage their investment in inter-site private IP networks to carry voice without changing their current phone systems. The gateway enables remote workers to directly connect over the ubiquitous broadband IP network to the company PBX system. And with the co-deployment of Proxy servers, the gateway enables road warriors to be in the office wherever they can connect their SIP devices to the Internet.

Earlier in this piece it was mentioned that VoIP technology is proven to work out of the box. This is the case in the show room; on the exhibition floor and in the controlled environment of the enterprise WAN. However real world implementations involve third party PBXs and desk top devices (and the myriad of TDM signalling protocols deployed), the specific technologies of wide area bearer circuits, SIP or H323 IP protocols, interface and access to PSTN for emergency service calls (as a minimum) and a real understanding of the needs and business drivers of the customer. This is the domain of the specialist communications systems integrator.

VegaStream has spent the last eight years perfecting VoIP gateway technology in the lab and with enterprise and carrier customers. While we continue to evolve new solutions to tackle issues such as security and audio quality and to build the stack of signalling protocol interfaces, the company is now focussing its energy on transferring skills to specialist communications systems integrators. These skills will enable identification, proposal and successful implementation of blended TDM and VoIP solutions the essential catalyst for the evolution to the next generation of converged communications.

For more information please visit www.vegastream.com