Business Lingo Explained – VoIP
by Yolandi on 16/11/09 at 12:00 pm
No comments
Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP is a way of taking analog audio signals and converting them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet – much like an online telephone. So, it’s the delivery of voice communications over IP networks. VoIP is getting quite popular among businesses, big and small.
VoIP offers you a way to make very cheap or even free (Intranet) phone calls over the Internet, both locally and internationally. This means you don’t have to use telephone companies. For Robert and Dave from How Stuff Works, VoIP “will more than likely one day replace the traditional phone system entirely.”
Let’s look at some advantages of using VoIP for your Business:
1. It’s a lot more cost effective for local and international calls
2. It simplifies your management system
3. It allows you to make more than one call at a given time and promotes real-time collaboration
4. It’s allows you to send images, videos and voice through the same network
A word of caution: if your Internet, Intranet or service provider is offline, not only do you lose internal communication but also telephonic communication.
There are a few service providers you can use in South Africa. VoIP service providers include MWeb, Internet Solutions and Neotel. Click here for a complete list of VoIP service providers.
Yolandi Janse van Rensburg writes about social media, marketing, life and, of course, cars. We say “of course” because Yolandi is nuts about anything on 4 wheels. Besides moonlighting as the Heavy Chef girl at World Wide Creative, Yolandi runs Autofemme, a blog about cars, as a business on the side. View more articles by Yolandi.
Tags: Business Lingo, Internet/Technology
