US Corporations Look at VOIP

US companies anticipate saving 40 per cent on telecoms costs as a result of implementing voice over IP (VoIP), research published today has reported.

A poll of nearly 1,000 US-based IT professionals conducted by Qwest Communications found that 100 per cent of respondents plan to install new or additional VoIP services within the next year.

When asked about the primary driver for VoIP migration, 64 per cent reported cost savings, while 36 per cent indicated the availability of features and improved productivity.

In addition, more than 70 per cent of IT managers would prefer their VoIP service to come from a company that owns its own national fibre network compared with a provider that leases internet access from another company.

"The findings show that VoIP has arrived. It is being adopted by mainstream businesses, and not just technical companies which typically embrace new technologies first," said Eric Bozich, vice president of national network services at Qwest.

"We have moved past educating customers on 'what VoIP is' to demonstrating 'what VoIP can do.' This is evident in the survey findings, and we are finding that productivity gains and feature benefits are emerging as key drivers for implementing VoIP.

"Cost savings are always important, but the real benefit of VoIP will be the long-term productivity benefits."