Turn Up the Volume on VoIP

摘要

Paul Halco, vice president of network services for The Northern Trust Company, is evaluating Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology for the enterprise. Like many financial-services companies, Northern would like to put its voice and data traffic over the same IP-based network. So last year Halco installed test phones from the big-three suppliers of VoIP phones―Avaya, Cisco Systems and Nortel Networks―to get hands-on experience. After conducting some trials, Halco, who oversees telecommunications for the Chicago-based financial-services institution, says, "I don't see the reliability being where the traditional phone is, and that's a concern of mine. If there weren't some cost savings, it would be really hard to justify," he adds.