VoIP network assessment
Network assessment must be your first consideration when deploying VoIP. It is the only way to know how your network will handle VoIP. PROGNOSIS makes it easy.
Pre-deployment network assessment is a critical, but often overlooked step. In fact, recent research from analyst firm Nemertes, shows that less than 25 percent of enterprise VoIP deployments budgeted upfront for assessment or management of their IP telephony network.
Robin Gareiss of Nemertes Research tells us “Our recommendations, are first and foremost, conduct a baseline network assessment. We see that many times companies don't do this and they end up realizing that they should have.”
The most important aspect of a network assessment (after ensuring an appropriate budget be allocated for it to be conducted) is that it simulates ‘actual’ voice traffic on the data network.
Take this for example: David Wall, chief engineer with David Wall Enterprises was commissioned to assess the data network of a large distributed funds management company with two offices in different cities. By all accounts, and based on the metrics, the network should have been able to handle the extra traffic.
David tested regardless, and it was lucky he did. It was found that despite the theory, the practice showed up major deficiencies – fortunately all it took was the replacement of a key component with one of a greater capacity.
One calculation that did prove correct was that the cost of the assessment was far less than it would have been to assess, track, and rectify the problem post deployment – and that is purely on direct monetary terms. The damage to the company’s reputation and the potential loss of business would have accounted for much more.
David Wall says, “There’s no point in conducting a network assessment if the tool you use can’t simulate ‘actual’ voice traffic. And that simulated voice traffic assessment must be run over the entire course of operations. So if your call and data usage peaks daily, weekly, or monthly, you need to assess over those peak times as well as those quiet times. The tool I use? PROGNOSIS IP Telephony Assessor.”
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