Data Eclipse Computers

May 17, 2008

VoIP

Voice over IP (VoIP) defines a way to carry voice calls over an IP network including the digitization and packetization of the voice streams. IP Telephony utilizes the VoIP standards to create a telephony system where higher level features such as advanced call routing, voice mail, contact centers, etc., can be utilized.

Cisco VoIP is not just for calls that utilize the Internet for toll bypass, but for all telephone network traffic from the handset to the PSTN. One of the many benefits of VoIP that has a direct ROI and reduces TCO is that only one cable system is needed for both the data and telephone networks. With VoIP the old telephone wiring mess is completely eliminated. In new construction situations the only cabling required is the industry standard CAT5. One outlet of CAT5 cable will support the use of a Cisco phone and your PC.

... and Scale to Meet Future Voice and Data Requirements.

More Information on VoIP and Cisco AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video and Integrated Data)

Cisco AVVID IP Telephony Solution

Cisco IP Telephony solutions deliver high-quality voice and integrated communication applications over an open, standards-based network architecture while significantly reducing costs by decreasing reliance on traditional PBX technology and PSTN services.

Cisco AVVID - Enabling E-Business

Cisco AVVID (Architecture for Voice, Video, and Integrated Data) enables enterprises to extend the value of their networks. Cisco AVVID delivers optimal quality of service (QoS), security, and network availability, providing a solid foundation for rapid deployment of integrated applications and services.

Cisco AVVID Network Infrastructure

Businesses operating large enterprise networks increasingly seek an enterprise-wide infrastructure to serve as a solid foundation for emerging technologies such as IP telephony, content delivery, and IP storage. Cisco AVVID Network Infrastructure provides a documented roadmap for planning, building, and expanding enterprise networks with consideration for quality of service (QoS), high availability, and security. Cisco AVVID Network Infrastructure extends beyond a single-box approach, focusing on good design principles, interoperability between different network components, and the use of features and protocols needed to build a converged voice, video, and data network. Through Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) guides, which provide best-practice designs and implementation, Cisco AVVID Network Infrastructure enables enterprises to design networks that facilitate rapid and effective deployment of emerging technologies to meet current and future business demands and to accelerate deployment cycles across the enterprise.

Cisco AVVID IP Telephony

Built on the Cisco AVVID Network Infrastructure, the Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solution provides high-quality IP voice and fully integrated communications. Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solutions are carefully designed, tested, and optimized to ensure functionality and complete interoperability. These solutions are available to IP Telephony specialized channel partners through Solution Reference Network Design (SRND) guides, which provide verified solutions that can be customized to fit the needs of each enterprise customer. Cisco has brought together the best people, equipment, and software to create a direct path to the future.

Through IP Telephony, single-site and multi-site enterprises can use IP as a primary voice path, with the traditional public switched telephone network (PSTN) serving as a backup voice path. The easy-to-deploy, standards-based system delivers high voice quality while decreasing the reliance on the PSTN and significantly reducing costs.

An IP Telephony solution does more than reduce expenses; it also delivers on the vision of Cisco AVVID by combining communication tools into a single system and even into a single session. IP Telephony users can now have simultaneous access to Web pages, applications, documents, videos, and other tools while participating in a conversation. Instead of a single communication tool, IP Telephony offers a complete communications solution..

Designed for Scalability

Enterprise customers can choose from the following IP Telephony deployment models:

Single-site call processing
Multi-site IP WAN with centralized call processing
Multi-site IP WAN with distributed call processing
Single Cisco CallManager cluster deployed across several sites over an IP WAN

Solution Benefits

Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solutions offer strategic benefits to the enterprise, including:

Expert guidance — As the world leader in Internet technology, Cisco offers industry-leading technology, design expertise, guidance, and support.
Ease of implementation — Cisco and its IP Telephony specialized channel partners provide complete service, ensuring that each IP Telephony system meets Cisco's high standards.
Verified interoperability — Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solutions are based on tested and verified designs that ensure the seamless integration of all equipment and applications. Cisco or its IP Telephony specialized channel partners can also customize these solutions to meet business demands and the constraints resulting from existing equipment or applications.
Path for growth and upgrades — Design standards ensure that each IP Telephony solution provides scalability to meet future needs and an easy path to add further functionality, including emerging technologies.
Reduced operating costs — Complete voice service allows companies to use the IP platform in place of the PSTN to handle intra-office calls and calls to offices worldwide.
Increased convenience and productivity — Workforce optimization tools allow users to log onto the network and gain instant access to calendar, e-mail, and voice mail information. Extension mobility capabilities enable callers to log on to their extensions remotely to place and receive calls.
Reduced travel costs and increased teamwork — When combined with other Cisco AVVID solutions, IP Telephony enables voice calls in tandem with document and application sharing for employee conferences, customer service interaction, and virtual business meetings.
Increased security and control — Centralized configuration and management of the IP Telephony network provides greater security and control over what is connected to the network.

Technology Overview

A Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solution provides a layer of functionality above the Cisco AVVID Network Infrastructure. Standardized IP Telephony solutions are designed, tested, and verified blends of hardware with software capabilities and tools that allow an enterprise to migrate from a private branch exchange (PBX) and voice network to a standards-based, distributed IP network.

The foundation architecture of the Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solution consists of four primary components:

Cisco AVVID Network Infrastructure

The infrastructure includes PSTN gateways, analog phone support, and digital signal processors (DSPs). The infrastructure can support multiple client types such as hardware phones, software phones, and video devices. The infrastructure also includes the interfaces and features necessary to integrate legacy PBX, voice-mail, and directory systems. Typical products used to build the infrastructure include Cisco voice gateways (non-routing, routing, and integrated), Cisco Catalyst® switches, and Cisco routers.
Communication endpoints

A communication endpoint is a user instrument such as a desk phone or a software phone application that runs on a PC. In the IP environment, each phone has an Ethernet connection. IP phones have all the functions you expect from a telephone as well as more complicated features such as the ability to access Web sites. Typical user instruments include the Cisco IP Phone and the Cisco IP SoftPhone.
Call processing agent

At the core of the IP Telephony system is Cisco CallManager, the call processing agent. Cisco CallManager software extends enterprise telephony features and capabilities to packet telephony network devices such as IP phones, media processing devices, voice-over-IP (VoIP) gateways, and multimedia applications. Additional data, voice, and video services such as unified messaging, multimedia conferencing, collaborative contact centers, and interactive multimedia response systems interact with the IP Telephony solution through Cisco CallManager's open telephony application programming interfaces (APIs).
Applications

As defined by Cisco AVVID, applications are physically independent from the call processing and voice processing infrastructure, and they may reside anywhere within the network. Applications improve the end-to-end capabilities of the Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solution by adding sophisticated telephony and converged network features such as the following:

Cisco IP SoftPhone

Extension mobility

Multi-party voice conferencing

Unified messaging

Web services for Cisco IP Phones

Cisco Personal Assistant

Cisco Customer Response Solutions (CRS) platform

Cisco IP Integrated Contact Distribution (IP ICD)

Cisco IP Interactive Voice Response (IP IVR)

In addition, the Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solution includes features and functions to provide quality-of-service (QoS), system security, and network management.

Service and Support

Technology and equipment make up only one aspect of an end-to-end Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solution. For deployment ease, Cisco and its IP Telephony specialized channel partners offer design and implementation services based on tested and verified designs and materials. Through Cisco and its partners, end-to-end services enable businesses to configure and optimize each Cisco AVVID solution to deliver a fully interoperable suite of services. Delivered directly or through an ecosystem of specialized channel partners, a Cisco IP Telephony solution provides strategic and consultative support for planning, design, implementation, operation, and optimization.

Choosing an end-to-end Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solution ensures that you receive best practices, design guidance, proven materials, faster deployment, and complete system interoperability.

Get Started

To learn more about verified Cisco AVVID IP Telephony solutions, contact your Cisco channel account manager or your Cisco AVVID specialized partner, dglore@dataeclipse.com.

[Home] [Products] [Catalog] [Service] [Contact Us] [Tech Talk]