Telephony FAQ

What does Telephony mean?

The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as the technology and manufacture of telephone equipment and systems. We generally use it to refer to everything about the industry of providing and maintaining business class phone systems.

What's all of this I hear about Voice Over IP?

The latest greatest buzzword in telephony is Voice Over IP or VOIP. This is the process of putting phone calls over a data network instead of over normal phone wiring. The data network might be your office's internal LAN (or local area network), the data network might be the private connections between your various offices, or it might be the Internet. There are some great possibilities for generating business value with VOIP and the entire telephone industry from equipment providers to phone carriers are trying to develop their VOIP strategies.

So I guess I need to get VOIP?

You need to start understanding VOIP and developing a strategy. Just putting in a VOIP phone system or VOIP lines doesn't necessarily help your business. You need to identify concrete benefits today and develop a plan for the future. Try reading this White Paper for more details or contact The Alexander Group to learn how VOIP can benefit you.

Are there other trends in telephony I should know about?

Sure, possibly the biggest is the open standards revolution. For years, phone systems have been big proprietary boxes that only worked with their own equipment and you had no access to the system. If you wanted to use Nortel phones, you had to buy all of your equipment from Nortel. Today, that model is changing. Phone system manufacturers are beginning to create equipment that operates to an open standard that anyone else can make equipment for. That means your Toshiba phones can work with Intel hardware and Vertical Communications software. You can choose the best options from a variety of vendors and they will work together. If this sounds familiar, it's because it happened with computers in the 80s. The result was much greater choice and drastically lower prices. That is what is happening with phone systems today. You can learn more about open standards here.

So how does The Alexander Group fit into all of this?

We are the consulting firm that provides you with the best solutions for your business. For 15 years, we have been advising our clients on business technology and implementing solutions for them. We will talk with you, recommend a solution, install it, train your personnel how to best use it, and then maintain the system for you. We are your one-stop shop for telephony and other business technology. To learn more about the value we provide go here.

Okay, so which phone system do you recommend?

That depends on your needs and future plans. The Alexander Group works with multiple vendors because no one product is best for every situation. Our value comes from our years of experience in the industry which allows us to identify the exact product that meets your needs, customize it, and install it to best suit your business. Try filling out our Free Consultation Session questionnaire to begin this process.

Are there any superior solutions for my specific industry?

Sure, there are products that work best in your field and we can help you find them. Here are a few resources in some sample business areas: