Every business has to pay to connect to the internet, so it makes sense to use that connection for as many communication services as possible. Voice is an obvious choice. Given the maturity of voice over IP protocol (VoIP), there’s not much reason to use a separate copper or fiber connection when network bandwidth is available. With VoIP, voice communication becomes just another application on the network.
SIP — Session Initiation Protocol — is perhaps the most popular VoIP protocol. SIP trunking can turn any number of devices within a network into SIP endpoints that businesses can use, like phones. SIP endpoints can be independent physical hardware devices (phones, in other words) or software applications that run on desktop or mobile devices (sometimes called softphones).
Of course, a phone’s no good without connectivity, but that’s simple. SIP endpoints can connect to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) either through a local device such as an IP PBX or border gateway. Increasingly though, businesses choose to connect their SIP endpoints to the PSTN via a communications platform as a service (CPaaS).
Connectivity as a service beats acquiring, managing, and maintaining hardware for the same reasons businesses use cloud services in other areas.
Benefits of SIP
SIP trunking is cost-effective — there’s no need to pay a separate bill to a phone company, and though you may pay a CPaaS provider, their bill will be lower than what the phone company would charge. With SIP, calls are just network connections, so you don’t have to pay expensive long-distance rates.
One difference between a SIP endpoint and a traditional phone line is that you can associate multiple numbers with a single SIP endpoint. Multiple local and toll-free numbers can all come into the same endpoint, and local numbers can have any area code or even country, not just the one associated with your physical place of business.
And SIP isn’t just about voice calls. SIP supports video calls, real-time presence information, instant messaging, and file transfers, as well as if the endpoint device can provide that support.
SIP endpoints are cost-effective because you don’t need new hardware for them — they can run on existing devices. That yields an instant return on investment — businesses get more capability and lower communication costs, and employees get increased productivity.
Another benefit for employees is increased mobility. With a traditional office phone, you could receive calls only in the office. With a SIP endpoint, you can be anywhere — working at home, at the local coffee shop, or on vacation in the Hamptons. Increasing employees’ availability is a benefit for their employers too.
Hard and Soft Options
Which SIP endpoints are right for your business? If you want hardware phones and you already have hardware from a networking vendor such as Cisco, Avaya, or Mitel, it would be worth getting a quote from your current vendor. The SIP protocol itself is standard, but some vendors may support proprietary features to give their devices more functionality.
If you’re fine with softphones, you can choose among many names, including some open source options, for just about every desktop and mobile device.
Any way you slice it, SIP endpoints and SIP trunking services are where business telephony is heading.