This guide originally appeared on SearchSMB.com. For more IT articles and tips specific to small and midsized businesses, visit SearchSMB.com.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is quickly becoming a mainstream technology, and small and midsized businesses (SMBs) need to keep up with the larger companies, even if it's on a smaller scale. You want your company to have the most relevant resources, but you want to be sure before you invest in an expensive project. Check out the latest news, tips and other VoIP resources -- specifically geared toward SMBs -- to help you make informed decisions.
For free advice and resources on more IT and business topics, visit our main SMB IT Management Guide section.
Table of contents
Basics News Expert advice Security issues More resources
 Basics |  Return to Table of Contents |
- Definition: VoIP
- Introduction to Internet telephony
- Guide: Learn IT in 10 easy steps: VoIP
- SMB buying decisions: VoIP
- VoIP quiz: Test your skills
- VoIP: What you don't know could hurt you
- VoIP pros and cons (Tom Pisello)
- Tools for VoIP planning, monitoring and management (By Ed Tittel)
| News | Return to Table of Contents |
- Group seeks to bolster VoIP security
- Cisco revamps VoIP products for SMBs
- VoIP for SMBs: Cutting edge and cutting costs
- VoIP turns up the heat on firewalls
- Product Roundup: VoIP and DP for SMBs
- TechTalk: VoIP is worth considering
- Adopters highlight complex decisions behind VoIP
- Small businesses get serious about VoIP
- Cisco helps SMBs build app-ready networks
- Cisco targets SMBs with VoIP-friendly routers
- Top expert tips of 2004
| Expert advice | Return to Table of Contents |
- Hybrid PBXs
- Ask the expert: Is VoIP for SMBs?
- Using VoIP service for long-distance toll bypass
- VoIP natural fit with text-to-speech information delivery
- Seven steps to successful VoIP
- Planning keeps VoIP costs under control
- VoIP for Dummies- Chapter 5: Getting Switched
- A trove of VoIP and IP telephony treasures (By Ed Tittel)
- Avoiding VoIP surprises with WAN emulation (SearchNetworking.com)
- Comparing VoIP service offerings (Ed Tittel)
- How VoIP is changing telecommunications for businesses (Carrie Higbie)
- VoIP and IP telephony in IT certifications (By Ed Tittel)
- VoIP campus VLAN design (Rich Parsons)
- VoIP congestion management - basic queuing methods (By Rich Parsons)
- VoIP congestion management: Part II - Hybrid queuing methods (By Rich Parsons)
- VoIP pros and cons (Tom Pisello)
- What about mobile VoIP? (Ed Tittel)
| Security issues | Return to Table of Contents |
- Warning: VoIP brings new security threats
- Gartner underscores five overblown threats
- VoIP Security Resource Guide (SearchEnterpriseVoice.com)
- NetAlly VoIP: Another testing and monitoring tool (By Ed Tittel)
- Tools for VoIP planning, monitoring and management (By Ed Tittel)
- Stolen voices: The challenge of securing VoIP
| More resources | Return to Table of Contents |
- SearchEnterpriseVoice.com
- voip-info.org
- VoIP 101 (VoIP Now)
- A simple guide to VoIP advantages and disadvantages (TelCon Associates, Inc.)
This was first published in April 2006