My organization is considering implementing a VoIP solution between a number of our sites. Should we use a specific router on each remote site (with VPN functions, for instance) or will a basic router do? What are the advantages creating a VPN for our project (security, management, deplolyment, etc.)?
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If there is already a private network (or virtual private network) between sites, people usually take advantage of that when deploying VoIP. Typically, the bandwidth needs to be increased and quality of service implemented, but this is usually a fairly straightforward task. If there is currently no private network in place between sites, and you're going to use VoIP, I would recommend an MPLS based VPN service from a service provider such as Masergy. The benefit of this approach is that quality of service can be controlled over their network as opposed to sending traffic directly over the Internet or over a VPN between two routers over the Internet. By taking this approach you will obtain proper security and better voice quality.
This was first published in November 2004