IP telephony has exploded within the last few years as companies have chosen to replace their traditional TDM phone systems in order to realize the cost savings and application benefits of VoIP. IP telephony systems allow enterprises to consolidate voice and data onto one network -- reducing the resources needed -- and also allow them to layer on advanced unified communications capabilities, including mixed-media contact centers, unified messaging, voice portals, and presence and collaboration tools. With more and more businesses thinking and acting globally each day, the need for affordable, global communication is increasing exponentially, and IP telephony helps to satisfy that need.

Because of IP telephony's real-time capabilities, companies using it can adopt real-time communications applications to increase productivity. They may implement conference calling over the Internet or the ability to stream video instantaneously. Companies may simultaneously share presentations, documents, files and applications during meetings involving offices located in different states, countries, and even continents. Vendors that once focused on providing IP telephony hardware to these companies are now also providing the applications to allow them to move forward in their IP communications plans.

In January 2008, SearchUnifiedCommunications.com reported that IP telephony was about to make the leap from emerging technology to the mainstream. In-Stat, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based research firm, reported that in the first half of 2007, 11.1 million new enterprise IP telephony lines were shipped worldwide, representing 80% of total business voice line shipments.

This year, our Product Leadership survey respondents gave the illustrious gold award in the IP telephony system category to the Unified Communications Solution from Cisco. Formerly known as CallManager, but now encompassing unified communications applications as well, the system creates a unified workspace to improve productivity, according to Cisco. Our members seemed to agree.

The product scored best, however, in the tried and true backbone of the platform: voice quality. This was rated good or excellent by more than 80% of survey respondents. One user of the system commented that "calls … to India sound like they are next door."

The Unified Communications Solution also received high marks in IP communications/messaging capabilities and scalability. One user noted that Cisco's system integrated seamlessly within the current Cisco infrastructure. Several respondents commented on Cisco's high quality of customer service.

One user perhaps best summed up the Unified Communications Solution's overall exemplary reviews by saying that although his company had deployed it at just one location so far, the company – based on the system's performance -- now plans to roll it out to 50% of its branches in 2008.

Jessica L. Dempsey, Assistant Editor