Saturday, November 3, 2012

Choosing The Right Network For a Call Centre

By Emily Collins


We know how difficult it can be choosing the right network for your contact centre. You'll want the fastest speed no doubt, but also to maintain reliability. We've looked at some of the most popular choices and given you a run-down on what they're all about so that you can get the most from your IP Communications specialist.

Option One: Ethernet Network

This popular option works for secure, high speed networking on a large scale. Delivered over fibre, an Ethernet network can work at speeds of 10Mbps, 100Mbps, 1 Gbps and all the way up to 10 Gbps with an extension service. Multiple sites can be connected and with-stand extremely heavy bandwidth. Your call centre can benefit from secure and fast voice, data, video and IP usage.

Option Two: Hosted Telephony

If you're more concerned with effectively cutting costs and not so much about on-site solutions, hosted telephony could be a great option. Its cost reduction begins with eliminating running and upkeep of data centre systems and IT costs, while the cost per user per month is scaled to meet your evolving business. You can also take advantage of the latest Voice over IP Technology and IP Phone Handsets.

Hosting and virtualisation

This system could be worth a try if your top concerns are space, money and environmental concerns. Server virtualisation makes it easier to allocate resources and use efficient hardware. Virtual hosting and cloud computing can save on average 50-70% of IT costs. They also save space, reduce IT and maintenance costs, and are a whole lot greener.

LAN and WAN Networking

Depending on the physical size and proximity of your company, or buildings, you'll either need a wide (WAN) or local (LAN) network. LAN is the best option for you if you only need a network solution for a contact centre housed in one location. If your company is located in multiple cities or even countries then it would make sense to use WAN to keep telecommunications uniform and efficient.




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