Typical VOIP
In an enterprise environment, voice and video over IP reduces long distance telephone charges by transferring all long-distance voice data over the Internet connection. It also provides a means for rich multimedia applications converging video, voice and data in a single session. VoIP services are used in conjunction with T3 or DS3 lines in order to get a clear, reliable cheap, connection. VoIP shares the Internet connection with other forms of traffic.
Therefore, it must compete with other applications for network bandwidth. In order to make VoIP a viable business application for this scenario, the quality of VoIP should be equal to the traditional voice and video services. A basic corporate network environment carries a broad mix of data traffic with different bandwidth needs. Some applications, such as email and the web, have variable and unpredictable bandwidth requirements while streaming real-time applications such as voice and video demand consistent bandwidth allocation and minimal delays. While a 250-millisecond delay in an email or a Web page will probably not be noticed, a similar delay in a VoIP phone conversation or video conference would make conversation uneasy and cause callers to talk over each other.
Keep in mind that VoIP and videoconferencing require performance guarantees to ensure that they do not suffer from bandwidth contention from less critical applications and Internet traffic like non-critical Web browsing, large FTP file transfers, and P2P uploading/downloading of digital music files. A policy-based quality of service (QoS) solution can ensure that your voice and video applications receive the bandwidth they require.
Make sure that your network is optimized for sufficient bandwidth with room for expansion if necessary. For businesses with frequent multimedia applications such as videoconferencing, a minimum of DS3 Bandwidth is necessary. OC3 can be used for large companies with extensive multimedia load pressures on their network.
You should also remember to allocate your network resources based on business priorities. A commercially available monitoring device will help you monitor and manage network and application performance. This allows you to prioritize traffic traveling over your WAN/Internet connection and guarantee bandwidth for timing-critical, real-time applications like VoIP and videoconferencing.
By using device specific voice, video and multimedia traffic flows are often identified and the following actions can be assigned: minimum and maximum bandwidth; priorities; guaranteed rate; fairness; and control over the number of sessions allowed through the network. Ensure sufficient bandwidth in your network for near term and expansion needs, and implement a monitoring system to manage the daily operations and priorities.
