Overall savings, flexibility, productivity, and advanced features are the most common benefits experienced by small business owners who switch from legacy PBX to Voice over Internet Protocol systems for their company communications; nonetheless, there is an additional advantage that merits discussion, and it has to do with network optimization.
In many cases, new VoIP installations will require upgrading the existing office network. VoIP systems can only be as good as the network that supports them; ample bandwidth and low latency are needed to transmit data packets and maintain call quality at all times. Prior to installing the VoIP lines, technicians will test the network and check for available bandwidth. The hardware infrastructure of the network will also be evaluated along with its configuration.
Bandwidth segmentation is one of the best network optimization methods to support VoIP systems, and this can be accomplished by setting up a dedicated virtual local area network. With a VLAN, the flow of VoIP data traffic can be given priority to ensure that the system always enjoys plenty of bandwidth; this is crucial in terms of ensuring the quality of service in every call. Coupled with a modern switch, the VLAN can be assigned a DHCP range that sets a bandwidth priority to the ports where the VoIP lines are connected.
VoIP systems are highly efficient by design, and this is an advantage for business owners who wish to improve their data networks. The optimization that is applied when the VoIP system is installed benefits the entire network; for many companies, upgrading to VoIP also means upgrading their IT infrastructure, which is always a good business move.