By Sharla Sikes

If you want to move to VoIP for your business, but aren’t an IP gearhead, XO Communications presents its resources to help small and medium-sized businesses to navigate the muddy waters and tech jargon.

VoIP offers benefits to businesses of all sizes, but getting the best performance out of a VoIP system might take a little homework.

XO presents a webcast “What Every Small and Medium Sized Business Should Know About Implementing VoIP” and companion XO white paper, “Ten Steps to a Successful VoIP Implementation: What Every Business Should Know.”

The resources help identify the best VoIP solutions to suit a business’ needs, from deciding on when and how it should be implemented as well as what type of VoIP service will best fit the company’s profile.

Tom Cross, a telecommunications industry expert and member of the Board of Technical Advisors for the VoIP Security Alliance, hosts the webcast and authored the white paper.

“Many small and medium-sized businesses that are considering VoIP are unsure of how or where to begin the process,” said Vince Margiotta, vice president of product management at XO Communications. “Not all businesses have the resources or experience to develop a framework for deploying VoIP. These tools are designed to help IT and telecom managers and provide an easy roadmap that can serve as the basis for their decision making process and implementation of VoIP.”

Both resources outline 10 steps for launching VoIP without a hitch:

1. Identify Business and User Needs.
2. Understand How VoIP Works.
3. Assess Your Network Situation.
4. Identify the Right Partners/Providers.
5. Designing the Solution.
6. Select a Proposal.
7. Install and Test.
8. Manage Service and Support.
9. Understand Your Bill.
10. Consider Future Options.

VoIPReview.org also presents its tools for businesses considering implementing VoIP.

The VoIP sales and information site offers articles including Business VoIP Shopping Guide, Business Case for VoIP Phone Service, Small and Medium Enterprise – Business VoIP, How to transition over to Business VoIP, Real Value of Business VoIP Phone Service, Business VoIP Reliability, Is VoIP Right For Your Business? and Business VoIP – Buyers Guide among others to help businesses choose the best VoIP solution for them.

These two aren’t the only sites offering resources for businesses considering VoIP—and, of course, hoping to attract your dollars as well. Internet research will yield virtually thousands of results in articles, charts, comparisons and other tools to help boost your knowledge of the industry before pulling the trigger on a new communications system.

Just remember–most of the articles provided by companies in the VoIP industry are created to drive sales, so keep your eyes and mind open while reading. There’s still plenty of valuable information to be found.

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