Before, the words “online communication” only referred to static text messaging that were sent through emails or even through posts in the forums or online bulletin board systems. With the advent of a whole host of technologies, at the forefront of which is Voice over internet protocol (VOIP), online communication just got clearer, faster, and more media rich.
However, there are many kinds of VOIP services available. The onus is then on the business or the person to decided which among them they would use. Here are 2 kinds of VOIP systems for people who want to implement it.
1. An open source based VOIP system – An open source VOIP system means that the communication protocol it uses are not proprietary and are easily adaptable for use with other systems. The two most popular are SIP based systems and H.323 systems. While not getting into technical details, these two protocols are just two different methods for establishing a a VoIP connection.
Being open source, development costs for these kinds of systems may often be lower and thus implementing them in the office may be a cheaper option that can still provide good quality service for offices.
2. Proprietary based VOIP system - A proprietary based VOIP system means that it utilizes a protocol that was developed in house. While they are still compatible or are even based on some open-source protocols, a user would not be able to look “under the hood” and see exactly how it works.
The advantage of using a proprietary based system is that if an error occurs, there are specialists who are experts about how the software was built who can immediately help. This is because the usual way for sellers of proprietary is to provide support for their customers. On top of this, proprietary based often try to improve on the connectivity and other features that open source protocols have.
Selecting between the two is usually dependent on the budget and the needs of the business. If one is already comfortable with simply utilizing basic connectivity then perhaps an open source based VOIP system is the way to go. However, for those looking for that extra edge, may it be in clarity, performance or other features, and are willing to shoulder an extra cost, then a proprietary software may be their answer.
