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Most big enterprises upgraded their PBXes, typically with IP-capable versions, during the Y2K scare. Since then, many have run VoIP pilots or even moved big chunks of their infrastructure to VoIP, says Stan Schatt, vice president, networking, at ABI Research in Oyster Bay, N.Y.
Meanwhile, startups may have launched with VoIP infrastructure. If not, they still won't have much legacy telephone gear that needs to be ripped and replaced. "For very small companies, VoIP is a no-brainer," Schatt says. "They have less existing infrastructure and most have such terrible calling plans that VoIP saves them money from day one."
A lack of resources coupled with existing infrastructure has kept many midmarket companies from adopting VoIP. But times are changing. Capital expense budgets previously bogged down by Y2K work are now being freed up to update antiquated communications gear. So it is midmarket companies that represent the next frontier for VoIP adoption.
The good news is that midmarket CIOs can learn from early adopters and address VoIP's frailties from the outset of a rollout. Chief among them: security. The bad news is that many companies fail to address VoIP security. A recent survey by the National Computing Centre in the U.K., entitled Benchmark of IT Strategy 2007, found that only 15% of the 190 organizations responding had implemented VoIP security. Meanwhile, 40% said they have addressed the security of their Wi-Fi networks. This is a rather large gap in what should be a holistic security approach.
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