What to Do Before Transitioning to SIP?

1. What to do Before Transitioning to SIP? Considering the cost-effectiveness, flexibility and the availability of unified communications, many organizations have already transitioned from traditional phone lines to SIP trunking. You might also want to replace your phone lines with this more advanced option for quality calling and cost savings. You can easily deploy a SIP solution if you are working with one of the reliable ​SIP trunk providers​. However, first of all, you need to make sure that your business is ready for this transition. Before you search and compare different SIP trunk providers in Canada, there are a few things you need to do ahead of time to make sure that this new communication solution is successfully implemented in your organization. Your PBX should be SIP Ready There are good chances that your Private Branch Exchange system is ready for SIP. Manufacturers have been manufacturing IP connection ready PBX hardware for more than a decade. If you are not sure about it, there are several ways you can check if your PBX is ready for SIP or not. You can check it on the website of the manufacturer or in the user manual. You can also look for an Ethernet jack. If you can find one, you are good to go. You don't have to worry if your PBX system is not VoIP enabled. You simply need an Analog Telephony Adapter for digital SIP signal to analog conversion. Determine the Number of SIP Channels You need SIP trunk providers sell SIP trunks by the channel. Each channel represents one concurrent outgoing or incoming call. Traditional phone lines are often sold in groups. On the other hand, when you use SIP

2. trunks, you pay for the exact number of lines you need. Consider the type and size of your business to determine the number of channels you need. You may not need one channel for each employee. If you have only two or three employees then one channel may be enough. However, this also depends on the use of the phone. Check Bandwidth You will use the same network for your voice calls and general internet access. Therefore, make sure that you have sufficient bandwidth. Most business networks can easily support SIP trunking. If you have T1, cable, DSL or Metro Ethernet, this is good for your transition to SIP. Enable QoS on Your Router You have to change your router settings to prioritize your voice traffic. Quality of Service also is a router setting which is critical to ensure good voice quality. Data and voice competing for resources can lead to poor voice quality due to jitter or lag. Business-class routers come with QoS capabilities. You just have to reconfigure it. If you are not using a business-class router, you need to buy one. Set Up Your PBX Some PBX configuration is necessary to make the SIP work. SIP trunk providers provide a detailed guide to set up your PBX. Therefore, when you are looking for SIP trunk providers in Canada, find a reliable partner who can answer your questions and troubleshoot problems. Run a Test Communication is very important for growth and success of a business. This is something you cannot risk. Before you implement this advanced solution, make sure that you are testing it. Before you rely on a reputable partner for a SIP trunk in Canada, ask if they perform a free test or not. It should be at least an hour-long test to make sure that your SIP solution, router, internet connection and PBX are working well together. Also, learn about best practices for VoIP SIP security. Once the test results are satisfactory, you can start making excellent quality phone calls. Source Link: ​http://liveprwire.com/what-to-do-before-transitioning-to-sip/