Are IP Phones for You?
by Steven Taylor and Larry Hettick

Posted: 03/18/2002

Abstract:

Ironically, IP phones don’t necessarily play a pivotal role in enterprise voice over IP (VOIP) implementations. IP phones look, more or less, like a traditional phone, although some have additional bells and whistles, and they can connect to an on-site PBX or to a service provider delivering an “IP Centrex” service. 

The starting point for evaluating what these new phones can mean for your organization is to understand the role they play in the overall VOIP architecture, and the advantages and disadvantages of IP phones as compared with the traditional telephone sets. Indeed, don’t assume that just because you are interested in VOIP, you have to put IP phones on each and every desktop.