One of the first things you should know about IP (Internet Protocol) telephony is that it's more than simply making phone calls over the Internet (Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)). It's far more. In an IP environment, voice becomes just one application within a multitude of other, customized applications created to enhance a company's productivity and its users' communication experience.

In other words, VoIP is exactly what its name says it is - a technology that allows voice traffic to move over an IP Network. IP telephony is the name given to the functionality and application suite delivered over this more efficient network technology. By converting voice to data packets, telephony becomes the heart and catalyst for advanced and innovative new features that integrate voice, data and wireless communications.

For voice users, the difference can be imperceptible. Properly implemented, IP telephony can deliver quality and reliability that is equal to or even better than analog voice transmissions - and users retain full access to public network services such as 911.

Lower costs. More functionality.
Many companies realize cost-savings when they move to IP telephony. This is because owning and managing one network and one network protocol is easier and generally more cost-effective than managing two or more disparate networks. But it's in the potential for using and creating applications that IP telephony really comes into its own.

Applications are far easier to develop in an IP environment than in the proprietary operating environment created by a specific voice technology vendor. They can be written using industry-standard and widely used data languages and protocols. They can easily be integrated with other company applications - and they are limited only by your needs and imagination.

For example:

• company-wide announcements can be deployed through a message on users' phone screens, reaching all employees or only those specified
• customers who have access to a corporate network - for example, hotel residents or visitors to an airport - can order services or communicate with the host company through their IP phone screen
• emergency notifications and instructions can be deployed quickly and discreetly to key staff, as in our feature article on the Peace Wapiti School Board
• e-mail and voicemail messages can be stored in the same mailbox, allowing users to manage their communications more efficiently
• phones can be transformed from dumb terminals into intelligent components of a company-wide system. For example, in a payroll solution:
  
  
  • employees clock in or out at any phone, anywhere, using their unique passwords
  • the system automatically tracks hours worked and where they were worked
  • schedules can be broadcast on phones throughout the company
  • employees can use any phone to access their schedules and request shift swaps with other employees
• - and management can quickly approve or deny these requests

More productivity. More usability.
Another powerful argument for IP telephony can be found in the significant productivity gains it makes possible for every employee. Because the applications are easily accessed through an intuitive graphical user interface - via the Internet or on an IP phone - more users use more features than with any traditional voice system.

For example, an employee who has to travel can pick up voicemail messages anywhere in the world, via the Internet, without paying long distance charges. The same employee can route calls to other numbers at different times of each day, even deciding which callers to route to which numbers, specifying who should go to voicemail and who should "find" the employee live. Whether they are in the office or on the road, employees can also set up internal or external conference calls with just a few mouse-clicks. They no longer have to send multiple e-mails or make multiple phone calls to invite all attendees, nor do they have to set up a conference call bridge.

Less administration.
IT staff - and the CFO - will also appreciate the ease and cost-effectiveness of administering an IP network.

Employees who move offices can take their extension numbers with them wherever they go in the company, even if it's to another location. New users can be added, just by plugging in a phone and having their details added to the system. Applications can be assigned to individual phones, depending on departmental and user needs. And all this can be done without calling in the vendor company or paying for costly visits by technicians.

Hosted or owned: the choice is yours.
When considering IP telephony, you can choose between a hosted solution or acquiring the IP telephony equipment and managing it yourself, on your own premises.

Hosted IP telephony Solutions.
With hosted IP solutions, TELUS owns and manages the IP network, freeing you to concentrate on managing your business rather than your communications.

In Eastern Canada, companies that are ready to switch to IP telephony can choose TELUS IP-One Innovation, a hosted and managed solution that, according to the Globe & Mail, allowed TELUS to "leapfrog … larger rival Bell Canada".

Instead of accepting the financial and technology risks of investing in their own equipment, this solution requires only a LAN with IP QoS (Quality of Service) support to transport the service to their end-users. TELUS IP-One Innovation features a Web portal that places all its features and functionality - its applications - at users' fingertips.

Soon, companies that currently use Centrex and want to move to IP telephony only when and where it makes sense for them - even if it means moving one phone at a time - can choose TELUS IP-One Evolution. This unique solution offers the benefits of IP telephony, together with full intra-operability with Centrex.

Both TELUS IP-One Innovation and TELUS IP-One Evolution are built on the TELUS Next Generation Network. (See sidebar)

To make sure you are ready for the benefits of TELUS IP-One solutions, visit http://www.telus.com/ip-leader, talk to your TELUS representative or call us today at 1-866 GO TELUS

IP Premise

If you prefer to manage and own your system, TELUS has a wide variety of IP telephony solutions to meet your business requirements and needs. For more information, please contact your TELUS representative.

A summary of IP benefits.

Productivity and Profitability

• The networking capability of new systems extends features and functionality to branch offices, telecommuters and road warriors
• It's easier to create and deploy productivity-increasing applications, thanks to the openness of the platform and the ability to use interactive intelligence
• Applications can reduce overhead, streamline supply-chain-management and enable you to create value-added services for your customers

Cost Savings

• Multiple networks are converged into one
• Your business saves on moves, adds and changes (MACs), because they are easy to do yourself, without calling in a technician
• The cost of domestic long distance calls between company sites will decline
• The costs of wiring will be reduced - you only need one set of wiring, for one network
• Open, server-distributed architecture reduces premise equipment
• Reduced maintenance costs

User Experience

• User-friendly, point and click Web interface brings communications features and functionality right to users' fingertips
• Mobility features such as find me/follow me, hoteling, unified messaging and more, allow employees to be connected...anytime, anywhere.

For more information about IP telephony offerings from TELUS, please contact your representative, visit http://www.telus.com/ip-leader or call us at 1-866 GO TELUS