SAVVIS, Covad, or Other Hosted VoIP 5

[chippowell9]

Anyone have any experience with SAVVIS, Covad, or other hosted VoIP providers tying numerous remote sites together? If you were trying to pull together 400 very small sites (mostly key systems or POTS) with a main office that had an aging PBX, mostly for intrastate LD toll savings, would you consider a SAVVIS or other hosted VoIP solution? Would you be crazy NOT to consider something like this?

I suppose there are a million considerations and dependencies here, but from a gut-level standpoint, what do you think? Who are SAVVIS and Covad's competitors? (I only mention Covad because I know they bought an outfit called GoBeam that used to do IP Centrex). Is this kind of solution better for smaller rollouts? I'm talking about maybe 1500 phones here.

Reactions, responses, testimonials, anecdotes, apocrypha, or hearsay anyone?

 

[phoneguy55]

I have a sight the uses MCI hosted VOIP. I am pulling it out as soon as possible. It sucks. I have no control of the enviroment. If I need to reset a voice mail box, it takes 24 hours. Change a name on a phone, 24 hours. Depending on what type of PBX is at the main sight, Avaya, Nortel, Siemon, etc. There should be many solutions for small remote sights. I use Avaya and install G350's or G700's for my small sights. This way I control everything.

 

[srmega41]

Qwest also has a hosted VoIP solution, but I am not familiar with anyone using it. Any reason or issues against using an in house IP-PBX solution? I don't know what your data network architecture is, but it might be a better way to go than a hosted solution. I am aware of products like Asteriks, an open source IP-PBX, that work with alomst all SIP phones very easily and inexpensivly.

Just something to consider, hope this helps,

Scott M.

 

[chippowell9]

I think management is the issue. This is not really for my enterprise, but one with which we are associated. Neither they, nor we, have the telecom management team in place to oversee such an installation, and then to manage and monitor it moving forward.

I'm having a hard time finding folks with first hand experience with this stuff. Maybe one thing to consider is that users of fully hosted and management outsourced telephony systems are probably not the folks reading tek-tips!

 

[srmega41]

That is probably a very correct assumption.

Good luck

 

[jpm121]

Buzz, my client has been a Covad customer for 2.5 years -- since before Covad bought the hosted VOIP service from Gobeam (who took over from Verizon VOBB). We're ending the relationship very soon.

I was involved in the entire process, including contract negotiations, spec/ordering hardware, installation, user training, configuration, and day-to-day care and feeding of the monster. I'd be happy to share some info but would prefer to do so privately. E-mail me at jesterpsu@yahoo.com if you wish.

 

[aarenot]

I would take a look at your LD costs on a site by site basis, and evaluate each location as for it's ROI to invest in VOIP, to each site. Find the hubs, and the spokes which represent the majority of savings for imnplementing VOIP capabilities. You may find that there are natural hubs which would reduce cost to deploy VOIP on your network, especialy if your QOS on your network varies.
A location with many remote workers might have a great ROI, others may not. You need to look at it on a site by site, component by component basis. I think that in house might be the best way to go, but each case is different.

You do not always get what you pay for, but you never get what you do not pay for.

 

[donporter]

We have looked at Qwest but the ROI is not good. Qwest wanted us to pay 75% of what it would cost to have a system in house. We had to buy the equipment and if we didn't like it we were stuck with the equipment.
A 300 thousand dollar phone system in house or a 200 thousand dollar hosted. When you throw the soft cost away then you have 75% of the equipment and cost of a new system.

 

[aarenot]

Take a look at some of the IP capable phone systems. It may make more sense to do it regionaly, and there are many systems that can do voip. I work on Avaya equipment and their VOIP capabilities are robust. I can send you some info. on Avaya equipment if you desire. Do not worry, I am not in sales, lol.

You do not always get what you pay for, but you never get what you do not pay for.

 

[sonic67]

You can keep your current phone EQ if you like and go with a VOIP (IAD) integrated access devise product. It will convert the VOIP voice traffic to an analog signal as well as give you DATA. Many service providers offer such as Qwest XO and maybe Covad.

 

[aarenot]

If you have a current data network between these sites, you could use soft phones for locations on your network, or through VPN.

You do not always get what you pay for, but you never get what you do not pay for.

 

[allaboutphones]

Not sure if you are still looking for a Hosted VoIP solution, but we have implemented a hosted solution from Smoothstone (used to be called Teledvance) for a few of our clients. It has worked well for some, has had some bugs for all, and not very well for others. They deploy Cisco 7960's along with Cisco Routers and Managed Switches on a Managed Network. The model, in terms of investments, works best when you are replacing all hardware at each location, and contracts for service are up at the same time. If you like, I can give you some more specific feedback via email (mike@pnwtelco.com).

 

[thereignmaker]

I work for a company in Atlanta that has been providing hosted VoIP for about 4 years. We've competed against smoothstone several times and won the business. We were even a fulfillment partner for Covad and continually move their customers over to our service.

http://www.reignmaker.net

 

[avayaconsultant]

Avaya has a hosted solution as well called Avaya On Demand. You may want to take a look at it as well.

http://www.avaya.com/gcm/master-usa...rSubCategory:Avaya On Demand/Hosted Solutions

 

[VoIPgirl]

Check out Geckotech! High uptime, national presence!

http://www.geckotechllc.com