Imagine if your Voice over IP (VoIP) (define) phone administration was as easy as using the Web. No more dropped connections, insecure sessions, lack of integration, or dependence on one vendor for systems. With Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), the long awaited promise of unified messaging may finally come true. No, SIP is not the latest in silly soft drinks; it is the latest . . .
Imagine if your Voice over IP (VoIP) (define) phone administration was as easy as using the Web. No more dropped connections, insecure sessions, lack of integration, or dependence on one vendor for systems. With Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), the long awaited promise of unified messaging may finally come true. No, SIP is not the latest in silly soft drinks; it is the latest emerging standard to address how to combine data, voice and mobility into one neat package. With its simple and integrated approach to session creation, SIP has the potential to transform how companies do business.

For the past few years VoIP has been quietly changing the delivery of telecommunications services. Most of the major telecoms have been upgrading their internal backbone networks to rely on IP (define) as a replacement for the older switching technologies. The administrative simplification and cost savings of merging data and communications networks into a seamless whole is compelling for any company.

Given all the great advantages, why hasn't everyone switched to the new technology? The biggest reason why the convergence has not happened faster has been a lack of tools and standard protocols for establishing network connections. The result is that many existing market products use proprietary protocols to create the network sessions. This means that users must purchase all their equipment from one vendor for assured end-to-end connectivity; plus the systems tend to be single function, thus limited in their use.

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