Technology

Throughout most part of the last century, all the businesses and public communications were relying on general public switched telephone networks but at the brink of new millennium this trend changed. As the Internet became the primary source of global communication, there was a need for an internet based phone service which can be used with ease throughout the world. This solution is not only affordable, easy to use but also provides much better voice clarity as compared to the conventional PSTN based systems.

Previous technologies were based on circuit switching technology whereas VOIP process is based on revolutionary packet switching technique. Its easy installation and affordability has given a whole new meaning to global outsourcing business and is available in many forms of overseas as well as IT business around the world. In packet switching, data is converted into packets and then sent through desired networks with the help of working routers that enable it to reach the destination at a high speed depending on the connection speed.

The ease comes into play as these systems do not use highly elaborate switches but very simple system which is based on the internet routers that provide very accurate and high speed of connectivity.

Description of Technology
How does the VOIP work Well, to understand its working procedure, we will have to understand the basic functionality of the internet procedure through which all the VOIP systems work as it provides the lifeline to the entire system. It works similarly to how the e-mail and website work taking advantage of packet based networking system implementation. There are two types of VOIP based system in use throughout the world today which include

Analog Telephone Adapter

Internet Protocol Phones
These systems provide a variety of functionality based on their usage and necessity. Let us discuss each of them briefly.

Analog Telephone Adapter
This is the easiest and most commonly used method in the world as it allows the connection between a standard phone and a standard computer by means of the internet connection. This system is in use by many businesses as well as home users for ease and affordability purpose. Some other components that are required are a standard PC sound card, a microphone which is integrated into the headphone and a smooth internet connection.

All one has to do is to plug the cable into the ATA socket,  tune the software on PC for establishing appropriate connection and the system is ready to be used. Some companies provide readily available solutions in this segment such as ATT, Call Vantage etc.

Internet Protocol Phones
IP phones appear as normal phones but the difference is the presence of a headset. This type of technology is very helpful for long distance calls and is mostly in use by the outsourcing businesses around the world. Here, software is also needed to be installed on computer and once installed the built-in setup instruction manual will guide the user as to how to use the system effectively and up-to full potential. IP Phones have the capability to connect directly through the router and all the needed apparatus is already integrated into the system. All that is needed is to plug the cable into an empty RJ 45 port. This technology is enhanced by the use of a WiFi phones that allow additional subscribers of WiFi based VOIP calls from any WiFi enabled destination. The easiest and most convenient method to use the VOIP technology is to use it in the realm of computer to computer. The procedure is primarily similar to the ATA one but the use has become even simpler.

Potential Applications of VOIP
With the advancement of internet technology, many organizations have decided to implement this technology in their businesses. Some of those that have already switched to VOIP have opened a sector under the designation of environment friendly site. The purpose is solely to replace the legacy telephone based communication based systems and implement sophisticated VOIP based communication systems that will improve connectivity, reduce cost and will prove cost efficient in the longer run for organization. Due to the importance of business communications and a global expansion of outsourcing businesses such as inbound and outbound call centers, the use of VOIP based technology has created a revolution of effective, affordable and efficient communication that is only growing at a rapid pace as time goes by.

Many large organizations have already implemented VOIP systems for a few years and are now enjoying the ease of use, flexibility and efficiency of this revolutionary technology to such an extent that it seems to be capable enough to replace the legacy telephone based systems throughout the world in the next few years. Despite the advantages it brings, it also has its drawbacks which include its vulnerability against network viruses, worms etc. The main drawback is that it cannot be activated against firewalls that must be turned off before use.

The level of security that can be used is only internal and as VOIP is usually a long distance based network tool, it is bound to be affected by harmful obstacles such as viruses among others. The software is another point of concern sometimes as it may also be prone to errors and as is the case with all new technologies, is usually anomaly prone.

Competing Technologies
For every emerging technology, there is usually a competition that is destined to grab the same market segment with similar or better technology at a similar or less price hence the competition is bound to take place. IT Industry is a crowded market toady and many stakeholders are providing cutting edge solutions for many markets. Be it Intel or AMD, Microsoft or Apple, CISCO or Nortel, it is not an easy road to travel. VOIP is also rivaled by competitors such as CISCO infiniband which is still at an early stage of testing and will take time to mature to be released on the market.

This system seems to hold a lot of promises when coupled with Grid Director based network gateway and provides very high speed and protection to the users, so there is a concern for VOIP as it has traditionally suffered poor maintainability, protection and has had its share of bugs and compatibility issues with different Operating Systems. The infiniband promises to be very flexible in all these domains and if this is the case then we might see an even better technology offering more vibrant solution to businesses around the world as has been the scenario with most CISCO based solutions over the history of the Internet.

They rely on latest CSS 11503 and 11506 comprising new three to six modular slot based architecture and provide speedy networking solution. Once arrived on the market, they will provide tough competition to the currently implemented VOIP technology but in terms of cost, CICSO systems will remain behind as VOIP is simple, easy to use and implement and has a mature architecture that is aided with reliable support. In the coming five years however, we might see a different technology rivaling the VOIP system and to cope up with that, it will have to implement better, faster, and more economical solutions.

The primary focus was on the internal side that had to be done on a slow but constant scale. Not to mention that any change at such huge level had to be implemented while not losing any previous advantages in the process. The implementation will bring with it many benefits to Microsoft as well as to any enterprise only if any IT organization manages it in an appropriate and timely manner.

The changed methodology of data transfer which is in use in the VOIP technology serves many purposes. The first noticeable difference is the data packet based transfer instead of traditional switched based transfer used in previous telecommunication systems. This system provides instant, affordable, and reliable service to its users and does not suffer bottle necks as was observed in the previous system.

One drawback however is the delay of packets during stressful use of the system but this is considered as a minor issue and can be addressed with the help of updated software. Reduced latency is another aspect that has increased speed many fold compared to traditional system. This means that the VOIP system is capable of delivering stream less service during an entire session of service and several tasks can be achieved during the same period of time. It enables data to reach from its initiated source to required destination in a matter of few seconds which was impossible to achieve with traditional telecommunications.

Since the entire system is internet based, it suffers internet vulnerabilities when server is down or experiencing problems. This is the only trouble that VOIP based system suffers as it totally relies on the internet for functionality. The better the internet service, the faster the performance. Another weakness is the systems in built safety feature and its lack of support on OS based antivirus and anti spyware software. If a firewall, antivirus or spy ware is activated on a server, VOIP switch will struggle to establish an efficient connection to the required destination.

To address this issue, VOIP manufacturers are looking to implement an effective solution in coming years to provide an All-in-one solution to their global customers.  Because there could be no one as foolish as this person or company who is although aware about the nature of the Internet, would willingly or unwillingly open themselves up for the inevitable massive abuse that is about to rain down on them via their provided telephone or fax number.

Despite its efficiency and ease of use, there is one system which is competing with VOIP technology and has not become obsolete by any means.  The system is E-mail or electronic mail which is in use by all global business organizations, consultancies, and many other areas. It is understandable just how annoying a junk mail can be for users but it is not a wise thing to call those numbers only to abuse or yell, instead just avoid it. Similar is the matter with faxes as there is no point in sending multiple pages of faxes only to warn or harass because it is not a good idea to call such a number of times and again just to run up their bill because not only it is a crime to harass anyone on the phone but also your number will be included in their phone bill.

There is a possibility that the owner of that number either himself became a victim of a junk mailer himself or a senseless person who was new to the internet marketing and committed such a horrid mistake to provoke internet users.  Staniford (2006) conducted a survey in which he talked to some of these people by phone and not surprisingly most of them were usually very remorseful and regretful, fielding angry phone calls all day.

For expert junk emailers it is an incredibly easy thing to counterfeit an email address and all they have to do is to type in a bogus from address in their mail client. It is not such a difficult thing to do. All one has to do is to change the return address in the email software to nobodykrskjne.com and then send a message at ones actual email address and it will work. There is nothing in this matter that the Internet Service provider can do as it is simply unable to help you in your junk email reduction unless the body of the spam specifically requests replies to that address for more information.

Most of the junk emailers realize that they can be tracked through the received lines in the headers. This is why, most of the time they attempt to conceal the headers in order to confuse matters.

Although these received headers can be counterfeit as well, still it is a somewhat more difficult case than to simply counterfeit the returning address.  Also one must remember that most of the incoming emails that include the junk emails have a total of just two received lines in the headers. The first one is generated by the ISPs incoming mail machine while the other one is generated through the outgoing server which indicates the originating IP. This should be enough to caution any internet user when heshe receives any such mail as most of these junk mails have an additional header.

Apart of the obvious, in the realm of communication, some technologies that are here to stay are likely to give a stiff competition to the VOIP and upcoming communication systems. It might sound far fetched, but the current e-mail based systems are the biggest rivals of VOIP technology as most organizations still prefer to communicate by means of free e-mails that are cheap and the easiest way of communications in the world so far.

One such company is the DMA that provides an ease to their customers by not charging directly on the credit card.This is obvious as giving ones credit card number makes many people easily offended. The truth of the matter is that if they ask for your credit card number, there is probably intent to discourage people from registering and therefore the junk mail process continues to bother the masses. Whatever the case maybe, the fact is that the service is purely genuine and by getting registered, it does reduce your junk mail by many fold. There is a drawback however that it works only in one dimension i.e. for national mail and not the local mail and also does so for only residential addresses and not the business ones, so one can say that the job is merely half done.

Let us look at this situation from the junk mail generator i.e. the actual industrialists perspective as to discover just why they do what they do Any industry where almost ninety eight percent of the marketing fails to reach its targeted audience is an enormous business opportunity for anyone able to sort out just as to how to hit the target more often than not. If we as users eliminate all the unwanted ads from our mailboxes, it will increase profits for mailers because they will slash their advertising cost without any diminishing revenue.

According to Kremer, what other reason one can imagine as to why all the U.S. merchants spend a staggering amount of 30 billion per year only to distribute these junk mails and even though they realize that less than half of this mail will never be opened. To accurately target their direct mail associates is the interest of the economy with other factors such as forests, solid waste agencies, climate and also the postal customers.

Be careful and try not to fill out any forms whatsoever as in that case your address will surely be tracked. Every time you fill out any online form of any sort, never forget to repeat the same words in order to avoid using any junk mail and advertising spam. The result will be as one should expect because when they will see that you are not interested, they will remove your name from their destined customer list. This very phenomenon is repeatedly observed in many outsourcing companies where the VOIP systems are in use, the example of level of effectiveness and reliability of VOIP system is observed as these outsourcing companies operate from various parts of the world to reduce business operations cost. To achieve this, they hire employees where cheap labor is available such as India, China and Pakistan. The point is that connectivity is not an issue as long as there is seamless Internet Connection available.

Conclusion
Now we can conclude as we have analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of VOIP system, its possible competition in years to come and legacy systems that are still proving its worth to some extent. The VOIP is definitely here to stay and it is doing just that. The efficiency, user friendliness, easy to use and good speed are some of the advantages it provides.

We have seen the proof of an efficient simultaneous working environment between both the components confirming that and it can be assumed from the above mentioned experiment that in order to attain optimum efficiency, it would be wise to increase the number of processors so that they are at least equal or a little simpler because in heavy work load environments, it is deemed as a necessity and not a mere formality.

The drawbacks are its protection from the internet based threats as it is destined to work on a wide domain where it is vulnerable against network threats. If these issues are addressed in due course than it will remain in the business. Still in a year or so, it will face a stiff competition from infiniband and others. As a result of it and in order to remain competitive in the market they have to take care of some issues.