VoIP telephone systems are appealing to CIOs at companies that need cost-effective and flexible ways to connect workers wherever they are. Who is doing it: Voice over IP has been around for years, but many businesses, especially those with aging telephone systems, are giving the technology a first look. Gary Kuyper, CIO with Bethany Christian Services, likes how easy VoIP is to configure as well as its plug-and-play capabilities. Kuyper is piloting Switchvox, a VoIP system based on Asterisk open-source tools. An adoption and foster-care organization, Bethany has 80 offices and another 20 to 30 telework locations. VoIP would allow Bethany to more easily employ untethered workers, Kuyper says, and to serve new locations cost-effectively. How it works: Because VoIP runs over data lines, IT staff doesn’t have to run separate phone wires to employees’ desks, observes Paul Liu, CIO of Freeborders, an outsourcing vendor considering VoIP. “That goes directly to the bottom line.” Meanwhile, employees can plug in their phones anywhere they have a broadband connection and their numbers will follow them. Growth potential: Residential and business customers spent $41.6 billion on VoIP in 2009, according to In-Stat, which predicts that 79 percent of companies will use the technology by 2013. Erik Bratt, vice president for marketing at TelCentris, a VoIP provider, expects sales to double in 2010. Related content brandpost The steep cost of a poor data management strategy Without a data management strategy, organizations stall digital progress, often putting their business trajectory at risk. Here’s how to move forward. By Jay Limbasiya, Global AI, Analytics, & Data Management Business Development, Unstructured Data Solutions, Dell Technologies Jun 09, 2023 6 mins Data Management feature How Capital One delivers data governance at scale With hundreds of petabytes of data in operation, the bank has adopted a hybrid model and a ‘sloped governance’ framework to ensure its lines of business get the data they need in real-time. By Thor Olavsrud Jun 09, 2023 6 mins Data Governance Data Management feature Assessing the business risk of AI bias The lengths to which AI can be biased are still being understood. The potential damage is, therefore, a big priority as companies increasingly use various AI tools for decision-making. By Karin Lindstrom Jun 09, 2023 4 mins CIO Artificial Intelligence IT Leadership brandpost Rebalancing through Recalibration: CIOs Operationalizing Pandemic-era Innovation By Kamal Nath, CEO, Sify Technologies Jun 08, 2023 6 mins CIO Digital Transformation Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe