Managed service specialist InTechnology is looking to   encourage firms to make wider use of IP telephony within the home office environment.

A new packaged solution, Home Office IP (HOIP), will offer home workers corporate class connectivity for both voice and data, with call quality and phone functionality the same as if they were at their regular desk.   HOIP is designed to have minimum impact on IT teams and IT infrastructure, with the deployment, configuration, maintenance and support of each IP phone installation out-tasked to InTechnology. Pricing is calculated on a per phone, per month basis, to give known, fixed costs from the outset.

Richard Quine, Director of Product Management, believes that HOIP can close the communications gap for home workers: "While home offices often have good data links in place, staff are usually dependent on their mobile phones for voice or simply end up using their home phone, neither of which is ideal. Mobile phones can have problems with call quality or coverage which affect professional presentation and productivity; while using a home phone complicates expense management as staff need to separate personal and business usage on the same phone bill. The resultant effect is to compound the sense of dislocation and separateness that many home workers feel when they’re away from the main office.

HOIP effectively brings their desk phone into their home, complete with high grade audio and familiar functionality such as extension dialling, call transfer and conference calls. Calls to other colleagues are either at reduced rates or free, depending on PBX integration, and external calls are charged at corporate rates and incorporated within central billing – no more BT charges to claim back.”

InTechnology has put together a fully inclusive package to appeal to those keen to try IP telephony but previously held back by a lack of in-house know-how and/or concerns about costs.  HOIP deliverables are:

• A business ADSL line
• A high-end IP phone service
• Corporate data connection for PC (VPN or Internet)
• A standard phone line (useful for faxes etc)
• Provisioning and installation
• User phone account
• Polycom IP handset
• 24x7 monitoring and management from InTechnology Network Operations Centre

HOIP can be deployed to as many or as few users as a firm chooses. Costs are fixed for the duration of the contract, giving greater predictability for budgeting and cash flow purposes. Reduced call charges and happier, more productive home workers also add to the financial argument. The service can be rolled out independent of, or integrated with, a firm’s existing PBX, although integration is required to secure free calls between home offices and HQ.

Richard Quine adds: “A well as the day to day benefits, rolling out IP telephony in this way can be an excellent stepping stone to full-blown migration across the enterprise.  Once the homeworker solution is installed, HQ staff can then be moved one-by-one to the IP platform without a high-risk “rip and replace” of the PBX.”