VoIP on the increase but upper management needs convincing

A survey by conducted by IT software consulting firm BT INS has seen VoIP uptake increase rapidly but upper management still remains in need of convincing when it comes to investment.

The survey was conducted on 157 IT professionals between the end of February and the beginning of March, working for companies ranging from those with less than a hundred employees to those with more than ten thousand (a third of those surveyed).

Data shows that companies are still committed to the VoIP service and plans for adoption of the system are surging.

There was an increase of 44 per cent year-on-year by the end of 2006 of companies in the process of deploying VoIP across their networks.

But the main barrier by IT professionals is now considered to be justifying costs to upper management, which had ranked fifth only a year ago.

This year, almost half of those surveyed said it was a significant issue.

Costs shared the first spot with technical integration, one of the main logistical problems caused by adoption of the system.

The survey also showed that customers are now less intent on replacing their traditional telephone with the VoIP system, with percentage of those surveyed having shrunk from over 50 per cent to just under 40 per cent, as consumers look to keep their options open on products.