VoIP can 'help firms enable home-working opportunities'

Companies in the UK should utilise the benefits of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and broadband to enable home-working opportunities for employees, an experts claims.

Legislation came into force in the UK this week giving any parent with a child aged under 16 the legal right to request flexible working opportunities from their employer.

This could affect four and half million people in Britain and may also have a major impact on the challenges faced by IT teams.

Mike Ballentine, Aastra business development manager, told Vnunet that the growing coverage of broadband networks should help to enable greater VoIP home working opportunities.

"Most modern systems provide IP capabilities when and how you want them, but if you have a very old system you may need to look for an upgrade," he said.

"It is an education exercise: we have to tell people it is easy to implement and manage."

According to a report by IBISWorld, projected revenues for the VoIP industry could grow by 20.1 per cent during 2009.