VoIP deployments 'on the up in South Africa'

VoIP is increasing in popularity with businesses in South Africa as more firms gain access to cheaper, better quality bandwidth, it has been claimed.

Implementing VoIP solutions saves substantial amounts of money and 2011 could well be the year that the majority of companies commit to the technology, according to SS Telecoms.

The telecoms provider's managing director George Smalberger said all enterprises are asking the same basic question: "How much will we save and how much will it cost - in capital and lost productivity - to switch to a VoIP system?"

He went on to say the savings are well documented, but the infrastructure costs are more of a mystery to many.

Many people mistakenly believe deploying VoIP solutions means starting again at a network level, Mr Smalberger continued.

However, this is not always the case as there are many cost-effective gateway solutions on the market, he explained.

A recent study by IBM revealed around two-thirds of medium-sized businesses have implemented or are about to deploy cloud computing services.