The ROI of VoIP

2005-7-11 12:03| 发布者: Testy| 查看: 948| 评论: 0|原作者: Robin Gareiss|来自: Network World

摘要: A step-by-step guide to determining the true cost and benefits of VoIP.Network World - When it comes to VoIP, most network managers are satisfied that the technology works. The challenge is developing ...

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Training is another area that companies often fail to budget for, or underestimate. The average amount survey participants spent on training was $16,438. Vendors and training organizations typically charge between $1,700 and $2,500 per IT staff member, though some IT executives say they have been able to negotiate two-for-one training deals.

VoIP training budget
Many companies forget to factor training into their VoIP calculations.

	Small	Midsize	Large
Number of IT staff sent to training	1 - 2	2 - 5	10 - 30
Cost per person	$2,500	$2,000	$1,700
Total budget	$2,500 - $5,000	$4,000 - $10,000	$17,000 - $51,000

Step 4. Calculate savings from long-distance and local loop

When VoIP first came onto the scene, networking staffs eyed per-minute, long-distance rates as the big benefactor of the technology. That's not the case anymore. On average, companies are spending between 2 cents and 4 cents per minute on their long-distance calls. VoIP isn't going to reduce those rates much further. Internationally, though, companies are saving between 20% and 40% on their per-minute rates, depending on the country.

According to the study, companies decreased their telecom costs by 25% to 60% when they converged their networks. This takes into account per-minute long-distance, local loops, plain old telephone service (POTS) lines and audio/video services.

Local loops represent one area in which companies save money. This primarily applies to large businesses that have more than two access lines into a given location. IT executives say they limit their access lines in remote locations to two to four (for redundancy sake), and they reassess how much access bandwidth they need. In doing so, they might increase a 6M bit/sec line to a full T-3 and keep two back-up T-1s, but in the process get rid of 15 T-1 lines for voice traffic and one 6M bit/sec line for data. Another area of savings is POTS or trunk lines. Companies can eliminate 70% to 95% of their POTS lines, at an average cost of about $45 each.

It's important to keep in mind the WAN itself likely will need about 30% more availability to handle the voice traffic. Because most companies keep their average utilization at less than 50%, they usually have enough spare capacity - with the right management tools in place - to add bandwidth only in key locations. The value of convergence is reducing the excess capacity that exists in both the voice and data networks.

Circuit savings for converged networks
Companies can save money on international calls, access lines and POTS charges.

	Small	Midsize	Large
Per-minute long distance — international	40%	20%	20% - 30%
Local loops (per site)	0	1 to 2	2 to 6
Average monthly cost (x $400 each)	0	$400 to $800	$800 to $2,400
Annual savings		$4,800 to $9,600	$9,600 to $28,800
POTS lines (site 100% IP)	95%	75%	70%
Average cost ($45/line)	Varies depending on total lines.

Step 5. Don't forget potential audio and videoconferencing savings

Some companies have realized that substantial cost savings exist by shifting audioconferencing and videoconferencing traffic to the IP network. IT staffs often overlook both areas when doing their initial ROI, or consciously place them in the second phase of the rollout.

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