VoIP as an Emerging Technology

VoIP is still an emerging technology, so it is somewhat speculative to develop a complete picture of what a mature worldwide VoIP network will one day look like. As the emergence of technology nowadays, new technologies and new protocol designs will be able to change the evolution of VoIP. The situation is similar with the state of the Internet from the late 80s to early 90s. Competing protocols and designs for the base of the net flourished at the time, but as the purpose of the Internet became more defined with the emergence of the world wide web and other staples of today's net, the structure and protocols became standardized and interoperability became much easier. The same may one day be true of VoIP. Although there are currently many different architectures and protocols to choose from, eventually a dominant standard will emerge.

In fact, in today's non-standardized VoIP environment, organizations looking to integrate several VoIP networks should be supported both protocols. Several companies have developed the base elements to enable multi-protocol telephony. As voice and data networks converge, support for both protocols is essential for a robust and forward-looking network. Although the future will probably see the emergence of one of these protocols as the defined standard in the field the present disorganization makes support for both protocols in a VoIP network an issue.

The construction of a VOIP network is an intricate procedure that should be studied in great detail before being used. New risks can be appeared, and shortcomings of data packet networks appear in new guises for VoIP. The integration of a VoIP system into an already congested or overburdened network could be catastrophic for an organization's technology infrastructure. There is no easy "one size fits all" solution to lead to discussed in these sections.

VOIP can be done securely, but the path will not be smooth. It will likely be several years before standards issues are settled and VoIP systems become a mainstream commodity. Until then, organizations must proceed cautiously, and not assume that VoIP components are just more peripherals for the local network. Above all, it is important to keep in mind the unique requirements of VoIP, acquiring the right hardware and software to meet the challenges of VoIP security.