One of the newest and hottest technologies to come down the technological pike is VOIP (voice over internet protocol). VOIP technology allow you to route your long distance telephone calls over the internet. By using the internet act as the carrier of your long distance calls, you bypass the long distance telephone company (and the long distance telephone company's charges). VOIP calls are usually MUCH cheaper than their standard land line counterparts. VOIP long distance calls cost pennies on the dollar compared to standard terrestrial phone long distance charges.

Besides offering and inexpensive solution for companies to save a ton of money on their long distance bills (the standard phone bill for one office in an international company can be tens of thousands of dollars, if not more, in just one year), VOIP offers features that are not accessible with standard land line telephone service (sometimes referred to as ?POTS? or plain ol? telephone service) without the addition of expensive, proprietary software/hardware combinations such as PBX units.

One T1 line (and under lighter use, consumer grade DSL and cable internet connections) can handle multiple phone calls, and software on the client side can be used to record voice mail messages and allow for employees to check their phone calls much like they check there mail, often with remote office features that allow ?road warriors? greater flexibility in their phone usage while away from the office.

If you want the most high tech solution available for modern telephony that is also the most cost effective over a time span as little as one year, you should consider using VOIP technology when preparing you company's IT agenda and communication systems. Feature for feature and dollar for dollar, VOIP cannot be beat in the world of high tech digital telephony. The combination of features and price are unparalleled in the industry, and the quality of voice communications has not only met, but far surpassed the quality of traditional phone lines.