The world of unified communications is centered on the idea of leveraging powerful
technologies and applications to boost productivity. When individual employees have
superior tools they are able to do more with less and increase bottom-line profitability.
However, many businesses are becoming increasingly familiar with the concept of
planned obsolescence, which is a policy of planning or designing a product with
a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, unfashionable or no longer functional
after a certain period of time. Phone systems and data networks are beginning to
show signs of planned obsolescence and business owners are beginning to reexamine
their communications infrastructure. Small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) need
to take a close look at their phone systems to evaluate when obsolescence will strike
and what steps they can take to avoid this.
Many of the existing phone systems that businesses are currently running have been
discontinued and no longer supported by the manufacturer. This basically means that
the technology has run its course, stopped being manufactured and is becoming exceedingly
difficult to service. In other words, if a business is running its communications
infrastructure on obsolete technology, when it breaks down there won't be anyone
to help fix it. This is a giant risk that business owners are taking when their
customer relationships are on the line. An outdated phone system will ultimately
crash. Businesses cannot afford to go down and cut off all contact with their customers.
"Here at Gateway TelNet, we are educating companies on the risks associated with
manufacturer discontinued phone systems as well as their options for new technology,"
stated Jerry Hilecher, President of Gateway TelNet. "This is an exciting time in
our industry because with the advent of SIP (session initiation protocol) many companies
can easily cost justify the adoption of today's technology. Plus, these businesses
will benefit from applications and features designed to increase their profitability,
enhance their employees' productivity, and give them a competitive advantage, something
their outdated phone system cannot do."
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