While networks are the backbone for VoIP communications, they are also the Achilles heel, presenting a challenging set of circumstances. The core issue is data versus voice. Data traversing today's networks are forgiving of such things as latency, delay and packet loss. Not so with voice. Voice requires clear, noiseless call quality without interruption or interference, and these same common network conditions can seriously degrade VoIP quality and performance.

Yet, more and more businesses are relying on VoIP based technologies to fuel work group collaboration and drive advanced business processes -- with the expectation of reducing costs, increasing productivity and gaining significant ROI. The promise of VoIP is very attractive -- but quickly erodes if no one can hear you. High availability and near flawless call quality to both internal and external users are requirements of businesses implementing IP telephony, however, these standards can be elusive. Poor call quality negatively impacts both employees and customers -- and is often difficult to overcome.

According to Tone Software the strategy for success is a holistic approach that enables the interdependence of voice and the network to be viewed and managed as a whole. Otherwise, diagnosing VoIP issues can be a moving target. For instance, call servers are often at the top of the suspect list when trying to get to the root of frustrating VoIP quality and service issues, but frequently the perpetrator can be found in the complex underlying network infrastructure. Capacity and network traffic levels occurring at the time of voice degradation are frequently the culprit -- but without the tools to pinpoint these conditions, support teams waste valuable time and resources chasing after the wrong quality issue -- leaving the true cause of the problem undiagnosed and unresolved.

Reflecting on what companies are doing to establish and execute successful VoIP QoS management in a converged environment, Tone sees three steps in common. First, implementing a management strategy where both network and voice teams have insight into the impact of their actions, while working together to achieve optimum VoIP communications. Essentially, end-to-end visibility and control over both the voice and network domains that comprise VoIP.

Next, those successful in leveraging maximum benefits from VoIP are utilizing deep VoIP QoS metrics to rapidly find and resolve the correct quality imparing voice issues. Such analytics are combined with network performance metrics so voice technicians can relate quality problems to other relevant network performance events, faults and issues occurring and contributing to voice quality degradation.

In an environment where the only constant is change, proactive monitoring and management of voice traffic levels, new applications, network configuration changes and the like, is the third step to achieving VoIP quality.

By taking these steps, telecommunications and IT managers are efficiently and effectively addressing the frustrating VoIP quality issues plaguing their converged voice environments -- once and for all.

At the forefront of providing the tools that ensure VoIP quality in a converged network, is Tone's ReliaTel solution which allows enterprises and managed service providers (MSPs) to proactively manage both VoIP call quality and the underlying converged network infrastructure in a holistic manner, through a single pane of glass, eliminating the need to access and manually associate diagnostics from multiple applications.

ReliaTel provides a platform-agnostic, comprehensive VoIP QoS and converged network management system in a unified solution, currently available in a fully-hosted, premises-based or turnkey deployment and licensing option. ReliaTel provides deep analytics and improved visibility that spans both the voice and data domains, providing voice and network support teams with the answers and capabilities needed to effectively assure VoIP call quality and service levels that consistently support and drive the business.