Connecting it all together

The key to a robust telephone system and network is the underlying infrastructure which ties your telephone and internet communications together. It is this critical part of the solutions deployment that can be confusing and overlooked.

At ITS we don’t expect you to have an expert knowledge in telephony or IT, instead we’ll work with you to explain the options without jargon and ensure that you get the best set up for your business at a competitive price.

These are the basic options for connecting your business:

• Analogue – sometimes called POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) this is a physical phone line that can be used for phone calls and to deliver broadband services. It is probably the type of phone line you have at home. We can install new analogue phone lines or take over the management of existing ones.
• ISDN – this is another physical phone line but this time it’s digital instead of analogue. Originally developed to provide faster internet speeds, ISDN has become better known for its voice clarity and additional benefits such as caller ID and trunk-to-trunk transfers. We can take over the management of existing ISDN lines and install new ones.
• Fibre-to-the-Cabinet – FTTC is just about the fastest standard broadband connection you can get delivered over a copper wire. Currently it is not available in all areas but is being rolled out and this network is rapidly expanding. If you are a small business and FTTC is available it may very well suit your needs.
• Leased line – if you need high performance in terms of speed and capacity, then a dedicated leased line will give you optimum performance with no dips at busy times. This is because leased lines are delivered over a fibre link directly to your premises. We work with a range of suppliers to identify and install the best solution for your business at the best price.
• VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) – Very much the way forward for businesses, the adoption of VoIP technology will have an impact on the type of internet connection you use. VoIP solutions deliver your telephone calls over the internet, rather than via the more traditional method of PSTN services. Provided your registered device is connected to the internet you can make and receive calls using a landline telephone number.

We can deliver VoIP using three methods:

• A fully hosted solution where your telephone system is situated in the cloud, which is cost effective and ideal for multi-site organisations or people who require mobility. Our ITS Hosted service uses this approach.
• SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) telephone lines connecting to an established in-house telephone system.
• Through our Unified Communications package, which brings together voice, video, chat and text communications.

In both scenarios your calls are managed over the internet, making it a simple and cost effective solution, particularly for businesses where you work remotely, have multiple sites or need to synchronise your communications across different devices.

For example, we can set up a softphone client which is an application that enables you to manage your calls through your PC or set up voicemail messaging which you can collect from any phone. VoIP is a popular choice for start-up businesses.

The right choice for your business will be a balance between the speed and capacity you need now, the services you wish to utilise and what you are likely to need in the future. We will work with you to find the most cost effective solution for the short and long term.