What is SIP Trunking, Part 2: What to Look for in a SIP Trunk Provider

This is the second part of a two-part series about SIP trunking. Check out "What is SIP Trunking, Part 1: The SIP Definition."

If you've decided a SIP trunking system is the right move for your enterprise communications profile, you're not alone. The demand for proven SIP trunk provider services has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. According to IEEE, research predicts the market will expand to $8 billion by 2018. Even as the options for SIP trunks expand, how does your company pick the right vendor for its needs?

The answer lies in four key factors: network, tools, reputation, and the expertise your SIP trunk provider brings to your infrastructure. Diving into these details, consider the following recipes for success when it comes to building your enterprise's next-generation communications solution:

Robust Cloud Networks

As you evaluate a SIP trunk provider, make certain it can implement direct access to a Tier 1 system connection. Since nothing undermines your team's performance like its communications infrastructure tanking at a critical customer relations moment, require robust reinforcement as part of the package the vendor provides.

The key to reinforcement is redundancy. Redundancy means fail-safes. For a successful SIP trunking scenario, you're going to need components such as a hybrid private branch exchange to route ongoing communications through the system's working parts if other system elements crash. Make certain your vendor can put these reassurances in place.

Communication and Collaboration Tools

What good is a carpenter who arrives at the construction site with an empty toolbox? The same kind of question applies to the provider you choose. The vendor's "toolbox" needs to include instruments for collaborative workflows, including the ability to ping other internal participants during a call session, regardless of whether they're in the office. Shared documents are key to this kind of workflow as well. Documents must be shareable in real-time while communicating through voice or video. In general, the upshot of these considerations is to make sure your candidate vendor brings unified communications and collaboration tools to the table.

The demand for proven SIP trunk provider services has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years.

Reputation

For SIP trunk providers with the right tools, their reputations are likely to precede them. It's the reputation you want to look for, in every case. Talk to your colleagues and reach out through your network. Shortlist the vendors who have earned high marks from the enterprise leaders you respect and trust. Then, look into their product reviews. Articles comparing providers can help you identify the important players in the SIP space, putting reputation at the front of your search.

Expertise

Distilling SIP features down to robust networks, a range of collaborative tools, and a history of success, the next step in finding the right provider is to ensure the vendor listens and reacts to the individual needs and particulars of your enterprise's business communications goals. One size seldom fits all in the technology space. An experienced vendor will not only walk in with a command of the details just considered, but it will modify and adjust those features to tightly align with the goals you've set forth in your request for proposals.

Choosing Your SIP Trunk Provider

Diving into the world of SIP trunks is a major step toward technology maturity for any enterprise. However, it doesn't have to be a leap of faith. Choosing the right provider can be as measured and empirical a process as every other major decision you make for the company. Call in your candidates and examine their offerings with an eye for the network capabilities and the collaborative potential your organization requires, coupled with the reputation and experience that helps guarantee your SIP system implementation will result in business communications success.

Would you like to learn more about SIP trunk providers? Connect with a Vonage Business representative to learn more about how SIP trunking can take your company's business communications to the next level.