VoIP Management Tools

1. The VoIP management Tools
   Vendors such as Empirix Inc and Agilent Technologies Inc. offer VoIP management tools that enable enterprises to solve VoIP networking issues by acting on the advance indications that the tools provide. Such problems don't have simple answers. But vendors like Empirix Inc., Agilent Technologies Inc. and Brix Networks are making tools they say help network managers solve issues or at least guide them toward bottlenecks, sometimes before they cause poor phone communications. VoIP management tools can look deep into a user's network and pinpoint exactly where problems come from and can model what will happen if the network topology changes. Most of the tools monitor jitter, packet loss, throughput, volume issues, delay, and other quality of service issues from within the network and/or call center applications.
                  
2. Enterprise VoIP Management Challenges
   A growing number of corporations are installing Voice over Internet Protocol applications. While the technology has the potential to cut their telecommunications costs, it also presents new challenges. "IT managers are looking for their vendors to offer them ways to monitor and improve VoIP performance," said George Hamilton, a senior analyst at the Yankee Group. This need stems from the way that traditional management tools were designed. Network management systems were built to determine whether the points along a network path from one device to a second were or were not available. This approach does not mesh with VoIP applications, which are dynamic, so the paths taken from one endpoint to another constantly change. Consequently, companies need management products that measure how effectively a network is routing information.
                    
3. VOIP App management tools
   A broad range of enterprise IP telephony gear, software and management tools for VOIP networks hit trade show floors at two IP telephony conferences this week. The Internet Telephony Expo, running through Oct. 13 in San Diego, was expected to draw 9,000 attendees and around 3,000 exhibitors. Meanwhile, about 350 miles down Interstate 8 in Phoenix, the smaller Cisco IP Telephony User Group conference Oct. 9-12- drew around 600 members of the independent organization of Cisco VOIP gear users, and about 50 exhibiting companies. The bloom of large and small VOIP or VOIP-related conventions in North American-at least two dozen have been held so far this year - reflects strong growth, and expected growth, in the market; research firm Dell'Oro Group says sales of IP telephony gear topped US$500 million in the second quarter-a 42 percent year-over-year gain; IDC predicts 34 million homes will have VOIP phones and service instead of traditional Bell service by the end of this decade. 
                     
4. VoIP network management tools
   Network Director is aimed at what 3Com calls "emerging enterprises"- small companies that are enjoying growth and need more sophisticated tools to configure their expanding IT network and monitor its performance. In a statement released on Tuesday, the networking company said that Network Director offered "network topology-aware configuration, detailed performance reports, RMON remote management support, and historical reporting. Together, these features are 3Com's attempt to help firms run voice-over-IP within their organisation, according to Richard Quine, product line manager for network management at 3Com.