Many businesses might be tightening their belts financially amid the economic downturn, but that does not mean investments in IT communications technologies are being pinched.
On the contrary, recent research has suggested that the credit crunch has merely prompted smaller firms to invest in IT solutions which can streamline communication options while also cutting costs and improving flexibility, by enabling telecommuting, reduced travel and virtual networking.
VoIP, which enables voice calls over an internet connection, is one of the IT solutions at the forefront of business' minds, it appears.
New research by Conjungo has revealed that VoIP is the most searched for single item on its UK IT channel.
The firm, which provides an archive of more than 15,000 IT technology suppliers, analysed the activities of website visitors in October and found that a tenth of all searches related to VoIP and IP telephony.
According to David Cruse, chief executive of Conjungo, ten per cent of users interested in just one area of the website's array of searchable online content constitutes a "huge" proportion.
He said: "We believe this is an indication of the potential for rapid cost savings that VoIP technology offers combined with a need for truly independent advice for small business on how to find and implement the best solution and supplier."
Indeed, VoIP's potential cost-savings have already been well documented in the US. Point Topic research last month showed that VoIP and related security services accounted for more than half (56 per cent) of the worldwide broadband value-added services market, which was predicted to be worth some $25.7 billion (£15.7 billion).
US-based VoIP provider Bandwidth.com recently said that smaller businesses in the US have already saved more than 50 per cent on their telephony costs through VoIP.
A further attraction of VoIP is its simplicity. A router, special phone, or standard phone with an adaptor box is all that is needed to get your business up and running, according to Dr Adam Le Gresley, head of operations at business and communications technology advisory group Technology Means Business.
He said recently: "Whether you have a physical work space, whether you're working from home or if it's a virtual organisation, you can have everything linked up to a relatively cheap voice-over-internet system."
Companies looking to improve communications between their branch locations, offices and with their supplies have driven the growth of the enterprise VoIP market, concluded Research and Markets' Enterprise Network Equipment & Network Management Services Market 2007-2010 Bundled Report.
It added that enterprise VoIP is also developing further trends in hosted solutions, internet security and networking equipment as firms are upgrading their IT technology so it is compatible with new technological developments for the next five to ten years.
Amid the ramifications of the credit crunch, the report also said: "Cost savings and robust feature sets are also expected to drive increased spending on IP telephony equipment."
So thanks to its proven cost savings and compatibility with emerging IT business trends, VoIP is well-placed at the front of a new wave of solutions - including hosted services, cloud computing, virtualisation and wide area networking - that continue to attract firms closer towards an e-business model of enterprise operations.The 8el CallPort is and IP Centrex solution developed as an alternative to a LAN based PBX. CallPort is differentiated from any other IP Centrex platform and has been designed to deliver a range of telephony features and benefits to the mid-enterprise market space.Says Justin Hamilton-Martin, Managing Director of 8el "While there are many VoIP offerings out there, no one is doing this in the same way as 8el: we are the only service of this kind, with the level of functionality and resilience that we are able to provide. It is suited to any company that wants to maintain control over their communications, while experiencing the benefits of VoIP, but without having to employ dedicated staff or make large investments in equipment."
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