by Joe Taylor Jr
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Ever since Oprah started using Skype video chats on the air to connect with far-flung viewers, the peer-to-peer communications software has enjoyed a surge of popularity. The latest version of the free software download helps users bridge the gap between operating systems as well as between countries. Third party tools that allow call recording and screen sharing make Skype even more attractive to business owners, who already appreciate the service's inexpensive phone service pricing. However, critics note that the still-maturing service has a long way to go before it can be considered ready for the rigors of serious business. Instead, experts recommend improving enterprise VoIP services with new features and quality enhancements that may make Skype irrelevant at the office.
Why CIOs Prefer Enterprise-Quality Phone Systems to Skype
For IT professionals, Skype is another name in a long list of consumer-driven technologies that create security concerns while taxing company infrastructure. After all, a full quality video voice chat over Skype requires a decent amount of bandwidth. Multiple machines connecting through a shared office network can mean trouble for VoIP phone systems that require their own fat pipes for high sound quality.
Most of all, IT managers worry that Skype's peer-to-peer roots can leave companies vulnerable to intellectual property theft. Unlike VoIP phone systems that rely on centralized servers and dedicated bandwidth, Skype transmits data through an always evolving network of user-supplied connections. Though exploits by experienced hackers are rare, even Skype's proponents note that client accounts can be accessed through password cracking.
How Skype Can Play Nice with Phone System Managers
Nevertheless, the benefits of Skype have endeared it to a growing number of fans. Along with Oprah, a roster of high profile users includes entrepreneurs and politicians. Not only can users connect with each other for free, they can reach landline and wireless phones throughout the world for only pennies per minute. This repositioning of the tool as a phone service has already helped it gain traction in the workplace.
Third-party vendors recently released new hardware that promises to bridge the gap between existing Avaya phone systems and Skype services. With more support from trusted hardware providers, phone system managers should have an easier time approving proof of concept projects using Skype and other instant messaging hybrids. Likewise, Skype's own leadership team has invested heavily in developing an enterprise version of the service. With backing from its corporate parent eBay, Skype intends to spread its corporate use beyond small business.
For some companies, the economic reality of maintaining a high quality phone system may force the decision to use Skype. For other IT managers, Skype is a tool that must be accommodated in order to suit the whims of key team members. Either way, the same advances that have improved the stature of VoIP phone systems in the enterprise space can help Skype users acclimate to office life.
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About the AuthorJoe Taylor Jr. is an internal business consultant for a Fortune 500 company, who writes about finance, culture, and design. He holds a bachelor's of science in communications from Ithaca College.
