This paper describes the economic forces driving the market for managed network services and discusses the issues a service provider needs to consider in order to ensure profitable delivery of such services.

Three key criteria are important to consider before investing in an IP telephony solution, its foundation architecture, application support, and ability to deliver multi-site connectivity, all of which will affect ease of use, cost, and long-term value. This white paper reviews the potential business benefits and key technical requirements of a converged IP telephony solution, and illustrates how 3Com networked telephony solutions enable small and medium enterprises to maximize these benefits.

Businesses today have choices they may not have had even a few short years ago. After critical consideration of the issues involved in successfully deploying IP telephony and establishing an effective converged infrastructure, enterprises will realize that 3Com is their best choice now and the company they will want to keep as their communications needs evolve.