DataComm Networks: Certified Cisco IP Telephone System Installers

The convergence of voice, video, and data on a single IP network is changing and improving the way companies communicate. Voice and video can now be transported as high-priority data, resulting in unmatched cost savings, business resilience, and employee productivity. For more information, review the featured design guides below.

As the leader in data networking and a pioneer in IP Communications, Cisco recognizes that companies need robust, flexible, full-service communications solutions that quickly deliver substantial returns on investment. As a result, Cisco offers a comprehensive IP Communications portfolio including IP Telephony, Unified Communications, IP Contact Center, and Video solutions.

IP telephony refers to the technology for transmitting voice communications over a network using an open standards-based Internet Protocol (IP). Built on the Cisco Unified Communications network infrastructure, Cisco IP Telephony solutions leverage a single network infrastructure for the transmission of data, voice, and video traffic to deliver high-quality IP voice and fully integrated communications. Cisco IP Telephony solutions enable enterprises to realize the business benefits of a converged network (increased productivity, business flexibility, and reduced operational costs). IP Telephony solutions are enabled by Cisco Unified Communications, providing a seamless migration to full IP Communications by interoperating with existing systems and protecting your technology investments. With Cisco IP Telephony, you have the flexibility to choose from a suite of IP-based hardware and solutions that scale to meet your needs whether you are an enterprise campus, branch office, small office, or midmarket customer.

Infrastructure: The infrastructure component includes public switched telephone network (PSTN) gateways, analog phone support, and digital signal processor (DSP) farms. The infrastructure can support multiple client types such as hardware phones, software phones, and video devices. Infrastructure also includes the interfaces and features necessary to integrate legacy PBX, voice mail, and directory systems. Typical products used to build an infrastructure include Cisco voice gateways (non-routing, routing, and integrated), Cisco switches, Voice application systems

IP Phones: Cisco IP Phones are a full range of intelligent communication devices designed to take advantage of the power of your data network, while providing the convenience and ease-of-use you've come to expect from your business phone. In the IP environment, each phone has an Ethernet connection. IP phones provide the functionality you expect to receive from a traditional telephone, as well as more complicated features, such as the ability to access World Wide Web sites. Typical user instruments include Cisco IP Phones and Cisco IP SoftPhones

Cisco CallManager: At the heart of the IP telephony system is Cisco CallManager, the software-based call processing agent. Cisco CallManager software extends enterprise telephony features and capabilities to packet telephony network devices such as IP phones, media processing devices, voice-over-IP (VoIP) gateways, and multimedia applications. Additional data, voice, and video services such as unified messaging, multimedia conferencing, collaborative contact centers, and interactive multimedia response systems interact with the IP telephony solution through Cisco CallManager's open telephony application programming interfaces (APIs)

Voice Software: Voice applications are physically independent from the call processing and voice processing infrastructure, and they may reside anywhere within your network. Leveraging a single network infrastructure, provides an open platform for powerful productivity applications, and serves as a solid foundation for future convergence-based applications that will continue to advance enterprise communications