In our challenged economy, small businesses are constantly looking for ways to reduce their costs. Many are combining offices, or renting spare offices to individuals. Having multiple businesses in a single office can cause phone wars, with competition for phone lines, lack of privacy, and the inability to properly apportion costs.

In the past, a tenant in an existing office could just be another extension on an existing phone system, which caused many of the aforementioned issues, or could have the local carrier install one or more lines just for them, which was expensive. We worked with one such customer last year, who had multiple companies in a single space, each with their own individual phone lines, resulting in very complicated cabling and high expenses.

Voice over IP (VoIP) can be of great benefit in solving tenant issues. Since VoIP lines are virtual, they do not involve the expense of the installation of a physical line. A single number can scale to handle multiple incoming calls, and multiple numbers can be used to direct calls without having the expense of multiple lines.

If you already have a VoIP-capable phone system, adding a new Voip line for a tenant is a quick and easy process. We did this for a customer last week in a couple of hours. If no VoIP-capable phone system exists, an inexpensive VoIP gateway (see article later in this issue) could be used, which would allow an analog phone to be used with VoIP service.

If you have or are considering tenants in your office, VoIP can be your answer to providing quick and autonomous phone service.

Best of CES - The Powermat Wireless Charger!

Over our next few issues, we will be discussing some of the most interesting product introductions made at the annual Consumer and Electronics Show held recently in Las Vegas.

The Powermat Charger eliminates the need to plug a cell phone in to get its battery charged. Instead, you place your device(s) on a mat, and the battery is charged via induction.

The Powermat, available in various sizes, does require that you replace the batteries and battery door in your device with Powermat batteries. The Powermat is available at Best Buy and Target for less than $100.

More information

Using VoIP with a Legacy Phone System

I am a strong believer in the value of TalkSwitch and 3CX, our VoIP-capable phone systems. I believe they can enhance image, improve efficiency, and reduce costs for any organization. That being said, I recognize that many companies have substantial investments in older systems. These organizations would love to take advantage of VoIP service, but are not prepared to give up their investment in an older system.

If your organization is in this boat, I am happy to report that a solution exists that can allow you to take advantage of VoIP service with ANY legacy system - the VoIP Gateway.

A VoIP gateway connects to your network, and is easily programmed to communicate with a VoIP provider of your choice. It has one or more (depending on capacity) standard phone jacks, which are connected to your legacy phone system. Your phone system "thinks" it is using a regular phone line, but you won't be getting a big bill from AT&T for it.

Another advantage of VoIP gateways is that they allow you to ramp up your service quickly. You can install a gateway such as the Patton 4112 and have service in a matter of a few hours.

If you want the cost advantages of VoIP while preserving your investment in a phone system, contact eNable today to discuss a VoIP gateway.