SIP vs. VoIP: What’s the Best Option for Your Small Business Venture?

First off, what do these two acronyms mean? SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol, while VoIP is the shortened version of Voice-over-Internet Protocol. Both are being increasingly used by businesses of all sizes, so what’s the best option for your small venture? We dig deeper into what exactly each protocol does and compare the two choices below to help you decide which is the best fit for you.

What Does SIP Do?

Now we know what it stands for; what does SIP actually do? Well, in a nutshell, SIP is becoming the industry-standard way of deploying VoIP; although these technologies are distinct, they are compatible and are frequently used together by businesses.

SIP technology will not only enable your business to make phone calls digitally, over the internet but can also be used to facilitate messaging, video conferencing, media distribution, and more. Special SIP phones can be used to connect to a router or the device itself to allow these calls to be made. SIP describes the background process that operates behind VoIP technology.

The Benefits Of SIP

SIP can be combined with a plethora of other tools and apps, meaning that you can tailor the communications platform of your small business to your specific needs and requirements; as a technology, it is both flexible and highly scalable, meaning that it can grow with and adapt to your unique business. Using SIP in place of regular telephone communication also guarantees greater reliability and sound quality, with a decreased chance of service interruption or patchy lines.

SIP trunking is becoming popular – this is a method by which a business can unify all its communications across the board, as well as voice calls, messages, and conferencing facilities; this option also allows for auto-attendant services, voicemail, and call management. Once the necessary hardware to facilitate trunking is in place, it’s usually a simple process to enable the tech on all your business devices.

How About VoIP?

VoIP relates to any calls made over the internet rather than those made using traditional phone lines. VoIP encompasses a group of protocol technologies, including those that utilize SIP. VoIP turns the voice of the user into a digital signal that is then transmitted digitally to the receiver.

VoIP is most usually used in conjunction with an application, such as Skype, that supports the technology or via a hosted VoIP service.

The Benefits of VoIP

VoIP can be a great option, especially for small businesses, as it simplifies the communication element of setting up and running your enterprise. VoIP removes the necessity of landlines and regular phones, freeing up both office space and resources. As with SIP, VoIP offers a much more reliable, higher quality service and allows you to access your calls and voice messages from wherever you are in the world, as long as you have access to an internet connection. Have a look at https://www.top10.com/voip/reviews/dialpad for one option of a cloud-based VoIP system that offers business SMS, a wide integration library, and easy number porting.

VoIP is, in the vast majority of cases, an extremely cost-effective option, too, so in this regard is also the perfect choice for small businesses who are mindful of their budget – as well as service packages being much cheaper than those associated with landlines, there is very little upfront hardwire to buy to get started. It’s usually extremely quick and easy to set up, and no expertise or experience is required: this is often seen as a big plus for small businesses, as there’s no need to employ specialist staff to get this side of things up and running and there are none of the maintenance costs that can go hand in hand with other communications systems.

Comparing The Two Options

Although they are separate technologies, the best use of VoIP and SIP is as tools that support and enhance each other. SIP allows VoIP to work properly, while VoIP looks after the direct process and chain of communication.

So, in conclusion, the best choice for your small business communication platform is likely to be a SIP-enabled VoIP system. The benefits of this combined technology are plentiful: firstly, you will be able to make unlimited national and international calls at a fraction of the cost you would pay to make these same calls via a landline.

Secondly, and vitally for your business, SIP-enabled VoIP communications are secure – much more so than traditional calls. The digital data is end-to-end encrypted, keeping it safe from prying ears (and eyes) – and, for even greater peace of mind, your data is secure even if the person on the other end of your call is using a different VoIP protocol https://www.fcc.gov/general/voice-over-internet-protocol-voip to the one being deployed by your business.

Reliability and sound quality are an important advantage, too; there’s no need to worry about service interruptions that could have a negative impact on your business’s reputation or an important international call cutting out halfway through a discussion.

And, last but not least, using this combined technology means that you don’t have to factor in any spending for maintenance or get a nasty surprise in terms of hidden costs or additional contractual fees that you weren’t aware of.