Take 5 – Top Tips for Managing VoIP

Our sales engineers put together a list of best practices to use when implementing or troubleshooting VoIP. Keeping these steps in mind will help you get the most from your VoIP network.

1. Monitor rollouts to ensure a positive user experience
Determine whether or not users are receiving a positive experience by reviewing cumulative VoIP metrics, codecs, and other network performance variables during deployment. By evaluating VLAN setups and overall link utilization you can judge overall network performance and quickly make adjustments during implementation.

2. Compare jitter to overall network bandwidth utilization to understand response time
When jitter becomes a problem, look at the big picture. A correlation between jitter and bandwidth usage means the problem is overall network usage. If there is no direct correlation, excessive jitter may be caused by isolated network factors that require further investigation.

3. Set up your analyzer to proactively monitor VoIP activity
Utilize monitoring and notification tools to speed problem resolution. Determine normal or acceptable activity levels for your network and its users. Then set up thresholds within your analyzer to alert you when thresholds are broken or in danger.

4. Automate problem resolution
Expert Analysis functionality eliminates unnecessary trial and error when troubleshooting VoIP issues by automating problem resolution. Utilize Expert Analysis on VoIP communication to quickly pinpoint the source of common VoIP problems.

5. Baseline network traffic
For comprehensive understanding of VoIP traffic, capture and store long-term network data. Only with this critical trending data can you accurately perform baselining activities. Baselining validates VoIP performance, helps future capacity planning efforts, and provides long-term understanding of VoIP health.

Online VoIP Resources
InfoWorld – Guide to Deploying VoIP
SearchVoIP.com – Taking Advantage of VoIP
Network Instruments – Understanding VoIP Performance Metrics (PDF)
VoIP & Gadgets – Look at the cooler side of VoIP