RNC - New York firms use VOIP to avoid convention crowds

[Khephra]

RNC - New York firms use VOIP to avoid convention crowds

Employees working at home

By Grant Gross, IDG News Service September 02, 2004


WASHINGTON - Some New York businesses are using a voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) feature to avoid the crowds at the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden.

Most VOIP service using dedicated phones means that the number assigned to a particular phone goes with it, so the receptionist for Infinity Consulting Group LLC took her VOIP phone home this week and answered calls as if she were in the office. She simply plugged her VOIP phone into a broadband connection to receive calls.

Infinity's New York offices are across the street from Madison Square Garden, and Lou Forino, the company's chief executive officer (CEO), decided that with the expected large crowds in that area it might be easier for employees to work at home or from other offices this week. "As the CEO of the company, I still want to get productivity this week," he said. "I don't want to send people on a week-long vacation."

Forino on Wednesday reported no problems with the 25 New York employees who took their VOIP phones with them to other work sites this week. Forino's company, an IT consultancy, has been using VOIP service from M5 Networks Inc. for about eight months, and the ability for phone numbers to follow employees was one of the attractive features, Forino said. "It's just as if I'm sitting back at my office in New York City," Forino said from his suburban home earlier this week.

http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/09/02/HNrncvoip_1.html

[Yavin4]

1. A Nice Test Run For Outsourcing Overseas

Now, this company will be able to replace their employees with workers from India by using this technology.

[SheepyMcSheepster]

2. VOIP phone systems are pretty cool

in 20 years old POTS phones will be history i think.