Unified Communications for the Enterprise

Skype just released their SIP beta in the open, and it's going to change the business communications landscape. Businesses can use their existing SIP-based PBX or Unified Communications platform with Skype for a minimal monthly charge.

The Skype admin tool allows administrators to manage employee accounts. Admins can control feature and number availability. The company seems to be channeling resources into the admin tool rather than the desktop client.



There are over 520 million Skype users worldwide. Bridging the gap between those users and the complex world of telephony is a substantial gain for the industry. Skype is introducing the concept of enterprise VOIP to a wide audience, and the industry will grow as a result.

As Fortune 1000 companies such as Maxim adopt Skype, and become familiar with SIP trunking, VOIP and Unified Communications, the difference between managed communications and un-managed, unsecured will become apparent. Risks in a Skype enterprise implementation will be realized, and IT departments will insist on a mature Unified Communications provider. In addition, Skype is not encrypted to the desktop.

Relying on the public internet as opposed to a secured, private network for mission critical communications can carry a high business risk. Any business system needs to include a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS). MPLS is a fully managed nationwide private network that is optimized for delivery of business applications including voice and video.

“We have a wholly owned infrastructure that we’re able to put quality service tagging on the packets as they go across the network,” said John Wesselman, Product Manager at Smoothstone.

Several PBX vendors have been Skype certified for SIP, including ShoreTel and Cisco. Skype also sees its self as a Unified Communications provider, since it's desktop client features voice, IM and file transfer. The major drawback is that a Skype solution is not managed down to the desktop. This will result in quality loss and security concerns.

The introduction of Skype for SIP is great for the industry, and will open a lot of doors. Unfortunately, Skype for SIP will result in a lot of frustrations and headaches for corporate IT administrators, and users screaming for less dropped calls.

- Paul Sizemore