VoIP Toolkit

Is Skype ready for corporate use?

Tags:
VoIP,
Skype

Deb Shinder Tech Republic

Published: 22 Nov 2006 16:14 GMT

…a SkypeIn phone number, you can receive calls from non-Skype phones as well as forward Skype calls to your landline or mobile phone.

One problem you may run into is that Skype calls don't display caller ID information. All Skype calls show up on caller ID as 000-012-3456. If the called party has configured his or her service to block unidentified calls, Skype calls won't go through.

It's also important to remember (as the Skype website and software warn you frequently) that Skype doesn't provide emergency service calls, so it's not a good idea to rely on it as your only phone service.

When eBay acquired Skype in 2005, part of the official announcement quoted eBay chief executive Meg Whitman as saying, "By combining the two leading e-commerce franchises, eBay and PayPal, with the leader in internet voice communications, we will create an extraordinarily powerful environment for business on the net."

The newest version, Skype 3.0 (currently in beta), appears to be making good on the goal of attracting business customers. In fact, it boasts a business version that's easy to deploy to multiple machines on a network using Windows Installer (MSI) packages, and companies can centrally manage multiple accounts with the Business Control Panel. The administrator can then allocate Skype phone numbers and voice mail to users. (At the time of this writing, the business version of Skype 3.0 beta is build 3.0.32.123, whereas the regular Skype 3.0 beta is build 3.0.0.106.)

There's an optional feature you can install to allow you to call regular phone numbers on any website with a click. There are also a number of add-ons you can install to make Skype more productive, including:

Pamela — a personal digital assistant program for Skype
TalkandWrite — a whiteboard application with voice and video
Skylook — an extension that lets you record Skype calls and get SMS alerts, voice mail in your email inbox, and Microsoft Outlook reminders by phone
SKY-click — a web-based call centre
Transclick — a translation plug-in for chat messages

The Skype experience
The last time I tried Skype, several years ago, I was less than impressed. Voice quality wasn't very good (using a T-1 internet connection), and calls didn't connect reliably. So I was prepared to be disappointed when I downloaded and installed Skype 3.0.

Instead, I was pleasantly surprised. At almost 14MB, the download isn't tiny, but the installation went smoothly and only took a few minutes. Over my 15Mbps FiOS connection, the sound is as good as my landline and better than my Lingo VoIP and cellular lines.

One difference I noted between the consumer and corporate versions was that the former automatically imported my contacts from Outlook, whereas the latter didn't. However, I was able to do so easily by selecting the Import option from the Contacts menu.

I signed up for a SkypeIn phone number to test the feature, and Skype activated the number I selected within 10 minutes. You can request a specific number in your area code, which Skype will assign you if it's available, or you can choose from a list of available numbers.

I was immediately able to make calls from my landline to the new number and leave voice mail. The History tab displays voicemail messages, along with missed calls.

Summary
Is Skype a viable replacement for all of your other corporate phone services? Probably not, if only because of the emergency 911 limitations. But it's becoming more reliable and robust all the time, and the price certainly beats that of other VoIP providers. Skype is certainly an inexpensive way to add extra phone lines, with a whole slew of features that are business-friendly.

Deb Shinder is a technology consultant, trainer and writer who has authored a number of books on computer operating systems, networking and security. She currently specialises in security issues and Microsoft products, and she has received Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional (MVP) status in Windows Server Security.