Replacing a traditional phone system with one that uses Voice over IP (VoIP) can save a company money and boost productivity. Phone systems that are offered as a managed service, also known as hosted VoIP, are especially popular.

 

Gartner (News - Alert) recently predicted that the hosted VoIP market, which represented 300,000 lines in 2005, will grow to more than 6 million lines by 2009. The growth of hosted VoIP is driven by the convergence of data and voice networks.

 

With that convergence comes another type of convergence for service providers: the integration of telecom and IT service channels. This creates both challenges and opportunities for traditional providers and newcomers to the field alike.

 

An overview and discussion about these opportunities and challenges will commence March 27, 2008, at 2:00 p.m. ET, with a Webinar titled IP Convergence (News - Alert) Means Channel Convergence. This Web event will be presented by Tom Scearce, Vice President of Market Development at Speakeasy and Erik Linask, Associate Editor at Technology Marketing Corporation.

 

IP Convergence Means Channel Convergence is intended to be helpful for representatives from interconnect firms, independent IT consultants, IT service company executives, and regional or national VARs/systems integrators. Attendees will benefit from an informative discussion about what these different players can learn from one another as they gear up to deliver next-generation, converged solutions demanded by small businesses.

 

To register for the event, and for more information, please click here.