Why You Need SIP Protocol for Voice Over IP
Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is the communications technology for person-to-person voice data over the Web. Its technical specifications come from the SIP working group of the Internet Engineering Task Force. SIP provides access to the public switched telephone network for voice data at 3 kHz bandwidth and common number dialing using Voice over IP (VoIP). It can also be expanded to handle IP telephony in conjunction with video and instant messaging. Forthcoming improvements will enable SIP applications like video conference calls, application sharing, home monitoring, and interactive gaming for businesses in Roosevelt.
Manufacturers of SIP components are rapidly designing new products and software to get the upper hand in this new Internet communications scheme. SIP telephones, PC client programs, SIP servers, routers, and firewalls are now obtainable from companies such as Ingate Systems and Cisco.
Before setting up a SIP plan in your business, you should take into account the appropriate configuration of your corporate firewall to support SIP. Many of the typical firewalls already deployed in business offices are not designed to support the SIP protocol. First, SIP media streams are transmitted over dynamically allocated UDP ports that are usually blocked on firewalls. Second, SIP clients within a firewall can not be accessed using IP addresses since these addresses are local and unique to the LAN. Third, you need to ensure that either your T1 line provider or Ethernet fiber carrier is able to support the SIP protocol from your internal network to the outside world. Your IT manager will need to ascertain how to appropriately support SIP to overcome these technical issues. By including a SIP proxy and registrar for managing the firewall, it is possible to handle complex SIP situations for secure and confidential communications.
