The NEC IPS has always been extremely capable when it comes to VoIP, ethernet networking and other types of convergence features. A variety of different architectural designs and licensing directions can be taken to utilise the benefits of running voice services over an ethernet, (or data) backbone. Recently, the system has introduced SIP integration.

The IPS can perform VoIP functionality in a number of different ways. You can run VoIP extensions in a variety of different guises and situations enabling you to run end user stations over a data network, pure and simple. This may be hard phones, softphones an can be over a VPN or in a local office. You can interconnect a variety of NEC PBX types to pass traffic and information between each other - this is generally known as CCIS Networking over IP Trunks. You can connect the NEC IPS to a variety of other systems using SIP or H323 Trunking, enabling you to pass calls between different IP phone systems. Lastly, you can build remote site scenarios - using distributed modules.

Extension VoIP

Extension Voice over IP allows you to run a voice phone or endpoint as a pure data device - this may be in the form of a Vo-Fi (Voice Fidelity) wireless IP phone, a software phone (softphone) or an IP-enabled handset. Most NEC handsets come in pure IP models, or tradtionaly models can usually be upgraded with a base module enabling the device as an IP phone. IP phones plug into a data switch similar to a networked printer and must be powered either locally by an AC adaptor, or using PoE (Power over Ethernet).

CCIS over IP Trunks

CCIS stands for Common Channel Inter-Office Signalling and is NEC's own protocol whereby seperate NEC equipment can communicate with each other. This is usually done over IP trunks (a method of connecting two systems (not necessarily NEC) over an IP link. Therefore where you would usually only have basic call traffic passing over an IP Trunk, (from system to system) and not many features at all, the CCIS operates also over the IP Trunk and signals information between systems - like transferring, conferencing, name display and so on.

Probably most importantly, CCIS is supported on many different NEC platforms, meaning you can connect an NEC NEAX 2400 IPX (a large enterprise PBX) to the NEC NEAX 7400 2000IPS.

Remote Site

The "Remote Site" scenario on the IPS is a way of connecting many different locations as if they were using the same IPS in the same building. You decide where the 'master' site is (also known as the 'main site') and connect cabinets in remote locations over an IP link and they are as fully functional as if they were in the same room. There are many advantages to this setup, like centralised management and licensing - meaning you don't need to buy several instances of the same license to offer features at different sites.

There are some other considerations to be had though - such as the survival scenario. When a remote site cannot communicate to the main site (usually due to a network outage) it will reset and run in a 'last known good' configuration - usually in the state of programming which was recorded at 2am that morning. The system will function as normal but without OAI (applications like voicemail and CTI) and without links to other sites. Also, the reset process resets all calls. Despite these considerations, it is still an excellent method of interconnecting many locations with the same voice services and achieving the many benefits of VoIP.