Recently Datacraft made public the managed service for Internet Protocol telephony (IPT). Datacraft managed IPT service is created to offer businesses with the experienced, specialized resources required to handle and maintain a robust, IP-based voice platform. By outsourcing the end-to-end management and support of their complex IPT system to Datacraft completely, business can cut down on functioning cost and aim their resource on core business goals, while assured of greater reliability, stability and availability.

    The need to handle the increasing complexity of a converged communications environment, contain and control costs, maximise the utilisation of existing technology infrastructure as well as the need for 24/7 service availability are functions that are motivating organisations to move away from a traditional technology outsourcing approach, are the main reasons that make the managed services are gaining popularity. Gartner predicts that, by 2009, 90 per cent of all telephone lines shipped will be IP-based.

    Andy Cocks, Director of Solutions Development & Strategy, Datacraft, stated: "To ensure that clients extract optimal business value from their IPT environments, it is essential that it is managed and supported with the correct skills, resources and using best practice. Convergence means that voice becomes one of many applications that require prioritisation on the same network and that it is subject to similar management and security challenges. This is compounded by the mission-critical nature of the voice application. No business can afford telephone downtime. To ensure the availability required for telephony, voice, data and security specialists need to work together in support of the new communications environment."

    Having deployed and currently handling more than 2,000 IP networks and above 60,000 IP handsets for clients around the region, Datacraft has extensive experience in the planning, creating and support of converged communications infrastructures. It also has preferential relationships with world leading converged communications providers, including Cisco, Tandberg, Genesys and Microsoft.

    The managed service for IPT include Maintenance, a Monitoring Portal, Monitoring and Reporting, Patch and Release Management, Backup and Anti-Virus Assurance, Monthly Care Reporting and 24x7 Online Support. Additional modules include Administration of Moves, Adds, Changes and Deletions, Secure IP Telephony Assurance, Billing Management, Carrier Management, Onsite Support and Enhanced Monitoring. The adjustable structure of Datacraft's Managed Service for IP Telephony -- with its standard service and optional add-ons -- offers clients the possibility to customise the service according to their specific requirements. Datacraft employs the ITIL (Information Technology Information Library) framework to implement the service and manages clients' IPT infrastructure to strict service level agreements and client requirements.
"In line with the growing trend of reducing or eliminating capital expenditure, the monthly service fee is an operational expense that enables clients to budget more accurately," noted Cocks.

For more information visit http://www.datacraft-asia.com .