Communication is the cornerstone of commerce. Companies today enjoy a wide range of communication options. Face-to-face meetings are still the most powerful, but are too expensive in terms of time and money for all but the most important interaction. Electronic communication, such as email and instant messaging, remains the most convenient and cost-eff ective, but lacks intimacy. Yet, despite all of our technological advances, the best balance of efficiency and intimacy is still the telephone. This is why companies place so much importance on the voice network.

However, several factors make managing voice network reliability more difficult than ever. Most importantly, the network is more complex. In addition to the legacy POTS, companies now have VoIP and wireless voice networks. Simple voicemail has evolved into complex integrated messaging platforms. The generic black handset has been replaced by a plethora of devices including IP phones, cell phones, smart phones and even personal computers.