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Videoconferencing: ISDN or IP, which is right for you?

IP is right for multipoint calls. Because IP is a fixed-cost service, you can call any IP location without LD charges. Because it's always on, you can schedule multipoint calls with confidence. "There is a certain level of redundancy built into IP networking. You can route around network issues," says Ira Weinstein, Senior Analyst and Consultant, Wainhouse Research.

IP is right for high call volume. "Monthly IP network fees range from $200-$1099 per endpoint, depending on the amount of bandwidth and features required per endpoint," says Sally Windman, industry analyst, conferencing and collaboration group, Frost & Sullivan. There are no metered costs. If you're selling hundreds of hours of calls per month, you can easily make out over ISDN.

IP is right for one-way conferencing. Streaming and webcasting technologies can shoot a lot of data to near countless recipients via multicast for a fraction of the cost of videoconferencing.

"Webcasting and streaming are broadcast technologies, optimized for large audiences. The CEO's quarterly briefing to the company that has to go out to 23,000 people would be an expensive videoconference. But, you can send it over a streaming technology or make it a webcast and it becomes very cheap," says Weinstein.

ISDN is still right for

- compatibility with the greatest number of legacy endpoints.

- low call volume - low upfront costs and a metered fee only when you use it.

- when it's all that's available.

What is the best solution for you? Probably a mix of both.

While you will probably need to service legacy ISDN locations, IP is the new standard. "We believe that 2004 marked the year when more IP video calls were being made than ISDN calls. That doesn't mean there are more IP than ISDN systems; people are eating up as much of IP video conferencing as they can get," says Weinstein. Custom Videoconferencing Solutions, Inc, for example, sees 75 IP calls to every 25 ISDN calls on its network, according to Brenda Stoye, president.

If you offer ISDN, you need a gateway to IP videoconferencing to service IP locations, to save LD costs and to keep clients from switching to IP before you're ready to make the journey with them. If you offer IP, you need a gateway to ISDN to service those locations. Most Telcos and some ISPs offer gateway services.

Everything is going IP; join the migration. Add an IP gateway, then move to IP as your core service and use an ISDN gateway.