Telecom equipment is an area of technology that encompasses a wide range of products, and
offers various specifications that differentiate one product and/or product line from another. While some of the ratings and specifications are very specific to an individual product, there are some common sense, "bird's eye view" ways to look at small business phones systems and their ratings and specifications across the board. The best way to do this is by dividing things up into several categories.
What to Look For in Small Business Phone Systems
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Product Specifications - Ideally, the product specs give you an apples to apples method of comparing different competing pieces of equipment. This is often true to a certain extent, however it is important to know when the specs aren't telling the whole story. For instance, if deciding on a switch, and one (more expensive) switch offers much greater bandwidth, it may not be worth the extra investment if the rest of your network isn't able to take advantage of the additional capacity. The flipside of this, of course, is if you are purchasing with an eye towards future overhauls and upgrades, in which case it may make sense to purchase the more expensive switch now - even if it won't be used to its full potential right away rather than having to replace it later.
Another thing to keep in mind considering product specifications is that some manufacturers are more stringent than others when it comes to accuracy standards. There's a reason the lawyers often refer to them as "nominal". Real world conditions including climate, user expertise, quality of media, software limitations and bugs, and a host of other variables can often impact the actual numbers, so, again, context is key. Nothing operates in a vacuum.
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Product Review Ratings - Telecom reviews are not as prevalent as, say, reviews of the latest iPhones, however a little intelligent searching can uncover informative reviews written by knowledgeable experts. For someone who makes frequent equipment purchasing decisions, it may be worthwhile to purchase a subscription to an industry publication that reviews products currently available in the marketplace.
Other valuable sources of product rating information include the actual vendors themselves. As they deal with this equipment for a living, they can offer an intricate, detailed knowledge level that would be difficult to duplicate elsewhere. And since satisfied customers often become repeat customers, a quality telecom equipment vendor will see it as in their best interest to offer reliable information.
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Energy Efficiency Ratings - Nowadays, any electronic equipment seems to be labeled energy efficient or green, but how reliable are those ratings? Is something energy efficient just because the manufacturer claims that to be the case?
Of course not. However, there are some widely accepted standards in place that you can reference to see if a given piece of equipment is as energy efficient as it claims to be. One of the most credible standards is ENERGY STAR, a joint program by the US Department of Energy and the Environmental protection agency that sets energy efficiency standards for electronic equipment and appliances.
Another energy efficiency rating system specifically targeted to telecom products are the three standards released by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) dealing with general requirements, requirements specific to servers, and requirements for transport efficiency.
When dealing with telecom equipment purchasing decisions, the task of finding reliable product specifications and ratings can seem overwhelming, but with a little research and persistence, you'll quickly find yourself gaining an accurate picture of how one product can be expected to perform when compared to another.
