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4 Factors Driving SIP Migration
It’s estimated that by 2017, the number of SIP users will have grown from 7.2 million in 2010 to 59.1 million[1]. But why such a massive increase? To answer that question is to understand where the telecom industry is going in regards to voice technology, and that’s an important thing to know if you’re a business owner. After all, the telephone is often the front line between you and your customer. So, let’s take a look at the four factors driving SIP migration…
The death of POTS
Thanks to a strong push from providers, plain old traditional [phone] service (POTS) is disappearing. The reasons are numerous: decaying infrastructure, lack of new technicians trained on repairing/maintaining traditional phone technology and higher overhead costs associated with POTS technology, just to name a few.
While this may not have a huge impact on larger businesses with more complicated phone systems, small businesses will have to adapt. Many, if not most of them, will look toward a SIP solution to replace dying communication technology.
Short- and long-term cost savings
Because of the consolidation of communication infrastructure associated with SIP lines and SIP trunking, business save on overhead – there is less equipment for them to maintain and house, and the technology simply costs less to implement. When considering the long-term implications of SIP migration, one report estimates businesses will generally see a 60% reduction in telecommunications costs[2] after they migrate to SIP.
Enabling unified communications (UC)
Utilizing Internet Protocol for voice communication opens the door for integration of voice and other communication mediums on the same network. UC technology can provide access to voice, instant messaging and video conferencing from one interface on desktop computers or even mobile devices. When implemented properly, this can have a big impact on workplace efficiency.
Functionality and practicality
The bottom line is SIP technology just offers businesses more optimized communication capabilities. The ability to control and balance traffic, capacity and call routing; the ability to more easily scale the number of lines up or down to meet business demands, and greater internal control of every communication medium in use is simply more appealing from a usability perspective.
Inexpensive Vacation Ideas
Many people hope to take an exciting, memorable vacation, but are limited by a financial budget. However, abundant inexpensive vacation destinations are available for the savvy traveler. Planning ahead, shopping for discounted destination rentals and hunting for free activities can contribute to an unforgettable vacation that won’t break the bank.
Stay Local
A popular budget vacation trend is the staycation, a new term that references staying local and exploring the area. Without the responsibilities of work and constraints of social engagements, vacationers can discover their own city and nearby towns in as if they, themselves, were tourists. Because staycations free up money generally geared for lodging, flights, gas or pet boarding, more money can be devoted towards bills (without skimping on entertainment and exciting local activities). Consider coordinating a staycation with popular local events, such as Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival or Washington D.C.’s Cherry Blossom Festival. Sift through online media and local newspapers for free activities held locally, including author readings, concert events or dance classes. Evaluate the top tourist destinations in your city–from aquariums to art museums to major sports teams–and schedule at least two experiences during your staycation. Splurge on a discounted hotel downtown to get away for a night and live it up like a city tourist. Plan a day trip to a nearby town for wine tasting, horseback riding or berry-picking. Additionally, discover the great outdoors in your region through a day hike or overnight camping trip. Learn about the nearby topography and native animals and plants through kayaking or bicycling adventures. Remember to catch up on sleep, finish at least one home project and put your vacation savings towards any outstanding debt to make a staycation a worthwhile experience.
Discounted Destination Rentals
During a struggling housing market, vacation homeowners often slash rental prices to solidify an occupant in a competitive market. Recently, the Columbia State Newspaper reported that South Carolina coastal homes had reduced rental rates from 10 to 25 percent (see Resources). For those traveling on a budget, look for last-minute destination rental deals. Additionally, shop around the market to achieve the best rate, vacation during an off-peak time and look for beach-access homes (versus waterfront) for deeper savings. For beach home rentals, consider spots less-plagued by tourists–such as Cape Hatteras, Biloxi or Tybee Island–to keep more money in your pocket. Additionally, mountain cabin rentals offer a unique vacation experience coupled with financial savings. Consider traveling to Dahlonega (Georgia), Durango (Colorado), Missoula (Montana), Chattanooga (Tennessee) or Asheville (North Carolina) during the off-peak months to discover charming cities, outdoor adventures and magnificent scenery. For travelers who appreciate extremely rustic conditions and hope to reduce any extra vacation costs should contemplate ChillBilly Acres in Canada. At $15/night, travelers can visit Ontario and Toronto (without the glitzy hotels and hefty price tags) and experience the natural wonders surrounding the cabin.
Discover Camping
Oftentimes, the best vacations are ones that allow for personal discovery, an outdoor experience and financial savings. Plentiful camping opportunities abound throughout the country; Consider the season to help assist in choosing the best camping experience. Warm, summer weather allows for enjoyable camping in Montana, Washington, Oregon, Minnesota and Colorado. Cooler, winter months should warrant a visit to the Southern states, from Arizona to Florida. Evaluate your ownership of camping supplies to determine any vacation-related costs, and purchase any needed equipment at discounted rates. Discover America’s Parks for inexpensive camping and hiking opportunities that offer magnificent encounters with nature, such as Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California or Zion National Park in Utah (make sure you get a permit before camping, if required). Consider Manzanita Campground in Sedona, Arizona for easy access to downtown Sedona and multi-function trails that wind through the Red Rocks. At $18/night, campers can reserve a spot, pitch a tent, make s’mores and enjoy a relaxing evening. Don’t have outdoor supplies and not up for sleeping beneath the stars? Many state parks offer onsite lodging (sometimes as low as $35/night) that provide an inexpensive opportunity to discover America’s great outdoors.
Pick The Best Car Rental Service For You
There are a number of people that are looking to book cars on a daily basis. The needs of each of these people vary. Some are for personal use while others are for family members and friends and there are others that book it for daily commute to and from work. If you have not yet jumped on the bandwagon and you are not sure how a car rental service will work for you then you need to make sure you take advantage of these services today. If you’re looking for the best car rental service and this is your first time using it then you need to go and check out limohire-sportcarhire.co.uk. One of the best things about this car rental service is you will be treated very nicely because customer service is their priority.
Most car rental services do not really take care of the customers and they end up treating customers badly. This could lead to you not using car rental services ever again in future and missing out on one of the best things in life. A car rental service is not necessarily just for commuting. You can just get away for a long drive to clear your head if you have a lot of stress at work and this is where a car rental service will help you. You do not need to worry about driving anywhere or parking anywhere. All you need to do is sit in the car and tell the driver wherever you want to go. You can just enjoy the view, clear your head and gather your thoughts and get back to your daily life once you are back.
Another advantage car rental services is you will be able to ensure that you get everywhere on time. People are usually late for work when they depend on public transport. This is due to the rush during peak hours as well as traffic. You may end up missing the train because there was a lot of crowd or get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. With a car rental service you will not have to go to these problems because the rental service does not necessarily take the most common route. The drivers are given the liberty of taking routes that are slight detours and can avoid traffic as well. The drivers are well trained and they will ensure that you reach your destination on time and safely.
Another advantage of hiring cars from the reputed car rental services is you will be able to ensure that you get the best rates possible. Most people think that renting a car can be quite expensive especially if it is a high end car. However that is not the case and the best rental services usually make the services affordable because they want you to keep coming back again and again to avail their services. Once you get used to renting a car and travelling in comfort you will never want to go back to taking the public transport to work or anywhere else that you need to get to.
Spring Break Vacation Ideas
After enduring weeks of strenuous tests, annoying assignments and 20-page midterm papers, spring break arrives in the nick of time to save you from the verge of a nervous breakdown. When that school-free week finally comes, it’s time for you to party and let loose. College students spend their spring break vacations in destinations across America, but a few places cater to the spring break crowd. Read on for tips on spring break vacation ideas.
Kick It in Cancun
College students and high school seniors alike head to the wild city of Cancun to party ’til dawn. This spring break mecca is popular among the 21-and-under crowd, since the legal drinking age in the city is 18. MTV has hosted numerous events in and around the city during spring break, including concerts stacked with popular music artists from that respective year. Students flock here for foam parties in Cancun’s hottest nightclubs, day parties on the beach and dance contests around the city. The city’s bars run rampant with spring breakers downing tequila shots and shaking their hips on makeshift dance floors.
Dance the Night Away in the Bahamas
The Bahamian city of Nassau is a prime destination for spring breakers from around the country. Students spend their days sipping fresh juice concoctions in coconut halves while lounging on gorgeous beaches, snorkeling and scuba diving in the island’s blue-green waters and shopping on Paradise Island. At night the city’s bars and clubs come to life with thousands of students partying underneath the stars at open-air clubs and dancing to reggae music at Nassau’s indoor hot spots. Spring breakers over 21 can also head to the city’s casinos.
Get Wet and Wild in Panama City, Florida
Panama City, Florida, is yet another town notorious for its spring break appeal. The city’s sunny, warm weather, white sandy beaches and massive clubs have made it a hit with the hundreds of thousands of spring breakers who flock to the city every year. While you have to be 21 to drink at the clubs and bars in the city, if you’re over 18 you can enter most of the clubs.
Party in Miami
Miami, Florida, is like a paradise if you’re looking for more of a chic, fashionista spring break vibe. Spring breakers pack the glitzy shores of South Beach, downing frozen drinks and dancing at beachside bars by day and hitting the city’s famed party scene at night. Students with big budgets shop ’til they drop in Miami’s high-end shopping malls, then don their duds among the masses mingling along Ocean Drive.
PlayStation Goes Social – Video Game Engagement Trends
With the announcement of PlayStation 4’s social elements, companies, game developers and gamers are coming together in a more integrated social ecosystem.
After watching last night’s PlayStation 4 LiveStream I learned some interesting things about Sony’s next iteration of their upcoming system the “PS4”. I learned that Sony has been watching and listening by integrating social networks, integrating 4th screen technology and cloud technology.
I assume Sony is planning on hitting these mediums as follows:
Social Networks:
Sony has partnered with Facebook and UStream to help gamers collect and share content instantly with a dedicated “Share” button on the back of the controller. This is HUGE news to any gamer who’s ever wasted their time saving, editing and uploading their pwnage (pure ownage) to YouTube. Now gamers will be able to share their pwnage instantly in game as well as to the world. Seems like a gaming marketer’s dream.
If you don’t believe that people are actively doing this as we speak, here’s a clip from my COD:MW3 (Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3) clan member Dan.
YouTube: http://youtu.be/kge8esdag1I
4th Screen:
Sony is leveraging what it calls “Remote Play” so users can experience their game on multiple screens and keep users engaged in their game for longer periods of time while helping to boost their PS Vita handheld sales.
Game developers and Sony will also be working on separate apps to leverage smartphones and tablets to help bring gamers together and incorporate updates, news and invites to gamers on the go. Do you see the “social” theme coming through here?
Cloud Technology:
To the Cloud! Everything has to be on the cloud these days, even our games! Sony seems to have the right idea of leveraging cloud services to give users instant gratification by allowing them to buy a game and play it instantly while the rest of the game downloads. On top of that, Sony will or should be leveraging some of the PS4’s new social technology to help target market specific games to users on their networks based on their “likes”.
Only time will tell how successful the PlayStation 4 will be when it’s finally released, but it’s a great idea to socialize their technology on a medium that’s already its own social channel.
Destination Weddings in the US
Planning a destination wedding is becoming more popular for couples. Considering the cost of traveling abroad, organizing a U.S. destination wedding can help couples stay within their budget but still have the wedding of their dreams. Think about visiting your selected destination around the same time you plan to get married. This provides couples with an idea of what the area will look like and what the temperatures will feel like on their wedding day. Use this information in the planning the attire, time and other elements for your destination wedding.
The Beach
Consider getting married in the sun and sand. Select a U.S. beach to say your vows. Popping to mind first is Hawaii, with year round beautiful weather, world-class beaches and romantic sunsets. Select an island that meets your style. Consider Oahu and Maui for lagoons, Kauai for tropical, untouched vegetation and the Big Island for black sand beaches and a volcanic landscape. Think about the Florida or California coast if Hawaii isn’t in your budget. Both are closer to home, more budget friendly for guests and offer beautiful settings. Choosing one of the coasts means you could enjoy nightlife with your wedding guests in cities like Miami or Los Angeles.
Winery or Vineyard
Plan a destination wedding at a winery or vineyard. Consider this idea if you’re a wine enthusiast or for a picture-perfect outdoor setting. Marrying at a winery does require serving the wine at the wedding. Check on policies regarding beer, liquor or other beverages before booking a location. Selecting a winery doesn’t just mean California wine country. Nearly every state produces wine and many offer facilities for weddings and parties. Select a destination that matches your style such as a spacious patio overlooking the vineyards or an intimate barrel room. Planning an outdoor vineyard wedding requires a backup plan in case of inclement weather. Consider renting a tent or preparing a room within the winery for the wedding.
Las Vegas
Thought of as the place to elope, Las Vegas offers couples many options for tying the knot. Consider an elegant ballroom or the lush landscaped gardens of a resort for your wedding destination. Many hotels offer a variety of wedding packages to fit a couple’s budget. Choose one of the numerous chapels in the city to say your vows. Incorporate the Vegas theme into your rehearsal dinner with casino games or celebrity impersonators. Give Vegas-themed wedding favors such as dice or cards. Remember Vegas offers warm, sunny weather year round, but summer temperatures often reach the century mark. Consider the temperature when planning attire, wedding location and wedding time.
How Google Affects Our Memory
When a brand becomes a verb you know it’s proverbial paydirt. Example: What do you do when you want find out about something? You Google it of course. But for all the benefits of having so much information at our fingertips, there may be a downside.
There’s a fantastic infographic that was put out by onlinecolleges.net that I want to share with you. It speaks directly to the impact Google has had and continues to have on our everyday lives and more specifically, our collective memories. You’ll notice they do a great job of separating out what they call “The Google’s Brain” into four separate quadrants, touching on each of the four and including the benefits of each these quadrants provide all of us with… well all of us that use Google, anyway.
But be sure to look at the Section 2 – How is Google changing our memory? This is where it gets to be a little disconcerting, at least to me, especially when I factor in my 7 year old son and soon-to-be 12 year old daughter who will of course never know what it feels like to research something via an encyclopedia, either in your own home or in a library. As it reads below “[in the past]… we found ways to memorize what we needed to know; we were genuinely interested in the information which helped us remember it the next time we needed to know this same information.”
However with Google at the ready, we simply search, point, click, save. We don’t remember the information itself but rather where got it from in the first place. Not good…
Then we get to section 3, The Consequences… “We are becoming symbiotic with our computer tools. These tools have replaced our need to memorize many details… and without these tools we may be lost.” And “… the internet is filled with incorrect information.” Remember, back in the day, we looked up something in an encyclopedia and it was gospel; it was the truth and you never question the validity of it.
Obviously having a tool such as Google is a good thing… a VERY good thing. Technology being what it is – ever changing, ever adapting and so on, is a wondrous thing for sure. And I am surely not about to sit here and say we need to go back to the days of Funk & Wagnall’s (that’s an old encyclopedia reference for those under the age of 40). No, I am merely bringing up the point that while technology makes our lives easier the catch-22 in some instances we become too dependent on it.
Dining in New York City
The dining experience awaiting you in New York has the capability to take you back to old New York, or propel you forward into the contemporary styling of the Upper East Side. Lamb, fish, wine, steaks, sushi, dessert, and even something from the kiddie menu is available in this is city. The city that never sleeps sports as much of a plethora of exotic cuisine as it does euphoric nightlife. In order to experience the city to its fullest, one must indulge in one of New York City’s most reputable assets, its restaurants.
French Cuisine, Dutch Price
Visit New York’s version of old Paris, as you sip the finest “vino” under rustic yellow lights and authentic wood ceilings. Caramelized onion tart and vegetable puree are menu favorites. Reservations aren’t necessary.
Be Caught. Hottest Sushi/Fish Bars in the City
The spices of Asia meet the freshness of the sea at Bongo, a contemporary sushi and oyster bar located on Tenth Ave. Fifties-inspired architecture suits this sushi-grade hot spot, with an open bar and great martinis.
Climb Aboard Le Bateaux
Meant to evoke the nostalgic bateau-mouche rides down the Seine, Bateaux New York takes dining recreation to the next level, much justifying a somewhat upscale cost. Tenderly glazed miso-Chilean sea bass and succulent filet mignon highlight the menu aboard Bateaux New York, yet tourists say the experience is as delicious as the meal. Reservations are required.
Reservation under “Healthy”
Brooklyn’s Imhotep Health and Vegan Restaurant welcomes faraway spices, organic greens and vegan delights in their menu. Reservations are not necessary, and Imhotep has a flaming hot take out service for those on the run.
Care to Dip?
Voted most romantic restaurant by a local NY restaurant review guide, Simply Fondue is ideal for an intimate night out. A fondue dinner for two is on the expensive side of moderate, and the martini lounge is always open. Reservations are suggested for this lovebird lagoon; places fill up fast!
Family in Funky Town
Moderately priced, there isn’t another restaurant in Midtown that shouts family as loud as Serendipity 3. From peppermint tea to foot long hot dogs, you’ll find a way to quench whatever you’re craving at Serendipity 3.
Hottest Spring Break Activities
When you watch television you get the idea that spring break is all about getting ridiculously drunk and dancing around half naked. In reality, spring break is a time to enjoy your friends and do things that you don’t get to do during your day-to-day life. While drinking can play a part in lowering your inhibitions, there are many other things to do while on your spring break vacation.
Beach Fun
Going to the beach seems to be a given for many spring breakers. Getting a head start on your summer tan, enjoying the warmth after a cold winter, hanging out with your friends, playing volleyball, dancing and having bonfires are all part of the hottest spring break activities.
Road Tripping
Piling into the car with your closest friends and good music. Setting out for “parts unknown” wandering as you choose, meeting people along the way and generally having a fun and relaxing time while seeing the sights along the way is also a very popular spring break activity.
Cruising
A group cruise is great fun. You and all of your friends take a trip on a luxurious ocean liner and head to a tropical climate for a few days. You will meet other groups of friends and enjoy shipboard activities as well as see new sights wherever you dock.
Whatever you decide to do for spring break, don’t overindulge, don’t drink and drive, and be safe. But most of all, enjoy this time with your friends and have fun.
Beyond the Box: The Metamorphosis of Television
TV Everywhere could be a big moneymaker for advertisers and networks. Viewers now have the option of watching their favorite shows on TV at home, on their laptop or even on their mobile device at no additional cost, which will change the way TV is purchased from a media standpoint.
Gone are the days when the family would gather in the family room to watch their favorite prime-time TV shows. The VCR dabbled in changing this habit, but the DVR completely mastered this concept. Now viewers have the option of watching their favorite shows on TV at home, on their laptop or even on their mobile device at no additional cost. This concept is known as TV Everywhere.
The growing demand for TV Everywhere has transitioned TV from a platform device to an experience, which is beneficial to both the viewers and advertisers. With TV Everywhere, cable operators are allowing mobile access to customers who pay for TV service, improving customer satisfaction and creating new revenue opportunities. And one of the main perks is that unlike DVR, consumers do not have to plan ahead to use it.
TV Everywhere could be a big moneymaker in the future for advertisers and networks. According to Need-ham & Co’s Laura Martin, TV Everywhere could bring an additional $5.6 billion into the ad market each year. Since commercials will be the same as television, revenues will not be lost from ad skipping if the fast-forward button is disabled. This will also change the way TV is purchased from a media standpoint. Companies will be able to buy packages, which allow them to advertise across multiple platforms, and purchases will be focused more on impressions rather than ratings.
David Verklin, one of the cable industry’s most influential executives, explains in this video why he’s bullish on the future of television, and why the reasons have as much to do with new media as old.
In a world where technology is rapidly advancing, service providers will need to produce a consistent viewing experience across multiple devices in order to keep up. How do you think TV Everywhere will influence a shifting approach to advertising?