Vivinet Assessor emphasizes quality in its assessments of VoIP readiness because a low-quality voice transmission is a waste of bandwidth. If VoIP does not perform well, the parties engaged in conversation will not be able to understand each other.
Assessing the quality of voice over IP is crucial at several distinct points in a VoIP implementation:
When considering a VoIP deployment
When contemplating upgrades to the network, such as adding bandwidth
After tuning the network in preparation for VoIP
When planning to expand your VoIP network for additional users.
The key benefits Vivinet Assessor offers make it truly unique.
Find out how voice over IP will perform before the first user makes the first VoIP phone call. Once you know how VoIP is likely to perform, you can make well-informed, cost-effective decisions about network infrastructure.
Complete a series of steps to configure a VoIP Readiness Assessment in a few minutes. There is nothing to plug in to the network, and no hardware to purchase.
To find out how much bandwidth you will need on a given link, select a link that Vivinet Assessor has been monitoring for utilization statistics. By calculating the bandwidth needs of the VoIP calls you plan to run, Vivinet Assessor derives the VoIP call capacity of a link based on its present load. You then can make fully informed decisions about upgrades.
Vivinet Assessor monitors network utilization and shows you exactly which devices and links are too overtaxed to carry additional VoIP packets and deliver high-quality calls. It can analyze the current resources of network devices to ensure they are configured properly for VoIP. And it sends simulated VoIP traffic between pre-selected points on your network to test call quality.
Vivinet Assessor compares device configuration to a set of rules you supply to ensure that routers and switches have the most recent operating system revisions, the vendor-recommended modules, and any required patches. Any violations of your rules are clearly flagged so you can make changes.
It accurately measures current network utilization levels by sending SNMP queries to network devices. Based on these findings, it assigns a VoIP Readiness Rating to network devices and links. Ratings categories are based on the latest industry research into standards for quality voice over IP transmissions. Results are clearly presented in polished, yet customizable, reports.
You can use link utilization information to perform “what-if” analyses. From the results of bandwidth modeling, you gain insight into potential needs for additional or upgraded devices and bandwidth.
It also predicts call quality by precisely emulating voice over IP and evaluating it using innovative patented and patent-pending technology. Vivinet Assessor can calculate an industry-standard Mean Opinion Score for a simulated VoIP call, and uses an algorithm derived from the ITU standard E-Model to assess call quality.
Vivinet Assessor relies on unobtrusive software agents to generate VoIP-like traffic according to a set schedule. These agents—called endpoints—can be installed anywhere on the network and eliminate the need to plug in a protocol analyzer. Vivinet Assessor’s distributed endpoints mean that a VoIP Quality assessment runs just like a series of VoIP phone calls and encounters the same network conditions. So your results provide an accurate prediction of the overall call quality you can expect post-deployment.