Unified Communications and Enterprise Voice Systems

Enterprise voice used to be a separate system in a telephone room. Today calls, video, messaging, meetings and contact centre functions run over the same IP network and increasingly from the cloud. Problems follow when networks are not prepared for real-time traffic, when dial plans and numbering are migrated without a clear design, when session border controllers and trunks are left with weak security, and when emergency calling and regulatory obligations are overlooked. Responsibility is often split between telecom, network and application teams.

This programme follows a unified communications system from design to operation. It moves through five stages: the architectures and protocols behind modern voice, planning the network for voice and video quality, designing and migrating enterprise voice and collaboration services, securing the platform, and operating, monitoring and improving it over time.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references the IETF standards for SIP and RTP, including SRTP for media security, ITU-T recommendations on voice codecs, one-way delay and the E-model for estimating call quality, IETF guidance on DiffServ traffic classes, and IEEE 802.1Q and Power over Ethernet standards for the LAN. It also covers common vendor-neutral deployment models for on-premises, hosted and cloud unified communications.

Decisions this programme improves. Whether to keep, upgrade or replace an existing PBX; which deployment model to choose between on-premises, hybrid and cloud; how to connect a cloud platform to the public network; what network changes are required before migration; how to protect voice services from fraud and attack; and what service levels to agree with providers.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: an organisation with several sites and an ageing PBX migrating to a hybrid unified communications platform. Participants assess network readiness, design a dial plan and trunking approach, prepare a security checklist and plan a phased cut-over.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own platforms, network design, numbering plan and regulatory environment, and delivered to telecom, network and IT service teams together.

Who Should Attend

Communications and telecom engineers responsible for voice systems and PBX platforms

Network and IT administrators supporting real-time traffic and collaboration tools

IT and telecommunications managers planning migrations and selecting platforms

Systems integrators and installers deploying unified communications solutions

Technical support and operations staff maintaining enterprise voice services

Objectives

Compare traditional PBX, IP-PBX, hosted and cloud unified communications architectures

Explain how SIP signalling and RTP media work in an enterprise voice call

Assess network readiness for voice and video, including bandwidth, delay, jitter and loss

Design quality of service settings for real-time traffic across LAN and WAN

Design a dial plan, numbering approach and SIP trunking arrangement

Plan integration of voice with messaging, meetings, contact centre and business applications

Identify security threats to voice services and specify controls, including session border controllers and encryption

Plan emergency calling and call recording requirements for their jurisdiction

Prepare a phased migration and cut-over plan from a legacy PBX

Define monitoring measures and service levels for a unified communications platform

Course Outline

From PBX to Unified Communications: Architectures and Protocols

The evolution from analogue and digital PBX to IP telephony and cloud platforms
Components of unified communications: voice, video, messaging, presence and meetings
SIP signalling, RTP media and the call flow
Voice and video codecs and their bandwidth and quality trade-offs
On-premises, hosted, UCaaS and hybrid deployment models
Collaboration platforms with enterprise telephony features

Preparing the Network for Real-Time Traffic

Delay, jitter, packet loss and their effect on call quality
Measuring quality: MOS and the E-model
Quality of service: DSCP marking, queuing and traffic classes
LAN design: voice VLANs, Power over Ethernet and Wi-Fi for voice
WAN and internet connectivity, SD-WAN and bandwidth planning
Network readiness assessment before migration

Designing Enterprise Voice and Collaboration Services

Dial plans, numbering and call routing
SIP trunking and connecting cloud platforms to the public network
Call features, hunt groups, auto attendants and receptionist functions
Contact centre integration and CCaaS options
Integration with directories, CRM and business applications
Emergency calling, call recording and regulatory considerations
Resilience, survivability and disaster recovery for voice

Securing Unified Communications

Threats: toll fraud, denial of service, eavesdropping and account takeover
Session border controllers: role, placement and configuration principles
Encryption with TLS and SRTP
Identity, authentication and access control for users and administrators
Securing endpoints, voicemail and management interfaces
Data protection and retention for recordings and messages

Migrating, Operating and Improving the Platform

Migration strategy: phased, parallel running and cut-over planning
Number porting and user communication
Monitoring call quality, capacity and availability
Incident and change management for voice services
Service level agreements with providers and internal customers
Emerging features: AI transcription, meeting summaries and analytics, and their governance
Action plan for your organisation's communications roadmap

Competencies

Unified communications architecture selection

SIP and RTP protocol understanding

Network readiness assessment for voice and video

Quality of service design

Dial plan and SIP trunk design

Unified communications security and session border controller use

Emergency calling and call recording compliance

Legacy PBX migration planning

Voice service monitoring and service level management

Vienna

Elite Academy can deliver its complete portfolio of professional training programs in Vienna. With a major international center for business, diplomacy and professional services, the destination suits both scheduled learning and tailored arrangements for organizations or individual professionals. As an Elite Academy training destination, Vienna provides access to our full portfolio rather than a city-specific set of specializations. The city is a major international center for business, diplomacy and professional services, creating a suitable environment for organizations developing their teams and for professionals attending independently. Upcoming scheduled courses are listed on this page, while any other Elite Academy program can also be requested for delivery in Vienna, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements. Explore the schedule or browse our training areas to find the right option.