smbINFO Predicts Accelerating Adoption Of VoIP Phone Systems By Small Businesses In 2006

Burlingame, CA. – smbINFO Inc., a technology information services company focused on the needs of small businesses, today provided a forecast of a significant increase in the number of US small businesses employing Voice over IP (VoIP) phone technology in 2006.

While VoIP technology has been available in various forms for close to a decade, it is only now reaching the levels of price and simplicity that make it attractive to majority of small businesses.

Nick Pegley, President of smbINFO, explained "The typical phone system last around 6 to 7 years. A significant percentage of the 6 million small businesses in the US purchased new systems in 1999 due to Y2K concerns. Few bought VoIP technology, as this was not in mainstream distribution at that time. With these systems now reaching end of life, we expect that close to 1.5 million small businesses in the US will be shopping for a new phone system in 2006. Many will consider the new VoIP based systems and services that offer significant benefits over older technologies."

VoIP phone systems combine voice and data communications into a single network and can help small businesses reduce costs and improve business operations. However, the technology can cause problems if the users do not choose their solutions carefully.

smbINFO helps companies make smart decisions regarding their communications systems. The company publishes the VoIP Information Service which provides critical information that small businesses need to make good business decisions regarding the deployment of VoIP based phone systems. The information includes:

- A Guide to VoIP that puts into business language the fundamentals of VoIP, the business case for it and the keys to a successful deployment
- Profiles of VoIP equipment vendor and their products and services
- Profiles of the managed and hosted VoIP services offered by network operators
- A VoIP financial analysis tool to evaluate the ROI, business case and other metrics of a VoIP purchase
- Tips and advice on VoIP topics
- Latest VoIP news items

The Service's coverage of VoIP for small business includes managed and hosted VoIP services offered by companies such as AT&T, BellSouth, Covad, MCI, Sprint Nextel and XO Communications

Also, the list of vendors and VoIP products profiled now includes 3Com, Alcatel, Altigen, Avaya, Cisco Systems, Inter-Tel, Mitel, NEC, Nortel, Panasonic, ShoreTel, Siemens, TalkSwitch, Toshiba, Vertical Communications, Vodavi and Zultys.

The content is written by subject matter experts, and provides an independent and unbiased assessment of VoIP products and services.

smbINFO's VoIP Information Service is priced at $149 for 1 year's access to the on-line information, a small fraction of the potential savings from a successfully deployed VoIP system.

About smbINFO Inc.

smbINFO was founded in January 2005 and is a technology information services company focused on the needs of small businesses.

Contact:

smbINFO Inc
www.smbinfo.com