There’s no question that a gateway is a crucial component in any business VoIP system. That’s because the gateway handles the fundamental task of transferring voice or fax traffi c from a PBX to the IP network while supporting service levels equal to or exceeding the performance of traditional telephone technology.

Yet, with vendors off ering dozens of VoIP diff erent gateway models--each with a diff erent feature set--fi nding the appropriate device for your enterprise’s VoIP network can be hard work. Selecting a gateway that doesn’t meet your VoIP network’s needs can lead to all sorts of problems, including poor voice quality, inadequate management tools, diffi cult or impossible interoperability with other system devices and so on.

You can sidestep many of these issues at the outset by closely questioning each vendor about its products and policies. Here’s a quick list of the key questions you should ask:

1. How much does your gateway cost?
This should be your fi rst question. You’ll need to know the gateway’s cost in order to match it against products with similar feature sets. Be sure to factor in any additional support costs.