Open Source VoIP Clients

VoIP technology replaces the need for a physical telephone line by providing a VoIP client program that will interact with an Internet-based server to either place or receive phone calls. For individual users, this can result in a cheaper cell phone plan that they can use to place or receive calls wherever they have access to an Internet connection. For companies, be they large or small, this can translate into a sophisticated phone service for the office without the need to install telephone lines inside the office. VoIP clients are the programs that allow users to place or receive calls over the Internet.

Wherever Internet-based computer applications are concerned, security is key. This is especially true when the program in question will be handling all of your phone calls. Regardless of whether you are simply an individual who is concerned about the privacy of your phone calls or a business where the security of the voice communications both with customers or between employees is essential, open source VoIP clients can be an attractive alternative to proprietary clients. This is because your technical staff can personally audit the source code for the VoIP client you will be using, and ensure that there aren't any security holes hackers can easily exploit.

If you are a large business, then you will need to scale your VoIP client to the size of the voice system you will be using. Where proprietary software is concerned, you would have to use a VoIP client system whose scale approximates your desired voice system size. However, because your IT staff has full access the source code of open source VoIP clients, you can have your programmers personalize a system around the source code to fit your business's current needs precisely.

Large-scale proprietary VoIP systems cost money. Software development firms spent time and money programming them, and they want to see returns on their investment. However, open source VoIP clients are free. Anyone can download the client's latest source code and modify it as they see fit. If you are setting up an enterprise voice system, you can use the money you would have spent buying a proprietary system for other business costs, or use the money to pay programmers to customize a system for your business.