Inc.com:
It’s not just for cheap long distance anymore. If you haven’t yet heard of VoIP - voice over Internet protocol - you’re probably still using a rotary phone. The phenomenon of running phone calls over an Internet connection, through upstart telecom providers such as Vonage, Skype, and Packet8, is growing like mad. There were more than 4.5 million VoIP users in the U.S. last year, and that number will double this year, according to International Data Corp. But while VoIP is a lot less expensive than old-fashioned phone calls, the service hasn’t always been so good, and there’s been a paucity of features designed specifically for small businesses. Fortunately, VoIP is growing up. Many long-standing concerns - having to do with reliability, sound quality, convenience - have finally been addressed. And scores of new products now make Internet phone systems more powerful than landlines.
Philip Zimmermann - Zfone
Cool features: VoIP calls are routed over the Internet, which means they can be hacked just like e-mails. That’s not a huge problem yet, but such mischief is inevitable, says e-mail encryption pioneer Phil Zimmermann, creator of Zfone. The software, which is available for free download, encrypts and secures your VoIP communications; the only catch is that the person you’re calling also has to have it.
In action: Dan Kohn runs FlyDash.com, a website for frequent fliers, without a regular phone, opting instead for his cell phone and a VoIP service on his laptop. Kohn says he’s not paranoid, but he hates the idea of some hacker being able to eavesdrop on his conversations. So when he heard about Zfone, he knew he had to have it. He got it up and running in 10 minutes and has convinced a number of business associates to download it so that his conversations with them will be unhackable. Price: Free
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