A new whitepaper released by KPMG today has warned of risks associated with replacing traditional telephone networks with VoIP telephony solutions in business.

The whitepaper, titled "Voice over IP - Decipher and Decide", warns that because VoIP and IP telephony are less than a decade old, there is a lack of long-term implementation experiences from which to obtain precedents.

According to the KPMG whitepaper, the twin drivers of the desire for cost saving and efficiencies are driving most VoIP and IP telephony implementations. However, the savings are not always as substantial as anticipated and the efficiencies are not always realised.

Aside from the financial implications of implementing VoIP, the whitepaper flags significant risks associated with security and the operational aspects of the technology.With VoIP, voice traffic becomes data and is therefore exposed to confidentiality, integrity and availability threats, according to whitepaper.

In addition, VoIP and IP telephony implementations, being essentially IT implementations, carry the risk of any major IT project - inadequate benefits realisation, misalignment with strategic objectives and cost overruns.

The 24-page whitepaper is not yet listed on the KPMG site. However, we suggest you call or email Rebecca Cook, communications manager at KPMG on 03 9288 5178 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you want to find out how to get hold of a copy.