Some IT managers said they would never have won business approval for VOIP without cost savings as a part of the picture. Others said the business benefits are overwhelmingly positive and nearly immeasurable in a dollar sense.

For example, Catherine Brune, CIO at Allstate Insurance Co. in Northbrook, Ill., said her company and customers benefitted from VOIP using Avaya technology with a data infrastructure from Cisco Systems Inc. after Hurricane Katrina. Allstate was able to quickly set up emergency trailers in the field to help with claims filing and to easily transfer calls to call centers hundreds of miles away, she said.

"This technology can enable a different business process," Brune said. When the network near New Orleans failed after the storm, Allstate was able to move to another carrier within 24 hours, thanks to the flexibility of VOIP. "If your job is to take care of customers, this is a technology for you."

Brune said IT managers might not be able to make a persuasive business case to get funds to start a VOIP deployment, and they might have to use internal funds to take early steps to prove the value of the technology in order to make the case for more funding later on.

Gary Bixby, director of support services for the school district of Cheltenham Township in Elkins Park, Pa., said the greatest value of a new Alcatel VOIP system in his district is that it improves emergency preparedness. Teachers can be discreetly informed of an emergency, such as an intruder in the school, over a graphical display on IP telephones, with a link to a Web site for more information, he said.