Demand is soaring for managed and professional services for voice over IP (VOIP) and converged networks, for the initial installation and even beyond. In fact, 84 percent of organizations have used or plan to use some form of third-party services in conjunction with their convergence projects.

Several factors are driving this trend, including proliferation of branch offices, global expansion, and the need for overworked IT staffs to offload some of their responsibilities. Interestingly, some of the most logical providers to respond to those needs are slow to market, while unexpected ones are sprouting up.

Third-party services can include numerous tasks, but generally are divided into two areas: managed services and professional services. Managed services typically refer to ongoing management, monitoring, and/or hosting of an entire network, specific applications, equipment (desktops, servers, switches/routers, etc.) or portions of a network. Professional services include help with a specific job (installation, application integration, baseline network assessment) with a defined start and end.