A telephony workflow requires users to manually setup the communication path to the remote participant that typically involves dialing a phone number to initiate the call. The audio connection is only established if and when the remote participant answers the call. An Intercom workflow facilitates instantaneous communication across one or more “always-up” circuits. Users simply join their listen and/or talk audio path into existing conferences through a single keypress. This enables them to simultaneously listen into and/or talk across multiple circuits when needed.

Analog audio is sound in its natural form, represented as continuous waves. When you speak, for example, your voice creates vibrations in the air. These vibrations can be captured by a microphone and turned into electrical signals that mimic the shape of the sound waves. These signals can then be amplified, recorded, or played back through speakers. Digital audio is sound represented as numbers. Instead of a smooth, continuous wave like analog audio, digital audio takes snapshots (samples) of the sound wave at regular intervals (sampling rate). Each snapshot is then turned into a numerical value that computers and digital devices can process, record, transport and play back. The greater the precision of each sample (bit depth) provides a closer representation to the original sound.

The primary benefit of a virtualized solution is to provide an Intercom capability without the need for proprietary hardware. Intercom services can be spun up on COTS server hardware thereby providing a far more seamless integration into existing IT infrastructures. Another major benefit is the ability to design in security and best practices into the Intercom solution that enables it to coexist within the customer’s IT ecosystem, thereby inherently supporting the facility’s security and operational requirements.