Carriers are examining different strategies to staff to meet the needs of an IP transition. Some carriers will be able to leverage existing in-house expertise at the data layer, while others will look outside the organization to hire a few key players to lead the transition. Some carriers will turn toward third-party providers for access to transition expertise.

However, in every model, close collaboration will multiply the effectiveness of your staff. The people in place need to be in a position to work together, not in segregated silos, to understand and develop the new skill sets they need. Cross-training between voice and data network teams, for instance, can lead to VoIP experts, who can in turn evangelize entire teams.

Even those organizations relying on third-party experts will need in-house staff knowledgeable enough to challenge assumptions around design decisions, network-based policies, or business processes in order to drive the best results.

There are a number of options now available to carriers as they make the transition into IP based networks, however it is up to each carrier to determine the models that meet their business objectives, their personnel core competencies as well as their internal system infrastructure goals in order to successfully plan and execute their transition intentions with the right staffing skills, experience and capabilities.