Competing with Information Technology (Skype VS Vonage)

Статья посвящена сравнительному анализу Skype VS Vonage

The modern world cannot exist without modern technologies. Internet is one of them. It penetrated our life many years ago; however its influence upon every sphere of our life does not even lessen, but becomes stronger and stronger every day. Internet connected people. It gave us the opportunity to communicate regardless of many kilometers that separate them. Such applets as Skype and Vonage occupy an outstanding place among the technologies that changes the world. This article is dedicated to them. The importance of studying it is indisputable as they continue to influence our life in new aspects. The aim of this article is to study the way how Skype and Vonage use information and communication technologies to compete with each other.  

Skype and Vonage have many common features in using IT innovation. At the same time they differ from each other (MagicJack vs. Vonage vs. Skype). Both Skype and Vonage are usable with a computer off. However, in this case you must have a Skype phone. Both Skype and Vonage have a voicemail; however in case with Skype you must pay for this service. Both Skype and Vonage maintain the function of three way conference calling. Skype is even able to call nine persons at once. Both systems maintain automatic call forwarding. However the amount of differences between them is also high. While Vonage is usable with an analog form, Skype is not, unless you have a special adapter. Skype maintains the function of video chat and can send and receive text messages. Vonage cannot do all these things. On the other hand Vonage can send emergency 911 calls and keeps your current line land phone number. Skype does not maintain these functions. Skype can work with dialup connection, but Vonage cannot. These are the main technologies both service compete with each other. This way they somehow leverage technologies in order to attain competitive advantage: one company can do what the other cannot and in the same time the other company studies what the competitor cannot do and introduces this into its services.

Trying to win the competitors, Skype started selling ringtones all over the USA and Europe. The company plans to "quickly expand its ringtone catalog, which could eventually encompass hundreds of thousands of titles”. Besides, the Skype company "hopes to license content from other music recording companies and publishers” (Olga Kharif). That can easily illustrate the fact that such technologies as Skype and Vonage can be easily applied not only in their major sphere of phone calls, but in other spheres as well. This broad development of the competitive companies happens due to many reasons, one of which is the great amount of competitors on the market of IT technologies. The competition is really difficult; thus, every company tries to introduce something new, something that would help it to differentiate from the others.

Internet is a paradox. And both these technologies Skype and Vonage illustrate this fact to full extent. You have to spend some money in order to get access for these services. But after you paid, you start to spare money as both Skype and Vonage offer you many things free of charge. It is very convenient for a user. Thus, both Skype and Vonage will not die soon. However, VOIT has a future until something new is created. In the present times technologies change very quickly and develop in a geometric progression. Thus, Skype and Vonage will be useful only after something absolutely new is invented.