The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of SIP â_" Session Initiation Protocol within the enterprise.

This paper summarizes where SIP has come from, how it works, and what makes it such a useful enabling protocol. It then describes how SIP is used in applications including telephony, conferencing and messaging, back office integration and how it is being extended to provide innovative services and accommodate the requirements of a real time IP communication.

From an application point of view SIP is continuing to develop rapidly and is innovative as we continue to envision all of its uses for home and business. This white paper is aimed at people who want to understand the concepts and drives behind SIP adoption and how it is evolving to support new enterprise business applications.