Our next woman in VoIP came to know the industry through a family connection…her husband! Liz and Ari Rabban are a power VoIP couple, deeply involved in the industry since 1997.  Liz manages the marketing of Phone.com, handling all the promotion of their virtual office systems as well as VoIP for business and home.

 

How long have you been in VoIP world?

 

Officially for about a year, unofficially for the last 10 years…I am married to a VOIP pioneer who works around the clock from anywhere in the world, much of this time at home, so I have absorbed a tremendous amount of information about VOIP by osmosis, and he has brought me into certain projects over the years as a consultant.

 

What is it like working as a woman in the VoIP world?

 

It is interesting, because there are really so few in executive or technical positions that I have met to date.  I do not believe there is a traditional glass ceiling, but there just aren’t a lot of women in these roles yet, especially in the start-up ventures that presume working 24/7 is the only way to succeed (and they may be right) which can be more challenging for women, especially those with children. 

 

What are some of your networking/marketing methods?

 

Hmm, should I divulge my secrets?  I will say that in my current position we do not have unlimited budgets, so we are innovative in our approach to different target audiences, for example looking to local or regional professional associations for good opportunities to do outreach.

 

How is it working with men in VoIP?

 

Tell my husband it is FANTASTIC.  Tell the rest of the world that it is actually interesting to see the different perspectives that the men have.  They are certainly not monolithic, but as a rule are very methodical and will go through a much longer process than I would to get to a viable product or even to a marketing decision.  It can be both amusing and frustrating when I feel a beta or a product is good enough for at least a soft launch but the product guys will not release it.

     

What do you see for the future of women in VoIP?

 

I would love to see more female engineers, computer programmers, and designers as well as management.  They just bring something inherently different to the table.