Streaming Voice Equals Streaming Revenue
Companies that still use "plain old telephone service" (POTS) are probably spending more than they have to on monthly service and maintenance charges from the phone company, not to mention what's collected by federal, state and local governments. And then there's the cost of calls.The math best favors the small office. Let's say the customer has 12 employees sharing six POTS lines that cost roughly $30 each. Add to that $180 a month the cost of calls and an Internet connection, and you've easily reached $500 or more. With the cost of SIP trunks at about $15 each per month and 2 cents per minute for calls, converting to digital should be a no-brainer. But installation might be less so. Even though the software has grown up some in the last decade, your first few installations will likely be challenging.
We kept those factors in mind in this Roundup, as the CRN Test Center looked at four all-digital VoIP solutions: Avaya IP Office, Cisco Smart Business Communications System, Digium Switchvox SMB and ShoreTel ShoreGear-50. We picked all digital solutions that could service eight or more users and replace analog phone lines with a direct connection to the Internet. Testers looked at ease of installation and use, ease and methods of maintenance, expandability, integration with the desktop, helpfulness of the Web site during installation and, of course, cost. Also, we recommend keeping one POTS line for use during power outages and for routing 911 calls during normal operations.
Each solution was viewed on its own merits.
NEXT: Avaya IP Office 500 V2
Avaya IP Office 500 V2
Avaya sent the Test Center its latest unit, the IP Office 500 V2, which began shipping in February. The entry-level unit came preinstalled with its latest 3-in-1 card, which combines six digital phone ports, four analog trunk ports and a pair of POTS ports. Unfortunately, Avaya sent no software or documentation, so a trip to the company's Web site was necessary to proceed. Everything was available from the Web site with no need to register.
Once we downloaded and installed IP Office Manager 6.0, Avaya's Java-based administration tool, setting up IP Office was straightforward.The configuration tool initially asks for confirmation of the IP Office model and any installed options.The default IP address was pre-entered in the software, so the test unit popped up and was ready to be configured. The management interface presents a two-paned window with a left-side tree view and settings on the right. Testers liked being able to quickly browse all system features and settings without having to dig through menus. This is great for the occasional user who doesn't quite recall how to reset a user password or modify the company's voice menus. Once set by the reseller, system-critical areas can be secured from accidental damage. A browser-based version presents a similar two-paned interface, but cannot edit the data.
The IP Office unit we tested was equipped to handle digital, analog and IP phones in any combination.Avaya sent us its own 1416 IP Office Digital Phone for testing. While somewhat bulky, the phones are intuitively marked and laid out, with dedicated buttons for conference, transfer, hold, drop and redial. Avaya's digital phones require no separate AC power and are the least expensive vs. others in this Roundup.
Avaya offers several solid options for client software. At the high end is one-X Communicator, a Windows app that handles phone traffic and can kick off instant messages and e-mail through Lotus Notes or Microsoft Outlook or Communicator. For companies also deploying the Avaya one-X Portal server, the tool adds features such as visual voicemail and user presence.Avaya's one-X Mobile delivers client capabilities to BlackBerry, iPhone, Palm, Symbian and Windows Mobile users. There's also a Java version.
The IP Office 500 V2 lists for $650 plus $50 for the SD card that stores system software and licensing, and can hold about 15 hours of voicemail messages.There's a second slot if more storage is needed. Eight rear expansion ports connect additional IP Office units for a total of 384 users supported.Two additional rear ports connect to a LAN and WAN (SIP trunk support included). There are no hard drives or other moving parts inside, not even a fan. The whisper-quiet unit consumes 23 watts and barely reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The combo card adds another $600 list, a savings of about 40 percent vs. purchasing three separate cards. The cost of Avaya digital phones ranges from $149 to $299. The tested unit lists for $249. If IP phones are plugged into a network shared by IP Office, the Avaya system will detect and attempt to enable it automatically.
Avaya has a strong channel partner program, including online certification and installer training. Based in Basking Ridge, N.J., and the U.K., Avaya offers solutions catering to the small office or the large enterprise.After a soup-to-nuts evaluation, the CRNTest Center recommends Avaya's VoIP solution.
NEXT: Cisco Smart Business Communications System
Cisco Smart Business Communications System
Cisco Systems sent the Test Center a UC540, a well-equipped box that can service between two and 32 voice users and a good number of other small company needs. Part of the company's Smart Business Communications System, the base UC540 is equipped with eight Power over Ethernet ports, four FXO (or two BRI) ports, four FXS (phone) ports, plus WAN,console, Music on Hold and expansion ports. Also standard is a Wi-Fi transceiver, doubling the UC540 as a hotspot (with DHCP, if desired) for wireless IP phones, PCs or whatever. System software is stored on compact flash.
Cisco's setup process was a disappointment.Trying first to set up through a browser, the unit yields only a list of supported commands and links to each command's syntax, in essence, a command line interface.After installing software from the included CD, we were pointed to a Web page for downloading the latest version of Cisco Configuration Assistant (CCA), which forced us to register (partners will have already done this).The logic of using the latest version is obvious, but logic turned to puzzlement when the tool on first launch asked if we wanted to check for updates. And even though it's written in Java, CCA runs only on Windows.
Software foibles aside, there's no disputing that Cisco builds great hardware. Everything ran flawlessly and without a hitch, once configured, and testers were confident that things would stay that way. Cisco says it's trying to simplify installation for partners by developing more wizards, and those efforts are demonstrated in Telephony Setup Wizard, one of the company's latest. With it,the installer is guided through all the steps for connecting the UC540 to its telecom connections, creating one or more users and an auto-attendant application.As the wizard progresses, a list of subjects are highlighted in the left pane that are not hot-linked. We would have preferred the ability to jump ahead, particularly when making changes to an existing setup. Cisco says it is working on that.
As tested, the UC540 carries a list price of $3,095. Cisco's phones list for between $189 and $595—the cost of the 7965 phone we tested. The less expensive 500-series phones offer wireless models for sites where wiring is prohibitive; embedded VPN for added mobility; and one with embedded MP3 player. Careful though -- some 500-series phones won't work on Cisco's larger systems.The company says a typical eight-user installation lists for around $4,679.The UC540 ran at room temperature and consumed about 40 watts while powering two PoE devices. Cisco offers tremendous resources for its resellers, including design blueprints, presales guidance, assistance with implementations and ongoing support. Paired with its diverse networking solutions and ironclad reputation, the CRN Test Center recommends telephony solutions by Cisco.
NEXT: Digium Switchvox SMB
Digium Switchvox SMB
Digium is the maintainer and primary sponsor of Asterisk, the oldest and most widely deployed open-source telephony platform in the world with more than 2 million downloads in 2009, the company claims. Notable customers include British Telecom, Portugal Telecom and Yahoo. Originally developed for-- and most commonly deployed on -- Linux,Asterisk ports also exist for Unix, Windows and others. Resellers' opportunities surrounding the free software include deployment as a VoIP or Skype gateway, voicemail or IVR server, plus services for customization, maintenance and training.
To fund its efforts, Digium develops and markets Switchvox, a VAR-centric telephony appliance embedded with a feature-locked and stable version of Asterisk.The Switchvox still can be customized and extended through a series of plug-ins for the desktop, browser and Outlook. These are developed by a community of 63,000 Asterisk users, 2,000 code contributors and 50 Digium engineers.Through a simple browser interface, resellers, customer IT departments and even Switchvox users can create and modify some telephony features. Though Asterisk itself is administered only through the command line, Digium adds a great browser layer to Switchvox. A front-panel LCD also can be used to view and configure network and other basic settings.
The CRN Test Center evaluated the Switchvox 65 appliance (with Switchvox 4.5 software) and optional TE122P Single span E1/T1 card, which list for $3,200 and $600, respectively. Digium primarily supplies IP phones from Polycom, which list for $200 to $600. The box consumed 34 watts of power and ran at about 79 degrees F.
Setting up the Switchvox is relatively easy, as long as the unit and all phones are on the same subnet and there's a DHCP server around. The Switchvox cannot act as a DHCP server and, as with any server, its own IP address should be static so phones can always find it. Administrative menus in the Switchvox 4.5 software are set up quite logically, making initial configuration uneventful. A setup wizard might be a welcome option, however, to make initial setups a bit more seamless. Once up and running, Switchvox detects new phones plugged into the network and assigns an extension number and enough additional info to make it operational.
At the hub of the user experience is Switchboard, a customizable browser window that displays call queues, parked calls, incoming caller ID info and company directory with presence and call status info. The drag-and-drop environment makes simple work of conferencing, call transfers and other "complex" telephony tasks. An included link with Google Maps pinpoints the location of incoming calls. This infinitely customizable tool can be taught to perform other tasks based on caller ID info, including display of unread e-mail, links in Google News and the like.
For the flexibility and extra revenue potential of its open-source nature, large and active developer community, ease of setup and use, and relatively low cost, the CRN Test Center recommends the Digium Switchvox SMB.
NEXT: ShoreTel ShoreGear-50
ShoreTel ShoreGear-50
By separating call control from the user directory, ShoreTel differs from most telecom providers, which deploy all functions in a central unit. According to the company, this simplifies and lowers the cost of expansion and eliminates any single point of call control failure. For testing, the company sent a ShoreGear-50 digital/analog/PoE box along with several ShoreTel IP phones. A Windows IIS server housed the database and ShoreWare Director management software, a .Net application. Once connected, the PoE phones blinked to life, acquired their addresses and after a moment were ready to go.
ShoreWare Director handles all system administration and is accessed through a browser.The interface presents a treelike structure with configuration categories listed in the left pane and settings in the right.This easily navigable software made quick work of the initial setup and made additional features easy to find and configure. Also stored here are automated attendant applications, call details and logs, rules for call distribution and routing, and hunt groups. Excellent client desktop software is loaded by pointing a browser to the server. There, too, is full Outlook integration, chat, call transfer with text notes, peer presence information and unified messaging capabilities.
For customers using Active Directory, ShoreTel would be an excellent choice. Its management software can import users directly from AD and optionally sync at set intervals, on command, or can be accessed only when adding users. ShoreGear boxes offer N+1 redundancy by communicating peer-to-peer, yet are seen and administered as a single domain. For SIP installations, the ShoreGear also acts as its own proxy and registrar. In tests, the box ran at about 80 degrees F and consumed 27 watts.
The ShoreGear-50 lists for $1,999 and can handle as many as 50 IP phones plus two analog extensions and four loop-start trunks. ShoreTel IP phones range in price from $200 to $599. For its low price, integration with Microsoft solutions and flexible deployment and administration, the CRN Test Center recommends the ShoreGear-50.