Allied Telesyn Aiming New VoIP Bundles At SMB Market

The new VioCall Express Connect bundles, available for eight users, nine to 15 users and 16 to 24 users, will be available exclusively through the channel and require no special certifications to sell them, said James Mustarde, vice president of marketing at Allied Telesyn, San Jose, Calif.

Bundles for smaller numbers of users soon will follow, he said.

The system includes high-end features such as auto-attendant, voice mail, conferencing and caller ID, but distributes features to the phones themselves so no central server is required.

The bundles include IP phones, an IP gateway, a Power-over-Ethernet-enabled switch, an IP security appliance with firewall and a wireless access point, as well as a year of service and support.

Pricing starts at $5,613 for an eight-user bundle and $15,484 for 24 users.

“Allied Telesyn is recognizing the fact that putting all of these technologies together is not always easy for the reseller,” Mustarde said. “We&'ve taken the pain out of specifying the solution.”

Tommy Waldrop, president of PG Technology, a League City, Texas-based solution provider is considering adding the Allied Telesyn bundles to his lineup as a means of jumping into the VoIP fray.

“There are quite a few [customers] going to VoIP. We run into it almost on a daily basis,” Waldrop said. “We just see the whole space heating up.”

Waldrop said Allied Telesyn&'s bundles are of particular interest because of the niche they focus on.

“They&'re for small to [midsize] businesses looking for the same features the bigger players bring to the table but at a price that&'s affordable,” Waldrop said.

The product line is also attractive because of its low barrier to entry for the channel, he said.

“It&'s designed so I don&'t have to have a specialty or a special [technician] to work with it,” he said. “This gives us the opportunity to step right into the market.”