As the world moves inexorably towards all-IP, there are still businesses today that use a TDM (time division multiplexing) PBX-based phone system. Eventually, they will end up switching to an IP PBX when their old equipment becomes unserviceable or irreplaceable, but for whatever reason they have chosen not to migrate yet. Even so, there are ways to help these companies reap some advantages from VoIP technology while hanging onto their legacy system.
Topics: Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP
Fashion models aren’t the only ones who accessorize. Your customers need accessories, too! If they have an IP phone system, peripherals are an easy way to instantly boost productivity. When putting together your next enterprise telephone system proposal, consider including some from this list, or browse our website for more ideas.
Topics: Customer Service, SIP Phones, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Peripherals, Mobility (including remote work), Cordless, Headsets, Conferencing
Grandstream, well known throughout the world for their SIP communications solutions, will soon expand those solutions by offering a new line of Wi-Fi devices. Grandstream’s entrance into the Wi-Fi marketplace will feature a Wi-Fi access point, the GWN7610, and they will soon thereafter launch a Gigabit VPN router, which will be called the GWN7000. This product line will be a new mainstay product category from Grandstream, and it will be expanded moving forward to include a variety of routers and access points with various capabilities.
Topics: Wireless, Grandstream, Trends, Mobility (including remote work)
Businesses are constantly trying to boost productivity so they can do more – and grow more – with less. SIP telephony is a great example of this. Compared with legacy PBX-based phone systems, IP phone systems allow companies to do much more, with less hardware and fewer resources.
Topics: IP PBX, Business Telephone System, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Trends, Mobility (including remote work)
Ensuring business continuity in case of unexpected service loss is an essential component of any IP telephone system. In a previous blog post we mentioned various failover mechanisms that can be deployed to address different scenarios. Here, we’ll take a closer look at two in particular: backup SIP trunk or ITSP, and failover servers. You may be surprised to discover how easy and affordable they are to set up – especially when compared with the costly alternative of service interruption.
Topics: IP PBX, QoS, Business Telephone System, VoIP, Total Voice Solution, Business Continuity
| Image designed by Alvaro_Cabrera - Freepik.com |
Open source with open access vs. open source:
Make sure you know which one suits you and your customer.
Open source telecommunications systems are not all created equal. All are open source in the sense that they are built using publicly and freely available code like Asterisk. However, not all of them allow access to the root programming level, which allows you to modify or customize aspects of the code to suit specific requirements or preferences. If a system restricts root-level access, certain features may be customizable, but don’t count on having much leeway. Be sure you know which one best suits your customer.
Topics: Customer Service, IP PBX, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution
These features absolutely must be in your IP PBX suite offering
When proposing IP voice solutions to small businesses, certain applications and features are so essential that the customer won’t even consider purchasing a system without them. According to a study of more than 200 small businesses conducted by SoftwareAdvice, the phone system applications most often cited as “required” are:
Topics: Customer Service, IP PBX, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Software Integration, Trends, Mobility (including remote work)
Two solid strategies for distinguishing yourself in the marketplace and protecting your margins
“Cheap is the last refuge for the marketer who can't figure out how to be better.” - Seth Godin
Topics: Customer Service, Total Voice Solution
In the complicated SIP trunking migration process, here are some tips that will help you achieve the results you want for your organization.
By Andrew Prokop of SIP Adventures, a unified communications blog
Learning never exhausts the mind.
-- Leonardo da Vinci
I go to a fair number of tradeshows and industry conferences throughout the year, and as much as I love presenting at these events, I am just as thrilled to attend sessions given by my communications colleagues. It's rare when I don't pick up a tip or two, and there have been a number of sessions that have changed the way I view a product or a particular technology.
This year, I presented two breakout sessions at Avaya's IAUG Engage 2016 conference and attended at least a half dozen more. I would love to write about all my favorites, but for now, I will pick one.
For me, Larry Riba's "Secrets of a Successful SIP Trunking Migration" was a highlight. It's not that I haven't been living and breathing SIP migrations for the past several years. Believe me, I've paid my dues, time and time again. Still, hearing personal experiences allow me to see things that I might not otherwise see. Even the best of us fall into patterns and tend to repeat the same methodologies over and over again.
Larry began his presentation by discussing the benefits of SIP trunking. While most were not new to me (e.g. better redundancy and failover, cost savings, reduction in inbound and outbound trunks, etc.), a few were not on my personal list of "Why SIP?" For instance:
Following the benefits of SIP, it was off to checklists for preparation, design decisions, choosing a SIP provider, planning, and avoiding pitfalls.
Topics: SIP
Get even more bang for your buck by adding these five bells and whistles to your VoIP server.
As long as you have one, you may as well get the most out of your IP PBX by taking advantage of the plethora of applications and systems designed to work on it. IP PBXs of course coordinate your VoIP communications, but they can also do a host of other things. Here we list five non-voice services your IP PBX can perform for your business.
Topics: IP PBX, VoIP, SIP, Peripherals
