Asterisk is one of the most common open-source frameworks for running IP (Internet protocol) PBXs and VOIP gateways. Here we list a few cool tricks that can be done with SIP (session initiation protocol) phone systems running Asterisk. Many other open-source and proprietary platforms allow you to do some or all of these, so ask your manufacturer’s rep about these features if you are using a different platform.
Topics: SIP Phones, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Software Integration
A simple yet powerful feature of SIP (session initiation protocol) enterprise phones are soft keys. Soft keys allow users to customize their own phones by assigning their desired functionality to the buttons on the device. Used properly, they can supercharge the efficiency and productivity of a busy workstation.
Assisting users in programming their soft keys is an often underestimated service that nevertheless can boost customer satisfaction and optimize the productivity of the installed system. With most SIP phone systems, soft keys can easily be programmed for each endpoint centrally via the WebGui or management interface. They can also be programmed directly into the endpoints themselves. They are a detail worth paying attention to when installing an IP phone system.
Topics: Customer Service, SIP Phones, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP
Because VOIP telephone systems send voice over a packet network, they are just as vulnerable to data breaches and cyberattacks as any other IP (Internet protocol) application. According to The Sileo Group, a data security think tank, fully 60% of small companies go out of business within a year of a data security breach.
“Cybercrimes hit companies of all sizes and affect their bottom line to the tune of several years of profit,” asserts John Sileo, CEO of The Sileo Group.
The good news is, if your data network is secure, your VOIP voice transmissions are in some ways even more secure than a traditional analog phone system. And most risks can be mitigated by putting some basic best practices in place.
Topics: SIP Phones, IP PBX, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Network Security
Part 2 of 2 in a series on video conferencing
Last week, we looked at room-installed video conferencing systems. In this article, we look at video phones – and we’re not referring to a Beyoncé song, but rather SIP (session initiation protocol) endpoints that give users video-conferencing capability from their desktop. Here we offer a comparison between the Grandstream GXV3240 and GXV3275, and the Yealink T49G.
Note: Yealink and Grandstream have introduced additional video phones since this article was published. To read about the latest products, click on Yealink or Grandstream in the Topic list to the right.
Topics: SIP Phones, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Grandstream, Yealink, Videoconferencing
We get a lot of questions at TeleDynamics about headsets, so hopefully this post will help answer some of them. Most questions revolve around whether buying headsets is worth the investment, and whether to get corded or wireless.
Topics: SIP Phones, Wireless, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Peripherals, Mobility (including remote work), Headsets
Most people understand that VOIP allows you to make calls over the Internet, thus saving lots of money in long-distance calls. But VOIP can also be a powerful productivity booster, even for businesses that don’t make a lot of long distance calls. Because IP telephony moves seamlessly between voice and data on the same network, it allows functionality that is not possible when voice is transmitted separately. Here we look at a dozen cool examples of this.
Topics: SIP Phones, IP PBX, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Software Integration, Mobility (including remote work)
OK, so maybe provisioning SIP phones was never a barrel of laughs. But it can at least be quick, easy and painless. And that definitely leaves more time for fun.
Topics: Customer Service, Outsourcing, SIP Phones, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP
