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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

We consider session border controllers (SBCs) to be a best practice in most enterprise contexts because of the improved security, control and overall VoIP system functionality they lend.

So what exactly are SBCs and why do you need one?

Topics: SIP Phones, QoS, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Network Security

 

National telephone operators have been investing less in maintaining traditional PSTN networks and paying more attention – and money – to building out their mobile and Internet protocol (IP) networks. AT&T launched its Project Velocity IP in 2012 with the intention of expanding its wired broadband IP network to reach 75% of its customer locations in three years. In Europe, British Telecom and Deutsche Telekom both have their sights set on all-IP. DT’s website says, “The network of the future is an integrated, all-IP network.”

A common reason some businesses still cling to their PSTN lines even when they’ve switched to a VoIP (voice over IP) phone system is to have a failover option. Here we look at some other failover mechanisms that don’t require a PSTN line, as well as the key benefits to switching to all-IP.

Topics: IP PBX, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Software Integration, Trends

6 techniques for making your network installations quicker and easier

Topics: IP PBX, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution

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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

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Since SIP phone systems are software-based platforms that send voice over a data network, they are interoperable with other business software, which translates into a huge productivity boost for the user. Did you know that the vast majority of these system integrations are performed by channel partners, vendors and consultants? According to the 2015 Unified Communications Integration Report published by Software Advice*, in only 14% of the case studies analyzed did end users do the work of integrating their systems themselves. This represents a considerable upselling opportunity for telephone systems dealers.

Topics: Customer Service, IP PBX, Business Telephone System, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Software Integration, Trends

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     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

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Part 1 of 2: Room Systems

If it’s been a while since you’ve looked into videoconferencing equipment, now might be a good time to take a fresh look. Over the past five years, the pricing has come down to an easily accessible level, and the systems are now more interoperable with other hardware and apps than ever before.

Topics: Customer Service, VoIP, SIP, Total Voice Solution, Grandstream, Yealink, Peripherals, Videoconferencing