Asterisk Cisco VS - Avaya VOIP phone systems

Asterisk Cisco VS - Avaya VOIP phone systems -

VoIP or Voice Over IP, the latest in wireless communication works taking phone call, the transition from analog to digital signals and transmit these signals over an IP network or broadband, and finally it closes on a PSTN. The call costs are greatly reduced using this technology. The advantage is that the software that emulates a phone can be loaded onto your laptop allowing it to access its services during the trip.

VoIP uses SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), a peer-to-peer technology that allows computers to communicate with each other without having calls routed through some central station. Therefore, calling from a SIP enabled phone to another cuts call costs drastically.

The Asterisk system is equipped with an Asterisk server that handles things like conference calls, voice messages, queues and hold music. The landline phone is a digital phone that has an Ethernet port to communicate with the server using the SIP protocol. They, including the wireless version, are not very expensive. The softphones are implemented in software and can be connected to a PC. Asterisk runs primarily on Linux, an open source operating system.

Cisco telephony solutions based network and run on a router. They are scalable and work well in multi-user environments in mulitple locations. The UC500 suite is a set of services such as routers, switches, security, telephony and wireless capabilities in one device. This greatly reduces the cost for a company that is planning on these services. The Cisco CallManager Express uses SIP to connect the phone via the Internet and also has the characteristics of UC 500 which makes it more practical for midsize businesses. Additonal features include paging, intercom, ICMP and class of restrictions on a user's calls.

Avaya IP Office uses IP technology to provide voice and data communications, messaging and customer management across multiple sites with 2 to 300 people. It allows you to work from anywhere, hosting conferences, integrate applications, measuring and improving customer satisfaction with the touch of a button. And 'convenient as it reduces long distance calls, the costs of conferences, supports remote workers and helps to keep your business collaborated and up-to-date.

The three products can be compared by following certain criteria:

• Number of extensions: Asterix can support up to 100 extensions, while Cisco and Avaya can go up to 360 extensions suporting such large organizations as well. This improves scalability and helps to reduce costs in the long run.
• Free: Asterisk is freeware and runs on a Linux server. This makes it the most affordable telephony solution that is Cisco or Avaya that make extensive use of routers and switches for communication.
• Installation and maintenance: Asterisk is the dream of a programmer as it is open source and can be modified at will. However, for an end user, it can be a nightmare. Support and services are better than Cisco and Avaya with which they are established names in the industry.

The main thing going for Asterisk is its cost. However, it is not always advisable to look at the initial cost of things. Other criteria, such as scalability, integration of a device with other existing, interoperatability long period and the calculation of costs must be considered while choosing one product over another.

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