Asterisk Phone Systems
Overview
With all of the technology that has been introduced in the last 30 years, the telephone is still the most convenient and human way of communicating. Most people would agree that telephones are an absolute necessity for any business, but when it comes to agreement about functionality, service type, and even the look and feel of the phones themselves, there are as many opinions as there are phone numbers!
This difference in opinion can make choosing the perfect phone system a near impossible task. Some of the things people are most often at odds with include:
- The type of service provider - Options include Analog Lines, T-1, and VoIP over the Internet.
- The type of internal service - Options include Analog, Digital (proprietary), and VoIP over the Local Network.
- The type of voicemail - Options include No Voicemail, Voicemail as a Service, Standard Voicemail (internal), and Unified Messaging (voicemail sent to e-mail, accessible via the web, etc)
- The type(s) of phone(s) - Options include Cordless or Corded, with or without Speakerphone, with or without LCD Display, Basic or Advanced features, Programmable buttons, Web browsing capability... the list goes on and on!
- The look and feel of the phone(s) - The reasons for choosing a particular phone are endless, but some include the ability to impress potential clients (executive office suites), the weight of the handset, and even the ring tone(s).
- The flexibility of the phone system - Does the system need to be easy to program by company personnel? Does the system need to be able to grow with the company without having to buy a new system every year or two?
- The cost of the phone system - Do all of the features of a phone system make it too expensive? Are there licensing fees for adding functionality in the future? Does the phone system require an annual service agreement or other recurring costs?
We Recommend
Deciding which of these options are best for you can be frustrating enough, but there's a catch! Most vendors become partners with one or more manufacturers and sell proprietary phone systems, making the ability to combine your different choices either impossible or very, very expensive! eFusion Systems has certainly had the opportunity to sell proprietary systems like these other vendors do, but it is against our principles of providing the most flexible, convenient, and affordable technologies available. After a great deal of research and testing, we chose Asterisk over all other technologies because it not only meets our criteria, it surpasses it!
Asterisk is a very fitting name for the telephone capabilities it provides. Instead of running on proprietary hardware with a pre-defined set of capabilities, Asterisk runs on server hardware and uses an open architecture; giving it the ability to do almost anything you can think of! With an Asterisk based system, you can combine service provider types, phone types, system capabilities, and even phones from different manufacturers. Asterisk's feature set is extensive and is being continuously improved. Features that you would find only in the more expensive systems are standard with Asterisk.
The most enticing part of Asterisk is the price. You pay for the hardware and configuration labor only; the software is free! That's right, Asterisk has no licensing fees, period! If you outgrow the server that is running Asterisk, simply copy it to a more powerful server and you are good to go. We invite you to compare any phone system with an Asterisk-based phone system; feature for feature and dollar for dollar, Asterisk will win, hands down, every time!
PBX and Phone Hardware
As we stated earlier, Asterisk based systems are capable of combining just about any type of phone service with just about any type of phone. There are entire sites dedicated to the sale of the different hardware available for Asterisk, so we are going to list our recommendations. This is definitely not an all inclusive list, but should give you a good sampling of what is available.
- Server Hardware - eFusion Systems recommends Dell Servers for its Asterisk based installations. The server most used by our smaller clients is the affordable Dell T110 and the server most used by our larger clients is the Dell T310.
- Connectivity Cards - eFusion Systems highly recommends Sangoma for hardware connectivity within the Server. Sangoma provides excellent customer service, reliable performance, simplified installations, and cutting edge capabilities.
- Aastra Phones - Click for information in PDF format.
- Polycom Phones - Click for information in PDF format.
- Linksys Phones - Click for information in PDF format.
- Cisco Phones - Click for information in PDF format.
- Snom Phones - Click for information in PDF format.
VoIP Service for Business
eFusion Systems has teamed up with Proximiti to provide true business-class VoIP over the Internet telephone services that are unsurpassed in quality, flexibility and affordability.
Proximiti Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, powerful and complete IP communications solutions to business and residential customers nationwide. These complete communications solutions include telephone service, high-speed Internet access, enhanced features, equipment and more - all designed to improve communications and customized to meet individual needs and budgets. In addition to award-winning services, Proximiti delivers a consultative sales approach and first-class customer service, backed by a knowledgeable management team with over 100 years of telecommunications experience.
Call Center Solutions
Asterisk based systems come with tons of features and capabilities, but their most popular function is to provide PBX capabilities. Call Centers often require a different set of capabilities than a PBX can usually provide, so a standard distribution of Asterisk would not be a good choice. However, since Asterisk is extremely flexible and powerful, there are numerous vendors that have customized Asterisk to provide all of the functionality you would ever need in a Call Center; including screen pops, agent scripts, feedback data, call center reports, and much more! Of course these call center solutions cost more than a traditional Asterisk based PBX, but their cost is only a fraction of the amount you would pay for a proprietary call center solution. We invite you to contact us for more information and a live demonstration of what an Asterisk based call center can do.
Pricing
We want you to be as informed as possible while making a decision about obtaining a product or service from us. That is why we have included the pricing information below. Prices listed here are typical and can vary based your unique situtation.
- Initial Consultation and Design: As with all of our products and services, the initial consultation is free! Additionally, if we need to customize the design to your specific needs, there is no additional charge!
- Product Costs: Asterisk based software is free. Some addons for very specific needs can range from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars. Server hardware varies between a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending on what your needs are. Phone hardware can range from less than $100 per phone to over $700 for a top of the line conference phone. Warranty length and guaranteed response time is a factor that affects pricing as well.
- Installation Services: Economies of scale play a role when it comes to pricing for installs. Unless you have a very small system, you can estimate 1 hour of labor per phone (which includes server installation and customizing the configuration for your needs). For our hourly rates, please refer to the I.T. Support section of this website.
- Training Services: We will provide a single on-site training session (up to 4 hours) with the person responsible for using and/or maintaining the system at no extra charge. Of course we will be happy to answer any basic questions that may come up after the training session via phone or e-mail for free as well!
- Monthly Recurring Fees: Locally installed Asterisk based phone systems do not incur a monthly fee. Of course, your phone service provider will still charge a monthy fee for the phone service itself. If you are interested in Proximiti's VoIP over Internet service, give us a call and we can get a quote for you right away. Additionally, if you would prefer to have your phone system hosted offsite, we can quote that as well!
- Support Services:
Warranty Support- Includes replacement of hardware through an RMA process with the manufacturer. Labor costs are not included in warranty support unless the product fails due to our mistake (which is very rare). Labor pricing is based on whether or not you choose one of our support plans.
Non-Warranty Support- If the product warranty has expired and the manufacturer will not provide an RMA, we will provide a quote for the total cost of replacing the product (including labor and materials). Once again, our labor pricing will depend on whether or not you choose one of our support plans.
Did you know???
Check out the following tidbits of information related to this technology or service! The more you know about something, the more likely you are to make good, informed decisions when it comes time to implement it!
