Don't Fear the PBX

A Customer Center entry from August 6, 2007

It used to be, when most of us heard the term PBX, our heart rate would quicken and thoughts would turn to "big iron" and a scary, cold-sweat inducing piece of machinery stuffed into a closet behind the MIS room.

Of course, the PBX market has come a long way in recent years courtesy of advances like the move to IP (IP PBX) and the advent of open source (software PBX).

Today's PBX comes in many flavors and can be custom fitted to the needs of any size business without trading off on features. Indeed companies are now delivering PBX solutions to the SMB and SOHO markets, two targets that have traditionally been underserved when it comes to PBX options. Best part is, these smaller companies can leverage their PBX to appear like a much larger business to customers calling in.

One PBX solution targeting the SMB and SOHO markets is Switchvox, a PBX based on Asterisk, Linux, and other open source software.

Switchvox PBX software is delivered on a custom server, and for $995 customers get the latest SOHO IP PBX as well as 30 days of free setup and support.

In addition, Switchvox SOHO offers the following PBX features standard:

  • Integrated Voicemail
  • Music on Hold
  • IVR/Auto-Attendant
  • Call Queues/ACD
  • Find Me/Follow Me
  • Reporting Tools
For a few dollars more, the Switchvox PBX also comes in a SMB PBX version, which offers some slightly advanced PBX functionality, including a conference bridge, Outlook integration, Switchboard, call recording, enhanced Call Queue Statistics, and more complex IVR actions.

One of the hallmarks of a PBX like Switchvox is ease of installation. Let's face it, small businesses can't devote lots of resources to managing their PBX.

One Switchvox customer, LAMATEK, was thrilled with their Switchvox PBX. When it comes to their PBX, ease of administration and ease of installation resonate with LAMATEK.

Discussing their PBX, company officials said, "The [PBX] was a snap to install. It came pre-configured for our network, we simply plugged in the server, turned it on, then connected the phones to our network. That was it."

These days a PBX is no longer something to be feared. And with solutions like the Switchvox PBX family targeting SOHO and SMB users, the PBX is fast becoming accessible to everyone.

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Greg Galitzine is editorial director of TMC's IP Communications group.

— August 6, 2007