Boxed IP PBXs are also known as on-premise IP PBXs. Boxed automatic telephone exchanges are usually placed at the facility - in a server or in a switchboard box. Data from IP phones is sent to the IP PBX server via LAN. Calls can go both through a telephone operator, and in the form of VoIP through a SIP trunk. Gateways can be used to connect the system to traditional telephone networks.
Costs for VoIP providers and manufacturers are lowered with boxed open source PBXs like Asterisk. This allows users to access the latest technology and latest features at a much lower cost than in the past.
Here are three stories of building telephone networks based on a box exchange from the experience of very different organizations - a manufacturing company, a bank, and a university.
VoIP systems have always competed with traditional PBX solutions and therefore have a wide range of features. Benefits of a boxed PBX:
- Rich functionality - the set of capabilities is wider than that of traditional PBXs, and the capabilities themselves are higher.
- SIP - With the integration of a SIP trunk, free call packages and IP calls become available to you, which allows you to reduce costs compared to using traditional telephone lines.
- Ownership - you will get a tangible, your own system.
- No points of failure - many traditional and SIP lines are used to route calls. Thus, the failure of one of the lines will not affect the performance of the network.
- Unified communications - boxed PBXs are capable of servicing more than just phone calls. Among their features are instant messaging, voice conferencing and video messaging.
Example 1 Fitesa Germany
Fitesa is a manufacturer of nonwovens used in hygiene, medical and industrial applications. Ten divisions of Fitesa are located in eight countries of the world, the headquarters is in the USA. Fitesa Germany was founded in 1969 in Peine, Lower Saxony.
Task
Fitesa was not satisfied with the existing telephone system—which required a lot of investment, was inflexible, and did not meet the technical and functional requirements.
The company wanted to find a modern, flexible and scalable solution to serve 30 m2 of office, warehouse and production space. This solution was supposed to allow you to administer the system yourself, change the configuration and remotely support IP phones. What was needed was a system that could easily fit into an existing VMWare environment and provide mobile coverage to every available floor space. Also, the system had to support integration with Outlook and a single number assignment scheme, in which any employee can be reached by the same extension, regardless of location. Great importance was attached to the intuitiveness of the system and the possibilities for automatic configuration and administration. Finally, costs had to remain at an acceptable level.
Solution
Fitesa was pleased with its current supplier: Bel Net in Braunschweig was asked to take care of not only the integration of the state-of-the-art telephone system, but also all the necessary electrical work.
Bel Net has analyzed whether it is possible to cover all the company's facilities with a DECT network. Based on the UCware server, a flexible and high-performance IP-PBX was created with expansion modules for mobile network and Outlook. Panasonic DECT phones and 40 IP phones were installed in the offices and production area and Snom 720.
In order not to interrupt workflows, the operating telephone system continued to function during testing. The final solution was launched in January after business hours. A two-hour workshop was held to familiarize 40 key users with the new PBX and telephones. And those, in turn, passed on the acquired knowledge to colleagues.
Advantages
The new IP-PBX not only reduced the cost of operation, but also made the telephony system flexible and scalable, it can be managed without the involvement of external specialists. Fitesa uses a system of "hot desks": as soon as an employee logs in on any phone, he can be called by his extension number, regardless of whether he is sitting at the table or moving around the territory. Snom phones can be managed via a web interface and configured remotely using the Auto Provision feature.
Example 2. PSD Bank Rhein-Ruhr
PSD Bank Rhein-Ruhr is a remote bank with offices in Dortmund and Düsseldorf and a branch in Essen. The bank's assets for the 2008 reporting year amounted to about 3 million euros. Two hundred and twenty bank employees supported 185 customers in Germany, mostly by phone.
Task
Due to the financial advantages of VoIP, it was decided to replace the no longer technically compliant ISDN system with an Asterisk-based telecommunications system and migrate all bank services to VoIP. It was decided to keep fixed communication in the form of ISDN. Then they began to look for suitable phones. The selection criteria were clear: the device must retain the functionality of a regular office phone, while offering more flexibility, high voice quality and ease of setup. Additional requirements are safety and ease of use.
The moment of principle for PSD Bank Rhein-Ruhr was the completion of the project in a short time. To ensure that the system upgrade does not affect daily operations, all telephones in Dortmund, Düsseldorf and Essen had to be installed in one weekend, by Monday morning.
Solution
After careful planning and preparation, the bank commissioned the Dortmund company LocaNet to implement the new telephone system. It is an open source IP communications solutions provider specializing in the installation and support of secure networks, online applications, and security and communications solutions. PSD Bank Rhein-Ruhr decided to implement an Asterisk system with ISDN media gateways so that incoming and outgoing calls go through ISDN at the same time employees talk to each other over VoIP.
After conducting a tender and reviewing offers, the bank settled on the Snom 370, a professional office phone using the open SIP protocol. Snom 370 offers a high level of security and a wide range of features. Another reason to support the Snom 370 is its excellent compatibility with Asterisk-based phone systems, as well as intuitive operation thanks to freely configurable XML menus.
Advantages
PSD Bank Rhein-Ruhr's employees quickly mastered the new devices - only a few of them needed advice on one or two issues. The system update has significantly reduced the workload of the IT department and increased its mobility. Another nice moment - managed to meet the allocated budget.
Example 3: University of Würzburg
The Julius and Maximilian University of Würzburg was founded in 1402 and is one of the oldest in Germany. The university has produced many famous scientists, including 14 Nobel laureates. Today, the University of Würzburg unites 10 faculties, 400 teachers and 28 students.
Task
Like many government agencies, the university operated a Siemens ISDN system for many years, which eventually ceased to cope with the load. In 2005, when the maintenance agreement expired, it became clear that a new solution had to be found. The system needed to be replaced - ideally economical and scalable. Interested in the novelties of the world of telecommunications, the leaders of the university decided to switch to VoIP. Helmut Selina, a mathematician at the university's computer center, took on the job with his team of six people. They had to convert the entire telephone system, which covered 65 buildings and 3500 numbers, to VoIP.
The university has set several key goals:
- personal telephone number for each employee;
- separate telephone numbers for each division;
- phone numbers for rooms - corridors, lobbies, elevators and auditoriums;
- a separate phone number for each of the campus students;
- maximum growth opportunities with minimum restrictions.
More than 3500 multi-ID phones were to be networked and installed in 65 buildings. The university has announced a tender for the supply of VoIP phones.
Solution
For the sake of reinsurance, we decided to use ISDN and VoIP in parallel during the test period so that possible malfunctions and difficulties do not affect the work. Snom 370 telephones were gradually installed at the workplaces in addition to the old ones. The first 500 employees started working with the new machines in September 2008.
Advantages
The new Snom phones have been well received by the team. Together with Asterisk, they provided all users with functions that were previously very time-consuming and available only to a narrow circle of employees. These features, coupled with excellent voice quality, have led faculty and other staff to quickly become accustomed to using the new devices. In most cases, phones did not require much setup and quickly became the mainstream for users. The Snom 370 performed well in more difficult conditions as well. For example, some devices had to work in buildings connected by tunnels. In another case, WLAN was used in one of the network segments, and the employees were extremely surprised that the phones worked without failures. As a result, it was decided to increase the number of devices to 4500.
Source: habr.com