Asterisk - on a need-to-know basis

Significant cost savings can be made by VoIP users who deploy the Asterisk PBX platform, it has been suggested.

An article by Tim Greene on the Computer World websites explains the basics of the free download platform, which is described by its makers as "the world's leading open source telephony engine and tool kit".

Because the platform is free to be downloaded, much of its popularity can be ascribed to the associated cost savings, he states.

Those who have time to spend on the deployment of the system and who are technically savvy can save a great deal of money, says Mr Greene.

He writes: "Over time you can save even more if you have the wherewithal to maintain the system, update it and modify it to your needs."

The writer adds that even when the cost of hardware is considered, the savings made by using Asterisk could be "significant … as much as 90 per cent off the price of a commercially available PBX".

Stating figures from Digium – the firm founded by Asterisk creator Mark Spencer – Mr Greene notes that the platform was downloaded more than a million times in 2007.

Posted on: 2008-01-29, in: General VoIP

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