VoIP News: IP PBX

IP PBX is the IP telephony solutions platform that European organisations are most likely to opt for, IDC has said.

A recent survey by the IT market intelligence firm found that over 36 per cent of the companies polled had adopted IP PBX managed services.

This was followed by broadband-based VoIP solutions and dedicated hosted telephony, according to the Evolution of IP Telephony in Western European Vertical Markets: An IDC Survey.

The IDC report also found that, while over seven in every ten businesses are aware of IP telephony, familiarity is very different depending on business type.

While 80 per cent of companies in healthcare, transport, and manufacturing are familiar with VoIP, only 60 per cent of media, government, retail/wholesale, and utilities/oil and gas organisations are.

However, VoIP adoption is almost the same across all business types, with uptake ranging between 18 to 28 per cent in seven out often sectors.

Healthcare and transport are the only sectors with an adoption level over 30 per cent.

Hosted PBX is being adopted by enterprises to meet their VoIP needs because of the business-specific benefits it can offer, market intelligence company In-Stat said recently.

Posted on: 2010-03-10, in: IP PBX

---

Hosted PBX is being adopted by enterprises to meet their VoIP needs because of the business-specific benefits it can offer, In-Stat has said.

Business interest in IP PBX (Internet Protocol Private Branch Exchange) is revitalising an otherwise dormant telecommunication industry, according to Global Industry Analysts (GIA).

A report from the business strategy and market intelligence source said that VoIP PBX appeals to businesses due to the innovation, costs savings and potential revenue generation it offers them.

David Lemelin, practice leader and senior analyst at market intelligence company In-Stat, believes it is the "superior business-grade flavour of VoIP" offered by IP PBX that is attracting businesses to it.

He explained that IP PBX "is more acceptable to IT managers in terms of management, security and integration," in comparison to broadband-based VoiP solutions.

Mr Lemelin added that, while "economic difficulties have stunted growth in the short-term," VoIP adoption by businesses is expected to regain momentum in 2010.

The VoIP carrier market coped well in 2009 compared to other IT and telecom markets, despite seeing a decline, market research company Synergy Research Group said recently.

Posted on: 2010-03-02, in: IP PBX

---

According to the Dell'Oro group the total market for hosted PBX systems is going to exceed $6 billion (£3.67) by 2014.

However, growth is likely to be even higher than this, as hosted PBX is now sometimes classed within the unified communications market, which is going through major growth at the moment.

Hosted PBX (Private Branch Exchange) systems allow enterprises to better route their VoIP systems to increase the level of communication made possible within the enterprise.

The group also argues that as IP (Internet Protocol) communications develop, it is likely that PBX systems are going to integrate further with the overall unified communications infrastructure of a typical business.

Alan Weckel, director at Dell'Oro Group, said that: "UC [Unified Communications] will disrupt not only how vendors develop products, but also what kinds of "go-to-market" strategies they implement."

Mr Weckel highlighted the high-standards companies hold their unified communications systems to, by stating that Dell'Oro Group believes "it will take several software generations for a vendor to incorporate the functionality needed to become fully competitive with a UC offering in this market".

Posted on: 2010-02-03, in: IP PBX

---

A telecoms company has highlighted the benefits VoIP PBX can bring to small businesses across the UK.

Telephony firm voxclever has highlighted the fact that consumer-grade VoIP providers, such as Skype, have helped to drive the uptake of VoIP over the past few years, but have failed to cater fully to the needs of the business environment.

The key idea is that with a business-specific VoIP carrier, needs such as a private branch exchange (PBX) are catered for, allowing for greater flexibility and reliability in the organisation's communications infrastructure.

Business-grade VoIP services can help companies save on costs while increasing the productivity of their workforce, the study by the firm said.

And companies can take the cost savings made possible by VoIP PBX further, by considering the use of open-source PBX, a separate study has found.

The study, based around the recent DigiumAsterisk World conference in Miami Beach, Florida, found that businesses can cut their costs by almost 50 per cent if their consider using an open-source PBX to route their corporate VoIP traffic.

Posted on: 2010-02-01, in: IP PBX

---

An official online applications store for Asterisk solutions has been launched by Asterisk company Digium.

AsteriskExchange is a marketplace for products featuring or incorporating Asterisk, such as Asterisk PBX, according to the communications technology firm.

Asterisk is a free open source communications service that can be used by integrators and developers like VoIP providers to convert computers into communication systems.

With the Asterisk community numbering 65,000, the aim of AsteriskExchange is to enable VoIP carriers and other members to market their Asterisk products.

AsteriskExchange will allow users to search for and access free and commercial Asterisk solutions, and to review and rate them and browse product popularity levels.

Digium hopes that AsteriskExchange will provide a major break for Asterisk developers and integrators by allowing them to capitalise on the popularity of Asterisk.

Danny Windham, chief executive officer at Digium, said: "Asterisk has become a worldwide phenomenon because of the ecosystem of developers, integrators, service providers and manufacturers that extend its capabilities and value."

Open source VoIP's influence in the IP telephony solutions market increased in 2009 due to Asterisk, communications and technology community TMCnet said recently.

Posted on: 2010-01-28, in: IP PBX

---