With Asterisk loaded onto a computer, a decent-size company can rip out its traditional phone switch, even some of its newfangled Internet telephone gear, and say good-bye to 80% of its telecom equipment costs. Not good news for Cisco, Nortel or Avaya.
- Forbes, Dial D for Disruption
Asterisk is an open source (completely free to use) software application that runs on any standard Linux-based server. It replaces the phone system that is likely hanging on the wall in your telecom closet and is capable of much, much more, including:
- Voice-over-IP. Allow employees to connect to your company phone system while working from home, a hotel room, coffee shop or anywhere where there’s a high-speed Internet connection. Incoming phone calls automatically route to the correct person regardless of where they are.
- Multi-party conference bridges. Previously limited to $50,000+ corporate PBX systems, the conference bridge feature allows a dozen or more people to dial in the same conversation using a meeting ID and passcode. Perfect for meetings when the three-way calling feature of your current phone just isn’t big enough.
- Advanced call routing/queuing. Asterisk has a multitude of intelligent call routing features. Calls can be routed to the appropriate party based on time-of-day/day-of-week, incoming Caller ID information, whom the caller last spoke with, etc. Asterisk can even be integrated with third-party applications such as customer databases, Outlook, and more.
- Pick and choose your own phones. Usually if you purchase a Toshiba phone system, it will only work with Toshiba phones. The same holds true of Nortel, Panasonic, Avaya, and almost every other telephony vendor. However, Asterisk works with any industry-standard, SIP-compatible phone that is available from a variety of manufacturers. You can also use software-based phones on your PC with a microphone for even greater flexibility.
- Much more…
Asterisk scales up telecommunication for use by Fortune 500 companies with offices spanning the globe. It is also frequently used by home-based businesses wanting the power of a business phone system without the price tag. Unlike most proprietary business phone systems, there are no arbitrary user limits or restrictions. With Asterisk, your investment is protected as you neither have to worry about outgrowing your phone system nor worry about buying it too big.
The good news? We are one of Michigan’s leading Asterisk integrators!
RightBrain Networks has been heavily invested in Asterisk since 2003—before the software was released with a 1.0 version number. We have successfully implemented many Asterisk projects than any other network integrator in Southeast Michigan and are among the most experienced Asterisk consultants in the Midwest. Whether you are operating a call center or home-based business, we have the experience to put the power of Asterisk to work for your company.
So if you’re ready to start integrating Asterisk to your business operations, contact us today!
