Callpilot 150 and MICS vs. BCM 400 4

[upstater]

I have a MICS and NAM currently, but planning to replace the NAM with either a Callpilot 150 or replace the entire thing with the BCM 400.

CP150 is much cheaper route, but want to consider the advantages of the BCM route. I think the BCM pros are: storage size, greater port availability, fax capability, built in IP compatibility. Am I missing anything important that would make the extra cost of a full replacement worthwhile?

thanks

 

[tnphoneman]

If you are not going to use the IP capability of the system then I would stick with the Norstar. These systems are pretty much bullet proof.

With the BCM you would get a GUI interface, Unified messaging, router capabilities, IP sets and trunks among some others. You can purchase these options separately. You can reuse the sets you already have.

The other thing you need to think about is how long ar you going to be able to get support? It will be a while before you can't find support on the Norstar or parts.

 

[upstater]

Thanks for the info. I was told by our vendor that NAM is EOL now, but MICS is good for foreseeable future. It has been very solid for us.

We are about 43 stations installed on a 10 year old Norstar, so I'm trying to decide the best option for us without breaking the bank. We'll probably go the CP 150 route. Thanks again!

 

[hawks]

Min RLS for the MICS to work with the Call Pilot is 4.1
Just so you know.

 

[jerryreeve]

a 10 year old norstar your software level is probably around 2.0 or 3.0 so you are probably looking at a software upgrade also along wwith the call pilot (like hawks alluded to)

the biggest cost to most customers with larger systems is the telephone sets themselves and if you can keep going with a MICS the existing telephone sets become found money. you can utilize the old phones on the BCM with the digital station modules so if you have your heart set on going BCM you should be able to save some money at least on the phones that you don't upgrade to IP phones.

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JerryReeve
Communications Systems Int'l
com-sys.com

 

[RikRodgers]

To clarify, Unified Messaging can also be done on a Call Pilot, not just the BCM.

 

[CTCINY]

Well from Nortel Bulletin R-2007-0310-Global, MICS 7.1 is set to go EOL December 2009. Personally I would suggest an upgrade to a BCM. Actually to save money you can get a BCM 50 to support up to 44 users with a T1. How many users do you have? And actually the BCM 50 can be very affordable to the customer. The upgrade of the MICS will still cost less but with Nortel trying to phase them out I would go with BCM

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

 

[upstater]

Wow, this is great feedback. We are actually i=on MICS 6.1 currently with a NAM at v4.1. CTCINY :I was wondering about the BCM50. They did not ever bring it up. I thought it only took 12 digital stations. Actually, 44 is about exactly the # we have now. Can the 50 do 44 digital sets right out of the box? If I have need for another ~6 users, can I just combine with IP sets?

And is there anything I'm losing with the 50? We currently connect with a T1/PRI to the MICS. Are there any limitations regarding TI interfaces?

I looked at the comparison chart v. the 400. What is the "Integrated Frame Relay" that is missing on the 50 but comes with the 400?

The EOL on the MICS concerns me as we want to have this under support contracts through 5 years. (jun08-jun2013)

 

[hawks]

If the maintenance is that important then I would go with the 400. The 50 seems a little small for you if you are already at 44 users. But personally like someone said above if your not going with any IP solutions I would stay with what you have. Maybe go with a Call Pilot voicemail. You can always upgrade in 09 if you want to.

 

[jerryreeve]

CTCINY your Ref was good reading, the MICS 7.0 software is MD'd because they will be releasing MICS 7.1 software. there is no reference to MD the MICS itself. Nortel MD's the software when they release an upgrade. the product line looks to be solid for the forseeable future

I still cannot see recommending to a customer to upgrade to a BCM when they just need to increase the mailboxes available. a BCM upgrade when the customer needs to go to VOIP for some reason? Yeah. but not when the customer has an investment in a system that can still be exploited for a few years yet.

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JerryReeve
Communications Systems Int'l
com-sys.com

 

[CTCINY]

I can agree with that Jerry and you are correct about the 7.0, I must have misread. I just personally feel that an upgrade to BCM is a good idea. I was a Norstar guy for years before starting to work on BCM, so I can appreciate your love for the Norstar. I still got tons of them out there that I maintain.

Upstater, the answer to your question is no, the 50 does not do 44 users out of the box. You need to add an expansion module onto the system, and since you have a T1 you will need to add 2 expansoin modules. The only downside is that you will have maxed out your BCM 50 at that point. But you would be able to add IP users should the need arise to go above the 44 users.

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

 

[upstater]

Thanks everyone. This has been very helpful. Unless we get a very attractive BCM price, I think we'll most likely keep the MICS and buy a CP150 due to low cost using current investment in hardware.

This probably makes sense for us unless we decided to completely overhaul our environment with a new IPPBX with all new IP sets.

Thanks again.

 

[jerryreeve]

Don't get me wrong, I think the BCM50 is a great platform but I just couldn't see it for this app at this time unless the customer had some other needs that I didn't see.

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JerryReeve
Communications Systems Int'l
com-sys.com