New Phone System Question 2

[Newb2IT]

Hello...I need to purchase a new phone system since our company is moving to a new location, I was wondering if you could give me some recommendations and good reliable phone systems (cost is important too obviously). Here are the requirements:

Should be able to support up to 100 phones/extensions
Standard Features: Voiced, paging another extension, conferencing calling for up to 4 people,hunting (we have 7 lines) etc, nothing fancy, not calling center capabilities. If someone gets a call it should have the capability to forward to a cell phone after certain amount of rings or perhaps a phone system that has wireless phones so that employee can carry around the building.

Thanks!

 

[phoneguy610]

Obviously i would direct you the nortel route and say check out the BCM 450.

Other systems you should also research is the IP office and if you are looking for a pure sip solution barracudas cudatel is decent and very user friendly. (was designed for phone guys and IT guys)

 

[ECartman]

I would suggest Avaya IPOffice. Very flexible and feature rich piece of kit.

Plus, if cost is an issue, they are offering 0% finance in certain markets too.

 

[Newb2IT]

How about an Asterisk based phone system? Such as SWITCHVOX?...It is ALOT cheaper than commercial solutions such as Cisco, Avaya etc

 

[phoneguy610]

newb2IT... cudatel is freepbx based (same idea as asterisk)

the only problem with asterisk based applciations is the support aspect.


with nortel and avaya their is a huge support community out there

and with cudatel , barracuda is excellent with support

 

[Newb2IT]

phneguy610,

I thought if i was to get an Asterisk based solution from Digium for example, they would provide the needed support?

 

[phoneguy610]

they would but i have not heard of many vendors that support it. You can always get the over the phone support but when S*** hits the fan it is always good knowing you can have someone come out to your site and troubleshoot.

 

[hairlessupportmonkey]

If using a switch for your company, dont use a homebrew version unless you are a proper enthusiast and are willing to live and die with the system.

If you purchase a well known brand with decent support, at least you can call on your local BP for help (assuming you take out a maintenance agreement too)

ACSS - SME
General Geek

 

[rfpup]

It is good reading it.

http://www.gartner.com/technology/reprints.do?id=1-17QF6JT&ct=111020&st=sg

 

[saw164]

Hey Newb2IT,

I am in the same situation, after reading and looking at many product i have settled on 2 possible systems. Avaya IP Office and Toshiba CIX 100. Both systems are under $15k (Not sure what your price range is) and are very simular in features and expandiblity.





Scott
________________________________________
When Life Gives You Questions, Google has Answers - AJ Carpio

 

[GordonKapesMZ4]

Again, I'd look at the UCx from Emetrotel. Give them a call, it can't hurt.

 

[Newb2IT]

saw164,

Thanks, that price seems reasonable but obviously it does not include any phones right?

 

[saw164]

The quotes i got, which were all around $15k, had 20 phones included in the price...For a new Avaya IP Office with 20 IP Phones the price was around $12K, for Toshiba its was around $15K. I asked for 4 quote for each vendor, a quote for Digital phones and IP phones on new systems and then a quote for those phones on a refurbished system. Phones for both system were between $150 and $200 per phone.

Scott
________________________________________
When Life Gives You Questions, Google has Answers - AJ Carpio

 

[sbcsu]

A Siemens HiPath 3000 would be my recommendation.
It will do all of your requirements.
You can program it yourself afterwards to do moves and changes via a windows GUI.

 

[Yorkie9]

Have you had a look at the Aastra range yet?

Lots of options there and good support.

 

[Newb2IT]

Thanks GordonKApesMZ4 I will check them out...so far I like Mitel though...

 

[GordonKapesMZ4]

Hi Newb, they are at least worth a look.....

Let me know if you like them....

 

[RobertJohnson]

Hello there, I don't know if Newb2IT actually found a phone system to work with, but I'm sort of in the same situation.

Only a my scale is smaller. I have a small consulting office and we just partnered with a new guy.

I found this product and it looks fine, XBlue X16 system.
This is where I found it:

http://www.telcodepot.com/products/xblue-x16-business-phone-system-with-4-phones-budget-package/244

Is this a good choice for a small firm with a receptionist and 3 consultants? Should I be getting more?

Anything you tell me will be useful. Mods, please let me know if I should start a new thread; this one just seemed on topic.

 

[saw164]

Hi Robert,

somethings to consider when buying a PBX system, how long do you want to keeping the system? How expandable is it? What features do you want/need?

I always plan for expansion. you have 4 people now, say you grow to 10 people in the next year...will that system support you? but the most important thing is, to figure out how much you can spend on a system...then look at all systems in your price range...try to keep in mind you want the system for at least 5 years, but i try to plan on keeping it up to 10 years.

Those are just somethings i have considered when buying a system.


Scott
________________________________________
When Life Gives You Questions, Google has Answers - AJ Carpio

 

[LkEErie]

Since I'm a Panasonic and NEC dealer, I find that the XBlue system is a bit thin on features. Sure, you get a lot for $500-700 as in 4 phones and a KSU, but it has a list of things it WON'T do, like voice mail to email, a decent autoattendant, and the like.

Make a list of the features you want, both today and in the future, and pick a budget. You'll find that it's hard to go wrong with the major 4 makers of key systems, Panasonic, Avaya, NEC, and certainly not XBlue.

LkEErie