Hardware Required for Exchange Unified Messaging... PBX? IP PBX? VOIP?

Major_Disaster

Major_Disaster

Major_Disaster

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2 Nov 2007
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488
Hello All,

Im very interested in the Exchange Unified Messaging features offered in SBS 2008 (and even more so by the previews of Exchange 2010).

Currently we have a SBS 2003 R2 install, with 5 users, and am interested in upgrading, but i understand we would need to invest in some VOIP hardware. Currently we have two lines coming in. One for internet and calls, and one for receiving faxes.

Can some one please explain to me what hardware we would need and roughly how it works? Ive heard people splash around PBX / IP PBX and ive tried to do some research but still dont understand what they are and how they work? I understand i would also need VOIP phones? Can anyone recommend any models?

Im just looking for some information about hardware requirements for UM, any advice / explanations / experiences / setups would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.
 
Its a huge area with almost limitless options.

You will need 2 basic things - a switch/pbx of some sort and a gateway onto the PSTN.

The former could be a server (something open source like asterisk or something expensive like Cisco Call Manager) with IP phones or a standalone hardware appliance with digital telephones attached to it physically. The benefits of the former are fairly obvious and is the way I'd go.

You also need a way of getting the calls outside the PBX. If you bought a traditional hardware PBX, chances are it would have the gateway built in, generally in the form of an ISDN or POTS trunk cards. With an VOIP solution, you would either need an IP gateway device which connects to the LAN and to the phone network (we use a Cisco router with ISDN and POTS cards but this would be overkill for your user base) or replace your phone line with a VOIP service. BT offer a VOIP trunk service to business users and there are many other companies who can do the same thing.

If it was me, I'd probably look at Asterisk with Cisco IP phones and a VOIP trunk service - the costs of that would just be the server hardware (if necessary), the handsets and the ongoing costs of the trunk. Be warned though, its not an area thats for the faint hearted!
 
Has anyone got the office unified messaging stuff running with Asterisk? Looking at possibly deploying a asterisk pbx together with around 100-150 handsets and the unified messaging stuff looks great.
 
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