Digium Switchvox SMB 4.5 Adds Phone Feature Packs

 

Digium, Inc. announced new features and functionality for Switchvox SMB, an IP PBX designed for small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs).

 

Switchvox has tailored Digium’s Asterisk telecommunications open source software to develop a PBX solution specifically for SMBs, offering a turnkey solution with server hardware and pre-installed Switchvox software. The new Release 4.5 is the third enhanced version since Digium acquired Switchvox in 2007. R4.5 adds new applications and features for users and administrators, but without the high cost since R4.5 is available free of charge to current Switchvox SMB customers with a software subscription.

 

Switchvox SMB 4.5 adds Phone Feature Packs which enable users to access some applications via a telephone that usually require a Web interface, including visual voicemail, custom phonebooks, searchable directories and click-to-dial functionality. Users can also view and click-on parked calls and enable custom ringtones and call recording. Some very specific options, per customer and channel partner feedback, include new options to enable/disable missed call notifications on the handset and a security option to restrict calls that did not come from Switchvox, for example.

 

R4.5 also enhances the Switchboard Web-based call control panel with a new Switchboard panel that displays caller profile information, including the photo, title, location and e-mail address of other internal users. The caller profile shows in a user's Switchboard interface during an internal call, and if they have a Phone Feature Pack, it will also be displayed on the handset.

 

Phone Feature Packs ($30 per phone) are available for Polycom or snom SIP telephones connected to the Switchvox SMB system. Administrators can also assign up to two extensions per phone, and for survivability, extensions can be registered to two Switchvox SMB servers. In general, Switchvox recommends the Polycom SoundPoint line of IP phones and snom SIP phones which support auto provisioning (auto-detection and configuration); however, any SIP compatible phone can actually be used with the Switchvox system.

 

Also, for international businesses, Switchvox 4.5 adds customizable language settings with several languages available for the system manual and online help documents (English, UK English, Italian, Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish). System audio prompts support these languages, plus Australian English, French and French Canadian. (Previously, only English was supported.) For administrators, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) allows the collection of real-time data on the status and heath of the system.

 

Switchvox SMB comes in three appliance models. Switchvox 65 Appliance (AA65), a desktop, wall-mount or rack-mount form factor with an optional cold spare for failover, supports 1-30 users and up to 12 concurrent calls. The Switchvox 305 Appliance (AA305), with desktop or rack-mount form factor and optional cold spare failover, supports 1-150 users and up to 45 concurrent calls. A more powerful redundant rack-mount server, the Switchvox 355 Appliance (AA355), has a RAID controller with mirrored drives, redundant power supplies and optional cold spare failover; AA355 supports 1-400 users and up to 75 concurrent calls.

 

Switchvox SMB 4.5 is available now at no charge to current customers with a software subscription (support and software updates). Pricing for a new system begins at U.S. $3,390 for a 10-user system (hardware, software, one-year subscription, warranty). www.digium.com