Asterisk PBX Total Cost of Ownership

Based on Asterisk, the most widely used open source telephony software, Switchvox provides all the functionality and stability of a sophisticated IP PBX platform at a fraction of the cost.

In-Stat predicts that by 2013, nearly 80 percent of businesses are expected to have adopted voice over IP (VoIP) phone systems, a rapid rise from half that number in 2009. Full-featured unified communications systems combine VoIP, messaging and presence with business data to improve employee efficiency. However, traditional UC vendors can charge SMBs big fees—in some cases, hundreds of thousand of dollars over a five-year period—for their phone systems. Most of this cost is the result of fees for system “add-ons.” This includes fees for adding separate voicemail servers, fees for mobile accessibility, fees for integration with other business software or CRM systems, and charging for critical features such as conferencing, interactive voice response (IVR) and call queues.

Leslie Conway, vice president of global marketing at Digium, commented: “When SMBs are evaluating UC solutions, it’s worthwhile to do a feature by feature comparison and evaluate the associated costs for the number of users needing those features. The potential savings on that total investment could translate to $80,000 on the average phone system over time. Our customers are in the unique position of making a buying decision that could eliminate $50,000 or more off their initial investment, while gaining enterprise-class features from a true unified communications solution.”

NP Information Systems, a Seattle-based Digium certified partner and reseller of Switchvox, often works with its SMB customers to compare features across business phone systems and identify potential cost savings. A recent customer, Clear Creek Telephone & Television, needed to replace its phone system with VoIP functionality but also required substantial customization. Formed as a co-op in the 1900s, the company has a century of experience providing telephone, cable and Internet service to businesses and residents of Oregon City and Redland, Oregon. “They’d first considered a ShoreTel system, but getting all the features they needed would have exceeded their budget,” said Vince Preece of NP Information Systems.