About Asterisk and IP PBX Phone Systems
Asterisk is a complete open source PBX (Private Branch eXchange) telecommunications platform. The most common implementation is as a premise-based IP PBX which is the modern heir to the historic PBX systems that were the ultimate in business communications for the past thirty years. But premise-based IP PBX systems are cheaper and far more capable than their predecessors. They also integrate much better into business networks and data communications which, in turn, enable new applications that are still being discovered and applied to common business practices.
Modern premise-based IP PBX systems literally deliver multinational enterprise capabilities to even small businesses, often at a cost lower than the far more basic systems they are replacing.
The bottom line with premise-based IP PBX systems is that they can provide a relatively easy way for businesses of any size to move to VoIP and get a wide range of new features and capabilities for their phone systems. In addition, businesses will want to take the time to understand the new system and perhaps invest resources to integrate its capabilities into existing business processes such as sales and CRM tools.
The benefits of an IP PBX to any enterprise are similar to and different from the benefits of a VoIP system in general. Obviously, the cost savings and reduction in basic wiring infrastructure from needing only one network for communication instead of two are clear. And the savings from the lower basic cost of completing external calls are also clear. But IP PBX brings far greater benefits because of manageability, upgradeability and enhanced feature sets.
The specific benefits of an IP PBX over traditional phone systems or PBXes include the following:
- A cleaner and simpler infrastructure
- Lower operating costs
- Simplified equipment and maintenance
- Unified communications
- Improved scalability and growth
- Improved features for business operations
- Improved technological features and capabilities