Avaya vs Panasonic phone system?

[DCUK6]

We are just looking to put in a IP phone system and have two contracts that are pretty much identical apart from the systems that they are quoting for.

 

One is offering a Avaya system and the other is using a Panasonic system.

 

Has anyone had any experiences with these?

 

The only thing we can think of at the minute is playing eenie meenie miney mo

 

Cheers,

[Tys]

Why not use your existing infrastructure with Asterisk or 3CX, something like that?

 

Running 3cx on a 2012 r2 vm here, couldn't be happier.

 

If you did had to choose between those two solutions, I'd go for a Panasonic system over Avaya though.

[DCUK6]

Have a old Versatility system which they are putting the maintenance price up on as its so old and adding phones into classrooms.

 

Just had a demo of the Avaya system which wasn't to bad (the demonstrator reminded me of my old boss though). Liked the web management of the Panasonic system but think the Avaya would be quicker to manage multiple users.

 

Need to check the Panasonic phones out. Cant stand the paper contact sheets. Doesn't make sense with hot desking.

[truebluesteve]

I went through a similar process about 18 months ago and in then end went for the Avaya IP Office 500 and its been very good. Most phone systems have similar functionality but the Avaya kit is very well supported and widely used so you have a choice of providers/maintainers. Plenty of choice for handsets too.

 

What you do need to watch out for on all these systems is the licensing costs - some functionality is free on one system and an additional cost on another.

 

Hope this helps but PM me if you need any info on the Avaya kit

[MatthewL]

Avaya IPO all the way, lots of functionality out the box, they have a good softphone and also an IP if you want to put it on mobiles too providing necessary firewall changes have happened. Have probably installed with our supplier over 10 IPO's and associated phones, would be my first choice of phone system.

[howartp]

I'd go Avaya.

 

Use IPO at work, but had Panasonic at two charities I've previously been involved in - I didn't find Panasonic software user friendly and dreaded going to make changes, having to re-find where I had to be.

[Meldrew]

Like @StrangeOpossum I'd go for 3cx - we've been using it for years and its great. Try their free system out first to see if you like it, then the only cost is how many simultaneous calls you need. We totally over-spec'd it at 32, but was still half the price of the alternatives.

 

Meldrew

[DCUK6]

Thanks all,

 

Going to go for the Avaya i think.

 

The pricing we got offered is now pretty good. Just waiting to hear back about extra phone licence costs and what software is available for android so we can connect mobiles to the system

[sonofsanta]

We've been Avaya for nearly a year now, solid system, good IP phones, been completely reliable. Management is straightforward enough, in that "we know only IT people and engineers are going to look at this software so it's ugly as butts" way.

 

Key point for us was the length of time the Avaya systems are supported for - they have a long lifecycle on purpose, so support should be good for a decade or more.

[ColinP]

In a previous incarnation I used to be a pabx engineer right back to the good old SDX days. Avaya everyday for me