Does the telephone system fall under your remit?

[localzuk]

Same as localzuk, built our own asterisk box (VM) and we're running over 50 extensions, and handling hundreds of calls (both internal and external) daily. Oh, and all for a lot less than you have in your budget!

 

Yup - it cost us hardly anything compared to commercial systems. Redundant servers, (with an on the shelf spare also), 40 extensions, with connectivity for 4 phone lines - cost us a total of £6k.

[Willott]

Haven't dont redundant servers yet (but our physical servers running the VMs allow for physical failure), but may look at that in future.

 

We've gone full VoIP, so the only hardline is a backup line in reception in case of total PBX/internet outage (using IAX2 trunks with hard line fail over). Line rental is about £60 a month for 20 inbound calls, and 4000 mins landline and 500 mins mobile outbound calls. So overall monthly costs should be less than line rental on 8 channels of ISDN30 (I believe about £120)!

 

We're also looking at a SIP->GSM gateway with simplicity SIMs to add another outbound route for mobiles to reduce costs (and failover inbound route). Total cost thus far for hardware/software (factoring in partial cost of server) is probably under £4k - we did get a stonking good deal on our phones!

 

Only issue we're having at present is some of our wifi phones, but that's most likely due to wifi coverage issues (being looking into - probably next year's budget).

 

Cheers

[Craggus2000]

I made them let me take our phone system over when I found out they wanted VoIP... Not letting anyone else mess with my baby...

We went for an Aastra system - tres tres good.

[Willott]

Just thought I better add - I used to work with Asterisk/Trixbox systems quite a lot before coming to this job and using it here, so I was happy to play/fiddle/kick it until it worked (and I understand what may be going wrong).

 

There are a number of possible routes to go if you're unsure about setting it up yourself. The big names tend to be the big old school PBX supplier names, plus some of the network company names - this is where your budget may be useful! Asterisk and Trixbox both have commercial versions, and I think trixbox also has an appliance should that be the way you wanted to go.

[seanmh]

Yup its under my hat as well like anything with a wire on it

 

Same here, and the CCTV and the burglar alarm, and the heating, and the door system, and the.........

[kylewilliamson]

In my last job I took on responsibility for the then LG GDK system when we couldn't get maintenance for it.. fairly scary thing to do with no help and no spare parts [not even ebay could help!]

 

Just as I was leaving, it was ditched and replaced with an Avaya IP Office 500 - an excellent system with a good outside support contract.

[BaccyNet]

I inherited the phone system with the changes in Business Manager/Network Manager. It's evolved from just checking wires to reprogramming voicemail boxes,extensions,etc.

 

It's a Mitel 3300 VoIP system, I've had zero training on it (but then thats nothing new:D) Recently I've also been given the phone line contracts to look after. I'm yet to get any of this added to my contract, and I'm not the Network Manager either:)

[mikeruelles]

Even the engineers who fitted our current system dont know how it works!, what cat in hell chance would I have.

 

With today's advanced and sophisticated business telephone system companies should at least train its employees on how to properly use it effectively.

[dirtydog]

yep it wasnt really supposed to but I wanted to go VOIP as playing around with ananlogue extns on an ancient system was a nightmare, now I have become the phone man

[nicholab]

Don't forget the handset as they can cost up to several hundred per set.

[localzuk]

Don't forget the handset as they can cost up to several hundred per set.

 

Unless you go down the 'cheap and cheerful' route of Asterisk + Grandstream/$budget voip handset route.

 

Then you end up with a cost of around £60 for a basic handset.

[dirtydog]

Unless you go down the 'cheap and cheerful' route of Asterisk + Grandstream/$budget voip handset route.

 

Then you end up with a cost of around £60 for a basic handset.

 

my basic Avaya handsets cost me under £50 now

[Jamman960]

Now that our new system is in place I'm also the phone man... its pretty much the same as IT - if theres a fault staff will whine and moan about it for a while until I over-hear a conversation in the staffroom about a phone on the other side of the site that isn't working

 

Its so much easier being able to make small changes myself rather than having to log a call with our provider and waiting for it to be actioned. It also came with some CTI software (OIP Server) which I'm having fun messing around with.

[Cools]

Need to update My Phone system.. there are some FreePBX out there are Linux based, but freeswitch is linux (live CDS) and windows using wamp for web interface to config... Might try it,, for testing.. cheaper then cisco Edited February 2, 2010 by Cools

[Dickens]

Last year's summer project was to upgrade the ageing Panasonic phone system to add 25+ extensions to the 20 we had already. They got our phone guy in who wanted about £8k to upgrade the system to a panasonic digital system and run new extensions round to all the classrooms. We took the decision (and the plunge) to do it in house instead, so we decomissioned the old system and put in a complete new asterisk system. A scary prospect to start with, but we had some help from an external consultant who'd done this before, and apart from some teething troubles with echo on the external calls (mostly sorted out by enabling software echo cancellation) it all went very smoothly.

 

We now have 4 ISDN lines (2 * 2 channels) coming into our asterisk box to route external calls and 45 internal extensions - Linksys SPA901s in the classroom (basic models so the students don't tend to play with them) and SPA962s in the office, headmasters office and server room (nice 6 line models with full colour display). I'd recommend the Linksys models, very sturdy and the 962s are full featured.

 

The system is simplicity itself to manage, adding new extensions, moving phones setting up personal voicemail, even down to checking call activity logs is all very simple. International calls get routed out over a SIP line which is just our backup line currently (gets used if all 4 isdn channels are in use) until we can increase our bandwidth. Once this is done, I'd consider dropping the BT lines altogether and just using SIP - saving even more money.

 

It was a bit daunting to switch a pstn system over to VOIP to start with, but now we've done it, we wouldn't go back - the school saves a fortune on phone support costs now it's handled by us

[TYO]

slighty off topic but who has to deal with faxes? Our fax has stop working and it has come under us to fix it. I have checked the lines working fine but we cannot send of receive faxes. short of just buying a new machine (this one is only a year old and just out of warrantee) I dont no what to do! happy friday!

[networkingNut]

Our site mananager deals with all our phones. We currently use Nortell digital handsets although as us in IT need a cordless set so we can use one in the Server room we ourselves have analogue phones. All three of us wold like VOIP but havent got the budget.

 

nN