[asterisk-users] * as VM for legacy PBX?

[Steve Totaro]

On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 12:15 PM, Jeff LaCoursiere <jeff at jeff.net> wrote:

>
> On Wed, 1 Jul 2009, Ken D'Ambrosio wrote:
>
> > Hi, all.  I've got an old Telrad PBX with an Emagen(?) voicemail box.
>  The
> > VM box, itself, is beginning to show its age.  Big-time.  We're thinking
> it
> > might be time to look for a replacement.  I'd love to install Asterisk
> > with an FXO card or something, but I don't think it supports whatever
> > protocol legacy PBX's used to speak to VM systems.  If someone can tell
> me
> > I'm wrong, a six pack of their favorite $BEVERAGE will magically appear
> at
> > their door.
> >
> > Thanks much!
> >
> > -Ken
>
> Why keep any of it?  Migrate the whole thing to Asterisk.  Usually old VM
> interfaces are nothing more than analog extensions, anyway, so your
> original plan is probably solid.


I have also put Asterisk in front of a proprietary system to get all the
functionality of Asterisk and save a fortune on a fork lift upgrade.

Some people don't have the time or money, especially right now....

If the phone system works fine, why replace it?  "If it ain't broke, don't
fix it"

If the users like it and it works for them, why force change.  You can still
get meetme, VM to email, so what is the big deal?

Now if the VM system is heading for failure, Asterisk is a great replacement
at a tiny fraction of what a replacement proprietary system will cost, even
used.

I have over a dozen (happy) customers with some sort of hybrid
Asterisk/Proprietary setup.

In addition, you can slowly migrate over to Asterisk if you want to, when
you want to.  With some dialplan magic, you can have half the company on the
Telrad and the other on Asterisk and switch them over one by one.

I cannot think of a better migration plan, if that is ever even in the
plans.

-- 
Thanks,
Steve Totaro
+18887771888 (Toll Free)
+12409381212 (Cell)
+12024369784 (Skype)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.digium.com/pipermail/asterisk-users/attachments/20090701/40de7c2e/attachment.htm