When you think of “open source” do you only think of Linux? The fact is, there are thousands of software packages which are “open source”, and Linux is just one example. Another example is Asterisk – a completely free and open source PBX which runs on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server as well as many other flavors of Linux and Unix – even Mac OS X.
So if you’re in the market for an IP-based PBX, you might consider Asterisk as an option. Here’s an article from IT Manager’s Journal about how a car dealership in the mid-West US is using Asterisk for it’s enterprise.
It’s also worth mentioning that there is even a way to integrate Asterisk with Novell Identity Manager. A Novell partner has even produced a new open source project called VoiceRD (with available commercial support) that’s based on Asterisk. It includes Asterisk, SLES 10, and AppArmor security. They also offer some short, narrated screen cams of basic setup and administration to give you a flavor for what it’s like.
May 10, 2007 at 10:58 am
I purchased the full VoiceRD integrated appliance from the company. GUI full of bugs and poorly designed interface. LDAP database makes it difficult to operate and gain help from the very active asterisk/trixbox community. There are hardly any active discussions on the company’s wiki and they take for ever to respond to questions. No documentation coupled with no support whatsoever from the company even though I spent thousands on the system. Additionally, they promised 24/7 monitoring/support agreement from Novell but after 4 months of waiting they were unable to provide. If you decide to purchase a complete system from them make sure you test out first, but I would recommend staying away.