Product Roundup: Improving Communications
Strong Medicine
Many growing businesses find it difficult to maintain high-quality IT support especially for branch offices. One solution is to extend the virtual reach of your on-staff computer guru to include remote trouble shooting and rebooting of mail severs and other important remote PCs. This is easily accomplished with a remote KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) control unit such as the Dominion KSX series from Raritan. The KSX (and similar devices from Avocent) gives your IT manager complete, real-time control of remote servers. Prices start at under $3,400 for a four-server KSX, a cost that should be rapidly recouped through reduced downtime, lower on-site service costs, and increased productivity.
Good design in something as simple as a desktop phone can make all the difference in usefulness and productivity. Bucking the trend in IP phones toward complex menus and soft-buttons, the ZIP2 VoIP phone from Zultys Technologies actually includes dedicated hard keys for Hold and Redial, and simple function keys for Forward, Conference, and DND (Do Not Disturb). The sub-$140 ZIP2 supports two simultaneous calls and three-way conferencing, and the SIP-based unit works with any standard IP phone system.
Beyond the iPBX
Also from Zultys, the MX250 is a full-featured enterprise media exchange for businesses with 5 to 250 users. It's a single box that makes it possible to deliver low-cost voice, data, fax, and video communications to all your employees. The open-standards Linux-based MX250 incorporates voicemail, automated attendants, a firewall, a simple administrative GUI (Graphical User Interface), and both Internet and PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) gateways. User features include instant messaging, integration with contact managers, such as GoldMine and Outlook, and flexible call-handling rules (e.g., forward calls from specific numbers to a cell phone). The MX250 also provides VPN (secure virtual private networking) to let remote users access the system's advanced functions over the Internet for better communications and reduced phone bills.
The Show Must Go On
Secure, uninterruptable, 24/7 access to data communications are important to the profitable growth of many companies for e-commerce, e-mail, data-synchronization, collaboration, and even VoIP. The new Radware LinkProof Branch uses a variety of digital connections, even low-cost DSL, to provide continuous service, load balancing, and advanced VPN and intrusion protection. The unit, which costs about $4,200, can greatly enhance the functionality of existing VPN/firewall appliances. A useful ROI calculator for this application is located at www.radware.com/content/products/lpb/roi/default.asp.
Nothing But the Fax
Enterprise-level fax management for SMBs is provided by the new FaxPress Premiere from Castelle, manufacturers of the popular, single-line Castelle FaxPress SBE. Two models are available to support either analog or digital lines. Both models are compatible with a wide range of third-party applications, and feature a Web-based management interface, embedded e-mail gateways, seamless integration with Microsoft Office applications, and a 40 GB hard disk to eliminate the need for a separate file server.
Sidebar: MX250 Combines PBX Features with Advanced Productivity Tools
The MX250 Enterprise Media Exchange from Zultys Technologies is revolutionizing the way enterprise users communicate. Not only does it provide the feature set of a legacy PBX, including voicemail and autoattendant, but it also includes a host of next generation collaboration tools, such as enterprise instant messaging, chat, and presence.
Integrating the power of the LAN with the familiarity of a phone system, Zultys has carefully designed the MX250 to provide enterprise customers with hassle-free deployment, maintenance, and use. You can literally install this powerful VoIP system within an hour. And depending on individual needs, users can configure only a desktop phone, only a computer, or a combination of both. Also supported are multiple ACD groups, multiple autoattendant scripts, and voicemail access through the PC. With all features neatly packed into a 2U rackmount chassis, the MX250 supports 5 to 250 users and up to two full T1 or E1 voice circuits.
For more information on the entire Zultys line, go to www.zultys.com.
