Digium adds UC to Switchvox IP PBX

Digium has rolled out a seriously hot upgrade to Switchvox in Miami for ITEXPO. The new version includes integrated faxing, video calling support, and XMPP open source IM/chat/presence, along with a bunch of other goodies including introductory API support, IMAP integration for voicemail, a new Windows desktop client, IP phone autoconfig for snom and Polycom phones, and BRI support.

"This release, is jam-packed with big things," said Digium's Tristan Degenhardt. "We can attribute to the fact we have more developers and we're working on the same stuff...fax is finally going in, finally, at long last. We have wonderful wonderful fax integration, video calling support with H.263 and H.263, and we also have chat built in. I would say those were the three things we were lacking, and now they are in."

Fax is added through a third-party technology Digium has licensed, and it is the only part of Switchvox 4.0 that has a licensing cost associated with it. The new release will ship with one bundled T.38 license, with a "sub $50" charge added for each additional concurrent fax call supported.  The fax support includes full auto-detection, so the same number can be used for both voice and inbound faxes with support for both SIP and analog calls.

Video calling support is pretty straight forward, with native support for H.263 and H.264 codecs previously supported within Asterisk; the release is now a "rock solid offering that can compete with big systems," said Degenhardt. Users should be aware that Switchvox won't support transcoding due to the processing requirements, so video calls should be made with the same codecs on both ends.

Chat is supported in a couple of fashions and also adds additional functionality through the use of presence. There's a chat client added into the switchboard feature, and since the chat server uses XMPP, third-party clients such as Jabber, Trillian and Google Talk can also be used. Chat traffic can/is typically kept on the local network by using the Switchvox XMPP server, rather than going outside of the business. Presence information is now provided for both phone and chat, so an in-house Switchvox server or a group of Switchvox peered servers can provide availability information for anyone logged in.

Asked about what to look forward to in future releases, Degenhardt pointed to the Switchvox Extend API. "The API with 4.0 is just in its infancy," she said.  Currently, functionality for creating new extensions and access call logs, reports and extension lists is available, but that's just the beginning. "We would like to expose everything through the GUI through Extend so you can build your own applications."  Third-party developers will ultimately be able to easily reach in and build their own applications for different vertical markets.

Other riches supported in the new release include new IVR functions for building customized applications, IMAP integration for unified messaging, organized phone books, call queue improvements, HD voice support via G.722 and the aforementioned auto-provisioning for snom and Polycom phones and BRI support.

Switchvox SMB 4.0 is available free of charge for customers with a current SMB software subscription. New customers can get Switchvox SMB at the same price, beginning at $3,390 for a 10-user system including hardware, software, a one-year subscription and warranty.

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