Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications

    Support for IP Phones Expanded

    By
    Caron Carlson
    -
    October 21, 2002
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      To help enterprises with branch offices and smaller businesses with multiple sites customize and unify communications networks, Vertical Networks Inc. is making its systems fully compatible with IP phones. The upgrade includes updated software and a partnership with Polycom Inc.

      Vertical Networks has supported IP phones as standard analog technology through its voice-over-IP trunking capabilities for the past three years, said Scott Pickett, chief technology officer and co-founder of Vertical Networks, in Sunnyvale, Calif. Now, supporting IP phones directly gives users more business-class features and enables phones on the system to be managed from a single Web interface, Pickett said.

      “There are still differences between digital phones and IP phones,” Pickett said. “With [the new support], you can administer digital phones, analog phones and IP phones all in the same way.”

      To support IP directly, Vertical Networks updated its InstantOffice software, allowing businesses to mix IP handsets with digital and analog handsets on one network. It standardizes the communications networks by making the same functions available to everyone and allows businesses to tailor phone systems to their needs. The company is targeting most vertical industries, but it is finding particular interest in retail, financial services and health care. The updated system makes calling between offices cheaper, said Vertical Networks.

      From the user perspective, InstantOffice System Release 5.0, which will be available late next month, makes IP phones seem identical to other phones by establishing a common dialing plan and set of features. From the perspective of administration, it creates a common management interface, meaning that IP phones can be integrated and administered with remote diagnostics. For growing enterprises that are acquiring new offices, the system facilitates companywide network integration.

      Milner Atlanta Brokerage Service Inc. has been using IP phones with Vertical Networks InstantOffice since May. The main advantage over a more traditional PBX is that it allows the flexibility to configure the answering system and features uniformly in the main office as well as at employees home offices, said Fritz Milner, president of the life insurance wholesale agency, in Atlanta. “Ive got a full T-1 pipe coming into my office, but at home Ive got [digital subscriber line],” Milner said. “They were able to put an IP phone on my desk at home so that any time my phone rings at the office, it rings the same at my home. Its as perfect as any phone system. I have zero reduction in sound quality.”

      For larger enterprises, Vertical Networks this month unveiled an updated, high-capacity integrated communications platform for offices housing as many as 192 users. InstantOffice 6500 allows corporations to integrate branch offices with a mix of equipment and a variety of telephony needs. It lets companies expand InstantOffice features—such as enterprise packet-switched and circuit-switched PBX capabilities, voice mail, auto-attendant, and Ethernet LAN—anywhere on the IP network, including home offices. The upgraded platform supports advanced applications such as customizable call center software.

      By working with industry standards, InstantOffice can serve users with off-the-shelf IP phones. Vertical Networks is supporting the SoundPoint IP 500 phone from Polycom, in Pleasanton, Calif., first, but it is working on partnerships with other IP phone vendors, Pickett said.

      Caron Carlson
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×