Asterisk IP-PBX server  has so many benefits, and such a competitive cost, that it I often take it for granted that people know what these benefits are, but this is not the case. In my last blog I covered the most common mistake companies make when implementing Asterisk, in this blog post I wish to look at the other column, namely: "What are the benefits of Asterisk?".

Asterisk IP PBX benefits

Many of the benefits of the Asterisk IP PBX server come from the very fact that it is an open source product. Many people, especially business people, may find it hard to understand the concepts behind open source, or free software, and why, or how, anyone would use this as a business model for their product. The business models behind open source are many and varied, and not something I wish to deal with in this post. I will only deal with the open source concept as it pertains to Asterisk.

Asterisk source code availability, your guarantee for business continuity

The main question that you would like to answered, as a business  man, besides costs, is whether the company behind Asterisk is going to be around in the future to continue to develop the Asterisk application. The answer to this question has two points.  Firstly, Digium, the company behind Asterisk, makes its money from selling Asterisk compatible hardware. So they way Digium has used open source, is very similar to the approach of many other companies when it comes to creating a market for their product or service. Examples where something is given away for "free" abound. Some such examples  are:

• cell phone companies giving away discounted mobile phones on contract, or
• companies that give away free Primus cooking stoves but charging for the gas needed to use the stove.

What this means is that Digium is a company that has a solid business model behind it, and it is unlikely to go out of business in the future. The second aspect to this answer, is that open source is precisely your guarantee, that should the company behind an application go out of business, the source code is available for you, or other interested parties to continue to development and enhance. In todays world, where brand names often have a shorter life span than your average pet goldfish, there is no guarantee that a proprietary vendor will remain in business for any period of time. Just consider the take over of People Soft by Oracle and the resultant need for People Soft customers to upgrade to Orcale? Or the take over of Sun, again by Oracle?  Don't make the mistake of thinking proprietary and big, is better. It could be an expensive trap when a competitor takes them over or they simply go out of business and you are left with an unsupported application.

Asterisk's open code base and use of generic hardware means no proprietary lock-in

With your traditional PBX vendors, the proprietary nature of their solutions means, that you have little choice when deciding to upgrade your system or implement any new features, other than having to approach them again. Usually their entry level PBX is cheap and available on a monthly rental. This appeals to many small companies as it means there is no need for a upfront capital outlay. Sadly this is usually a strategy to get your company so locked-in to the system, that as you grow you have no choice but to approach the same vendor, and it is at this point that you discover just how expensive proprietary solutions can be, every piece of hardware or software feature enhancement you require can cost a small fortune.

Besides the fact that Asterisk system are also available on contract with no up front payment, Asterisk has been designed to work with generic computer hardware meaning that you are free to buy your hardware from the cheapest supplier. You can even reuse old hardware! In addition, the specialised hardware you may need to buy to integrate into your local land line or cell phone system, is based on open specifications, which means that there is more than one supplier for compatible hardware. All this means that costs are driven down and you have more flexibility in your telephony system.

A very similar and extremely beneficial development, and one we are all familiar with, is the common PC. The PC revolution was sparked by IBM releasing the open specifications for its first PCs, enabling an entire ecosystem and industry to develop around supplying and supporting PCs. If IBM had taken a proprietary approach who know what the computing world would look like today?

Asterisk is freely and easily extensible

Another benefit of using Asterisk, is that is extremely easy to extend. It is extensible in both a hardware and a software sense. From a hardware point of view, it is easy to extend an existing Asterisk solution, without having to throw away hardware you have already invested in. Just as you can extend a PC with peripheral devices, or reuse components in a new PC, so too with your Asterisk PBX. You no longer have to toss out the old PBX hardware simply to get new features.

From a software point of view Asterisk is easy to integrate into 3rd party applications. Part of the open source philosophy, is the desire to freely integrate with other applications , and to allow other applications to integrate with Asterisk.  There is a well defined software api, which allows your local IT department to really exploit the possibilities of computer and telephony integration (CTI). Due to its open source nature, Asterisk has nothing to gain by forcing you to buy a specific call management or reporting software.

Easily switch Asterisk service providers

As Asterisk is open source you are also not locked to one service provider for your Asterisk support. You are free to switch providers, and be secure with the knowledge that your new service provider will not have to deal with any proprietary extensions, hardware or software configuration. No longer do you have to live with a bad choice you made years ago. If you want better service, simply find a better service provider.

Asterisk is extremely cost effective

Of course this is the main benefit of Asterisk that first brings Asterisk to the attention of corporates and companies wishing to cut costs and improve service. The reason that Asterisk is so cost effective, is that it is disrupting a proprietary market where every vendor has its own manufacturing facilities and service provider eco-system for its specific hardware.

There are no economies of scale in production or in the development of an eco-system around supporting their products. Because of its open nature, Asterisk encourages competition amongst suppliers, lowering the cost of telephony to businesses, and at the same time increasing the level of innovation for the use of telephony solutions in business.

Jumping bean (IP-PBX) your preferred Asterisk service provider

So if you are interested in Asterisk, and the benefits it offers, or you are looking for a reliable service provider, do not hesitate to contact us for a meeting or consultation. Our phone number is 27-11-7818014. Please select Jumping Bean from our Asterisk IVR,  our sales people are happy to answer your questions and provide you with any further information you require.