Cisco VoIP Meets Asterisk Open Source

The VAR Guy has spent considerable time wondering if — or when — Cisco was going to meld its VoIP platforms with Asterisk, the open source IP telephony platform. Turns out small integrators and consulting firms are already doing that heavy lifting. One prime example: NeoPhonetics has launched an Asterisk-based unified messaging platform that works with PBX and IP platforms from Avaya, Cisco, NEC and Nortel.

NeoPhonetics is positioning the system for large organizations, such as universities, looking to add unified messaging or replace expensive licensed-based unified messaging systems with a more affordable solution.

Chad Agate, CEO of NeoPhonetics, says the platform eliminates the need to replace old PBX systems that “work well but lack critical advanced communications capabilities, while also providing customers with a simple way to evaluate Digium Asterisk as a cost-effective option for replacing their PBXs in the future.”

Solutions providers that aren’t familiar with Asterisk have plenty of options from which to choose. In fact, new Asterisk products will flood the market over the next few weeks during a series of open source events across the country.