When you want more from a gateway
Gateways are great. That’s because they enable communications where otherwise, it would be impossible. Impossible that is other than by using something else. Funnily enough, that something else is often a monolithic PBX that is made to mimic the functions of a gateway. Less amusing is that such a solution is often far more expensive, and involves capital outlay on something inherently obsolete.
If you’re migrating to all-IP communications, you’re unlikely to want your remote office, legacy PBX interworking solution to be another legacy PBX. Really and truly, you don’t want to burden yourself with such an anachronism. So don’t go for a costly ‘something else’ when you can use a purpose designed gateway. Simply put, gateways make sense.
Having invested in gateways as part of your IP migration strategy, you might be interested in getting more from your gateway.
In the typical transition scenario, your gateway is likely to be sitting in a rack alongside your legacy PBX equipment. Its purpose is to buy you time before you have to replace that legacy equipment. And in that meantime, it’s one more box in your server room. When you purchase the replacement IP-PBX, you may well think about tossing the gateway into the skip together with your old PBX. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Your new PBX need not be hardware-based. It can be software-based, in which case, you will need a platform in which to install it. That platform can be your gateway. Of course, it can’t be just any gateway. It has to be an open gateway appliance presenting an integral virtual machine (VM) platform on which you can run third party applications.
Such a gateway presents at least a dozen advantages:
- Keep your existing equipment
- Avoid additional hardware investment
- Avoid adding another device to your collection
- Run your software-based IP-PBX on existing hardware
- Save on monthly call costs using SIP Trunks
- Achieve a logical separation of equipment functions, in a single box
- Create custom OEM solutions with your choice of third party applications
- Retain a PSTN failover connection for branch office survivability
- Continue to benefit from SIP, DPNSS and QSIG interworking
- Replace your branch office PBXs to an affordable schedule
- Transition trouble-free to all-IP communications
- Benefit from an all-in-one ‘communications hub’
An application platform gateway enables you to run many applications, including:
- IP-PBX
- Business VoIP system
- Router
- Firewall
- Fax server
- SBC
- Soft switch
- Unified Communications
- Call recorder
- Call accounting software
- Conference Bridge
If you are interested in an application platform gateway with an integral VM on which you can install third party applications, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
