TMC recently conducted an exclusive interview with Joao Santos, North American sales manager for Grandstream Networks (News - Alert). Grandstream Networks, a manufacturer of IP voice/video telephony and video surveillance solutions, serves the small-to-medium business and consumer markets with innovative products that lower communication costs, increase security protection, and enhance productivity.

During their discussion, Santos explained to TMC that Google Android (News - Alert) has had a lot to do with the Asterisk market changing over the last couple of years. Santos credits Google Android for helping pave the way and raise awareness for open source today.

Santos will be a keynote presenter at AstriCon 2010, the world's premier Asterisk (News - Alert) user conference and expo. AstriCon will kick off on Oct. 26, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. Santos will be presenting at booth #312.

The complete interview can be found below.

TMC (News - Alert):  How has the Asterisk market changed over the past year?

JS:  Open source has changed because of Google (News - Alert) Android and Open Switches.

TMC:  What influence has open source had on the overall communications space over the past 12 months from a product and/or competitive perspective?

JS: Google Android has helped pave the way and open source is becoming more widely recognized.

TMC:  Is open source still primarily an SMB phenomenon or has it seen increased acceptance in the large enterprise space?

JS:  It is still primarily in the SMB space but it is growing. Business tablets and video phones are going to help move it into the enterprise space.

TMC:  What has been the key driver of open source adoption?

JS:  Economy of scale.

TMC:  What barriers remain to the continued growth of Asterisk and open source?

JS:  Support and reliability.

TMC:  Has the success of Google’s android mobile platform helped Increase awareness and interest in open source?

JS:  Yes.

TMC:  How can the Asterisk community capitalize on the growth of mobile communications?

JS:  Asterisk specific mobile applications.

TMC:   What are you hoping to see at AstriCon 2010?

JS:  Video communications.

TMC:  Why is you booth a must-visit for attendees?

JS:  The integration of voice and video communications with surveillance.