Digium (News - Alert) is not wasting any time when it comes to leveraging their recent acquisition of Switchvox.
 
Just over a month has gone by since they acquired the IP PBX provider, whose products were embraced by over 1,400 SMBs. And today, Digium, the Asterisk (News - Alert) Company, announced the immediate availability of Switchvox Free Edition.
 
According to Digium VP, Bill Miller (News - Alert), the solution will be available for download from Digium’s Web site, starting immediately.
 
This latest offering includes the familiar telephony features of Switchvox SOHO edition and further cements Digium’s commitment to delivering full-featured telephony systems to enterprises and SMBs at low price points.
 
According to Digium, Switchvox Free Edition includes tools such as an interactive voice response (IVR) editor that allows system administrators to create auto attendants and menus. It also includes features such as voicemail to e-mail, find me/follow me, unlimited calling queues (automatic call distribution, or ACD) and advanced reporting features.
 
As Miller told TMCnet, Free Edition offers users the same feature set as Switchvox SOHO, only there is no digital card interface, which essentially limits the free edition to about 15 users. There is no support for this solution, but users do get a basic entry-level user guide. The company is also offering users a “single-click” upgrade path to Switchvox SOHO, which is a paid version of the IP PBX (News - Alert) solution.
 
“By introducing Switchvox Free Edition, Digium has the opportunity to introduce the technology to a broader and more mainstream customer base,” said Tristan Degenhardt, Switchvox product line director at Digium. “The smallest businesses will find Switchvox Free Edition to be an excellent way to get started with a full-featured phone system and be positioned to easily transition to more advanced Switchvox systems as their needs change and grow.”
 
Switchvox Free Edition supports Digium’s line of analog cards as well as additional Switchvox-certified hardware. For details on hardware support, users are invited to check the company’s Web site.
 
 
In other news, Digium has also announced the re-launch of its partner program with offerings for interoperability, software, solutions, training and service provider partners. Interested parties and potential partners are encouraged to apply via e-mail to partners@digium.com.
 
The Digium Partner Program was created with the goal of giving enterprise users, SMBs, and developers “one-stop shop” access to the growing number of Digium Asterisk technology partners and service providers.
 
Partners will be able to submit eligible products for Digium certification of interoperability. Among the benefits, partners will gain greater access to Digium engineering and sales support, and the new site will also enable Digium partners to open a direct line of communication with customers and the entire Digium Asterisk ecosystem.
 
The program will offer four distinct partnerships:
 
Interoperability Partner — Interoperability Partners have products that are complementary to and interface with Asterisk.
Software Partner — Software Partners offer applications that are used in conjunction with Asterisk to provide enhanced functionality (e.g. a billing platform).
Solutions Partner — Solutions Partners offer a “whole product” solution based on Asterisk and incorporating Digium hardware and/or software.
Service Provider Partner — Service Provider Partners offer telephony services that can be used with Asterisk.
 
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Greg Galitzine (News - Alert) is editorial director of TMCnet. To read more of Greg’s articles, please visit his columnist page.
 
 


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