News

Digium Adds Switchvox Solutions to AsteriskExchange

By Paula Bernier, Executive Editor, IP Communications Magazines  |  April 01, 2011

This article originally appeared in the April 2011 issue of Unified Communications

A keynote speaker at a recent event I attended rightly noted that: “The world is turning from a battle of devices to a war of ecosystems.”

Apparently in line with this thinking – and in an effort to enable its developer community to more easily market their applications to business users – Digium has created a new Switchvox solutions category within its AsteriskExchange application store.

Digium, of course, is the creator of Asterisk (News - Alert), which is open source software that allows developers to create applications like ACD, IVR, PBX and VoIP gateway.

Switchvox, meanwhile, is Digium’s IP PBX (News - Alert)/UC system, which delivers UC, presence, the ability to receive voicemail via e-mail, call forwarding and more. Switchvox, which is aimed at small and medium businesses, saw 30 percent growth last year. Recent Digium research indicates that SMBs can achieve 60 percent savings on their initial investments and as much as 80 percent on the total cost of ownership over five years with the Switchvox (News - Alert) UC solution vs. traditional solutions.And AsteriskExchange is a collection of applications, which includes about 120 listings today, that work with Asterisk and some of which are complementary to Switchvox as well. This online marketplace already includes IP phones and gateways, speech recognition and synthesis engines, voice prompts, video integrations, call center solutions, vertical application packages and more. In addition to a search tool to help visitors find the products they need, AsteriskExchange features user reviews, ratings and popularity rankings.

Angie Reed, product marketing manager for Switchvox, explains that Digium just added the new Switchvox listing within AsteriskExchange so that Switchvox systems integrators and other Switchvox solutions providers can better promote the applications they’ve developed for Switchvox. To add more fuel to the Switchvox solutions effort, Reed adds that Digium is waving the listing fee for Switchvox solutions on AsteriskExchange.

"An important differentiator for Switchvox is our XML-based Extend API, which makes it easy for developers to integrate Switchvox with any web application, and that ultimately benefits the customer by giving them access to a broader range of customized features and add-ons," adds Leslie Conway (News - Alert), vice president of global marketing at Digium. "Adding a special Switchvox category in AsteriskExchange makes it easier for end users to find the applications they need."

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Initial Switchvox applications available on the AsteriskExchange include:

* a custom Microsoft (News - Alert) Dynamics CRM integration solution created by Stauffer Technologies Inc, a Switchvox reseller and Digium certified partner based in Cleveland;

 *   Connect CRM, a CRM integration solution from Dynamic Solutions Group; *   Cabmate Integration, a call center system integration solution for Yellow Cab by Dynamic Solutions Group; *   Shadow CMS Enterprise, which is call accounting software from Resource Software Int., Ltd.; and *   StarCONNECT, an auto dialer/appointment reminder by Starnet Data Design Inc.




Edited by Stefania Viscusi