Windows Mobile 6.1 As an Extension to Your IP PBX

I just registered my Windows Mobile 6.1 phone to our SIP based IP PBX for the first time. I'm impressed how nicely the built-in WM6.1 SIP phone integrates into the device when you actually configure it!



To configure the SIP info into your WM phone, you need a windows mobile SIP setup application running on the phone. (Note:this is NOT supported by Microsoft...do it at your own risk!)

Below is the link to the .CAB file to modify your phone:
http://www.voipphreak.ca/2008/03/29/enable-the-hidden-voip-features-of-windows-mobile-6x-for-free-voip-calls-using-asterisk/

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=303493

If you have any question please post a comment below.

My snom MeetingPoint Conference Phone Video Review

I just got a chance to play with the new snom MeetingPoint conference phone and here is a link to the first impression video review I did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veHhBdKvAq8

I couple things that make this unit unique are that it is the first Microsoft OCS compatible conference that is also a standard SIP phone and it also uses the standard snom firmware so if you are used to that, this phone will be comfortable for you.

ps-I just noticed it has power over ethernet so no cable tangle either. Nice.

Streamlining Small Business Communications Using Free Windows Instant Message Server

I've written a previous article about using Windows Live Messenger as a poor mans Office Communication Server. In the mean time our Instant Message requirements keep growing. Some of the things we wanted to do:

-Connect multiple Public Instant Message services into one client
-Have a tool to connect our website and blog to us via web live chat
-More central control over our internal Instant Message system
-Have a more business oriented IM Client (Tired of Live Messenger MSN pop ups!)
-Archive IM chats
-Persistent Group Chats
-All this functionality combined into one IM client.
-Oh, we want to be able to change when we are not inside our network too.

Our first thought was Microsoft Office Communication Server 2007. After reviewing OCS my thot was that it was a bit "heavy" hardware requirements and configuration wise. I talked to another Microsoft Partner who tried OCS and moved to Openfire. So we took a look at Openfire. I was amazed at the features, ease of installation and low hardware requirements. It seems to be a perfect fit for small business. It runs very nicely on Windows Server and is a breeze to administrate.

We achieved all of our objectives above along with some interesting benefits I didn't expect:
-Tabbed IM client really make heavyIM users screen less cluttered!
-The "Close Stale Chats Tabs" really saves time too.
-the IM client has ability to integrate to SIP IP PBX's

So far what did I notice that we don't have that OCS would?
-Pocket PC IM client with tight integration to IM Server
-OCS voice features on Pocket PC
-Any integrations to Dynamics products (like GP) that OCS will have.

Openfire IM Server is a free product and seems like it could fit us quite well at this time. We are still watching if Microsoft will release SBS OCS!

Microsoft Response Point Future: RP Program Manager Say "There are no current plans for future version releases of Response Point..."

At a Microsoft Response Point town hall meeting today, RP program manager John Frederickson says "There are no current plans for future version releases of Response Point, but MS will continue to evaluate specific feature requests and continue to maintain the product...We are not prepared to commit to a next version release today..." Later on John said, "RP is in maintenance mode..."

To questions about the future of RP John said "RP is funded for FY2010...RP will be evaluated for ROI from year to year like all Microsoft products..."

John also noted the Response Point does have a budget for marketing activities for FY2010.

From my experience with how Microsoft handled the discontinuation of the Microsoft Small Business Financials product, current RP developements sound eerily similar. The first step was putting the product in a "holding pattern". One difference that I can see is that there appears to be a much more active partner community. (Could Harry Brelsford have anything to do with that? ;-)

My opinion remains that if you are a good VAR (or Trusted Advisor), work with Microsoft resources and you have the possibility of emerging stronger than before.

You might have interest in my previous post that talks a little about RP Var Survival.
My Research on Windows Based Phone System Compared to Response Point.

Windows based Phone System PBXnSIP v4 Overhauls User Interface

PBXnSIP, Windows based phonesystem, has released version 4 beta. It's hard to miss the newly refresh user interface that now includes context sensitive help. PBXnSIP has many legacy pbx features, is use by ISP's and managed service providers and from our experience is very stable.

My Quick Slideshow of PBXnSIP v4 Beta:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mattmlandis/PbxnsipV4Beta#slideshow/5346433834075244306
Below is an illustration of the new UI.

From pbxnsip v4 Beta

Microsoft Response Point: What Is Happening?

Microsoft Response Point is a small business phone system that I have been keeping my eye on for a little bit. I passed over it because of lack of features but because of it's Microsoft backing it's hard to ignore. Just a couple weeks ago at the SMBNation conference several active VARs (Ed Carnes and others) gave a pretty good Keynote on RP and peaked my interest again...

But the GM of ResponsePoint, John Frederiksen, made an announcement that jolted RP VARs about "changes in the RP business..." in a "coded" statement. What has been deduced by VARs closer to the subject then myself is that large reductions to the RP team were made.

There are a lot of rumors around and I don't want to feed them. I do want to say that if there is change in the air it doesn't need to be bad. At Landis Computer we survived having one of our primary Microsoft products, Microsoft Small Business Financials, being phased out in favor of a more costly product, Dynamics GP. We had a large amount of our business around SBF and approximately 40 clients using it so you can imagine our anxiety. But we worked with Microsoft through this process and emerged stronger and thriving more than before. Just some comments from my experience going through a product "change":

• If you are good at RP you will survive in some other product if need be
• The guys with the least installs will make the most noise
• Don't yell: be reasonable and work with microsoft contacts--they can help
• Have your own strategy too
• Don't beat up John Frederiksen at the town hall meeting...collaborate... ;-)
• Town Hall likely means big change or bad news but not end of world. ;-)
• Usually Microsoft put considerable research into a market move (more than we can afford!)
• Remember that the best solution may be a new one

In our case we emerged from the Microsoft Small Business Financials "change" in a much better position. I believe we are a stronger partner, with better connections to Microsoft, and using more resources from Microsoft. We are a solid, growing Microsoft GOLD Certified parnter as well as a Dymamics GP partner now.

I think I will attend the meeting just to see how things go. For all RP'ers, I wish the best!

ResponsePoint General Manager John Frederiksen twitter:
http://twitter.com/responsepoint

Links About RP Developements:
http://www.crn.com/networking/217500245;jsessionid=UVU4QY3KMP1MQQSNDLOSKHSCJUNN2JVN
http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/05/14/microsoft-response-point-unplugged/
http://ts2blogs.com/blogs/sdeming/archive/2009/05/14/what-s-going-on-with-response-point.aspx
http://telephonation.com/forum?func=view&catid=20&id=1769

Exchange Server 2010 Amazing Telephony Features

Microsoft sure is pumping out the new products: Office, Windows 7 and now Exchange 2010. The feature that really impressed me is the Voicemail Preview feature that appears to convert audio voicemails into readable emails! (it will even SMS the first part of it to your mobile!)

To read the official Microsoft site on this feature (and more) click below:
http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/2010/en/us/unified-messaging.aspx

To quote the section about Voicemail Preview:
"Voice Mail Preview: Exchange Server 2010 will facilitate the cumbersome task of navigating through voice messages. With Exchange Server 2010 speech-to-text translation, the user can read the contents of the audio recording in the same fashion they would read an e-mail. Furthermore, if the resulting voice messages are opened using Microsoft Office Outlook 2010, the text of the voice mail preview will become "actionable". Recognized names, contacts, and phone numbers will all be identified with icons that the user can select to add contacts, call using Office Communicator, or send e-mail. To facilitate navigation of the audio, clicking in the text will cause the voice mail to jump to that word and continue playing."

There had been several companies (simulscribe was one) doing this as a service for approximately $30/month and $.25 over a certain amount of voicemails and this just might be hard on their business plan. I now see that google plans to offer voicemail to email too. click here. Hmm.

What to Look for in a Windows-based IP PBX

There is quite a bit of interest in Windows based IP PBX systems lately. For a company that sells, implements and provides ongoing support for Windows based IP PBX's this is great! But are all windows pbx's created equal? What should I look for?

Rock Solid Operation
Businesses have come to expect a phonesystem to be up and troublefree nearly 100% of the time. If a software pbx needs reboots when relatively small changes are made or to correct day to day issues this will cause CEOs and users quite a bit of frustration. Does the pbx require manual watching to make sure it is still up? Or does it have a good system to proactively alert the admin to urgent issues? Can the system admin put new pbx features & components to use with confidence the will work solidly? Without spending a lot of time debugging and fiddling?

Features Comparable to Legacy System Being Replaced
If there are a lot of features that are missing when moving to a software IP PBX I goes without saying that the move will be painful. No one wants to move to a new system and loose features they had with their "20 year old" system! What are some commonly "missing" features when moving to a software IP PBX?

-Ability to see which phone lines are in use
-Ability to put a phone line on hold and tell a colleage to pick it up by pressing its button
-Ability for the PBX to integrate to standard call accounting software
-Ability for the system to go into night mode and have a light to indicate this
-A simple call parking system

Features That Let An Organization Go Beyond Legacy Features
Typically when a company moves to a new system they want to keep at least on par with what they had before. But a good Windows based IP PBX should also let them grow into the future in features, capabilities and integration. What are some of these items?

-Instant message server capabilities
-(or ability to integrate to a server like Microsoft's OCS or free open source options)
-Presence Indication (ability to see who all is on the phone or away)
-Ability to integrate to Exchange UM to integrate email and voice
(or at the least voicemail to email capabilities
-Some type of call control application for reception call control
-Ability to automatically make mobile phones a part of the phone system
(ring when deskphone called, easily forward someone to a deskphones corresponding mobile phone)
-more...

Low Ongoing Maintenance (from IT perspective)
Most people expect a phone system to keep on running with very little intervention. Does the software IP PBX just run? Or does it require a lot of service pack and fixes to keep it up and running? How often do new "fix" releases come out? While a lot of new fix releases shows the companies dedication to the product it can be time consuming for the IT person taking care of the system.

These are just some ideas and I'm sure there are more.
If you have more ideas I'd love to hear them. Please post below.

Think a HowTo Book About 3CX Would Be Good?

A publisher has approached another 3CX MVP and I to see if we would have interest in a writing a book about 3CX. Do you think having a "How To" book about 3CX would be good? Please comment what you think.

OCS (Office Communication Server) Small Business Edition?

I've been attending the Microsoft Convergence 2009 Conference this past week. The conference is focused on Microsoft's Dynamics business software but there were some Office and Server sessions. I sat in 2 sessions about OCS 2007 R2 just for diversion and because of my interest in OCS and got to ask the question: "Considering the many servers involved in a typical OCS implementation, Will Microsoft release a OCS small business edition?" The answer: "Based on MVP and other input we are definitely talking internally at Microsoft about the possibility of an OCS small business option."

He also noted that currently it is "possible" to have a single server implementation of OCS and noted some of the missing features that make OCS "not quite fitted" as a complete pbx replacement at this moment.

Dynamics GP Call Assistant: The Benefits of Standards Based IP Phone System & Accounting System

I've been spending a lot of time helping people with and promoting standards based business IP phone systems. This week I'm heading to Microsoft's Convergence 2009 in New Orleans (microsoft's erp/business management software solutions conference) so I thot I'd highlight an integration we've done and will be providing to the Dynamics community.

We support roughly 75 Dynamics clients around the country. We also provide Windows based Phone Systems to our clients. We thought we would combine our expertise in both to make a powerful integration that shows off the power of open phone systems and the open Dynamics GP product.

What if you could see all the important information about a client as your phone rings and before you even talk to them? (without doing anything!) Who they are? Do they have overdue invoices? Are they a big client? (YTD sales) The screen shot above is just a starter...things like opening the last sales order could easily be added. Or anything custom you need for your company.

Not a Bank Breaker:

We are using a free, standards based softphone along with the Dynamics GP Call Assistant to create a very low cost solution. ($500/approx)

FAST Implementation:

Installing this solution if you are using a standards based IP PBX is about 5 minutes.

What are the Requirements?

Dynamics GP or Microsoft Small Business Financials and a standards based SIP IP PBX that supports call forking. Some examples of specific IP PBX's are:

Grandstream GXE502x

PBXnSIP Communication Server or PBXnSIP Office
3CX IP PBX

Any other IP PBX that supports SIP and call forking.

(Asterisk does not support call forking)

Where Can I Get It?

At this moment we don't have a "boxed" product but we will get you the details if you email us at sales@landiscomputer.com. Figure an approx. cost of $500 plus time to help you get setup.

dynamics GP CTI, great plains call pop, dynamics call pop, dynamics gp phone integration, microsoft great plains phone integration

Coincidence? PBXnSIP & 3CX Release Call Monitor/Control Apps on the Same Day.

Two major Windows based IP PBX vendors have released their versions of call monitor and control tools on the same day. 3CX just released their 3CX Call Assistant and PBXnSIP announced their pbxnsip Attendent Console today.

Good Screen Shots of PBXnSIP's PAC:
http://wiki.pbxnsip.com/index.php/PAC_V3

See my first impression video of 3CX's Call Assistant: (excuse my bad, quiet voice)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKeGdXtCMaY

PBXnSIP has an interesting feature: built in Instant Message client included in their PAC which is quite compelling. The other PAC features seem more geared to a user. Feature for feature 3CX packs in more features and seems to aim at the receptionist desk with bigger display area and more indication and control.

SNOM 870 Touchscreen & SNOM MeetingPoint Pictures Now Available

Jan Boguslawski, of http://www.itacs.de/, just forwarded me some pictures of the SNOM 870 and SNOM MeetingPoint. Check out the below pdf link to see the pictures:

http://landiscomputer.com/page/SNOM870_MEETINGPOINT_OCS.pdf

It looks like SNOM is partnering with Konftel (it appears Konftel is providing the hardware, SNOM is using it's firmware--that is just a guess)

http://www.konftel.se/default.asp?id=6401

ps-I did get an update from SNOM usa sales that the meetingpoint unit will run $899 USD retail. pss- new update: Snom's office page on MeetingPoint
http://www.snom.com/en/products/snom-meetingpoint/

snom meetingpoint pictures, snom 870 pictures

New At Snom: Touch Screen & Conference Phones

I'm a fan of snom phones for a while and just had to post this. Just got an email announcing CeBit and stating that snom is releasing the snom 870 which will be touch screen. This same series has a port so it can become a wifi deskphone which is something I've been looking for for a while already. (870 & wifi module not out yet)

I haven't gotten a snom 820 in our office yet but I did get to play with one at the Miami IT Expo. Very nicely made phone (like all the snom 3xx series). It is not after the "key system" replacement market like the snom 3xx. It's firmware is based on the 3xx series from what I can see, with more modern looking, swoopy UI graphics. If you can find your way around a snom 3xx firmware, your at home in the 8xx series. I connected it to our IP PBX in a minute. I has a very nice, large color display. It supports displaying a color photo of the caller (if your IP PBX supports it) which makes for a nice demo. The snom 8xx series is also natively OCS (Office Communication Server) compatible, the first open SIP phone to be.

Also they stated they are releasing the snom MeetingPoint SIP conference phone too. We have been researching conferencing phones and may hold off to take a look at this one. Snom rarely dissappoints us.

So if your looking for phones for your favorite Windows IP PBX, here are some more to consider.

Snom 870 Link:
http://voip.biz-news.com/news/tags/en_US/snom%20870
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2009/01/26/3939258.htm

Just found photos of the SNOM 870:
http://forum.pbxnsip.com/index.php?showtopic=2180&hl=

Newer post with more info on MeetingPoint: Who makes it, etc.:
http://dynamicssmallbusiness.blogspot.com/2009/02/snom-870-touchscreen-snom-meetingpoint.html

ocs phone

OCS and 3CX: Do They Integrate?

This post is in response questions & google searches I get on whether the 3CX IP PBX and OCS 2007 R2 integrate. I'll answer the question in two pieces: #1-Does 3CX support integration? and #2-Can it be done.

#1-Does 3CX Support OCS 2007 R2 Integration? The answer is no, according to 3CX support. 3CX comments as of Nov 2008 are that it doesn't work and there are no plans to make it work since the products are essentially competing products. 3CX noted that it would make most sense to decide between either 3CX or OCS. 3CX does plan to add messaging features sometime in 2009.

#2- Can it be done? I've read posts here and there of people making it work and with OCS r2 SIP trunking it likely can be done but I have not personally tried it. And if it's not supported it would be easy to get in a corner. Can it be done? Likely. Should I? Probably not.

I need to admit I can see some companies may want a full featured phone system and full featured instant messaging server. I did a bit of research and did find a company, http://www.pbxnsip.com/, that makes a PC/Windows IP PBX that does integrate to OCS. They have a wiki page detailing the steps at:

http://wiki.pbxnsip.com/index.php/Office_Communications_Server

I haven't tried the integration but I discussed the integration briefly with the VAR that wrote the wiki page and he said the integration works very good. He said they did it for Microsoft for a show and it worked so well they now use it in house.

I certainly do believe that Microsoft OCS has the black box and software based IP PBX squarely in their sights so I can see why 3CX feels uninclined to court OCS. On the other side 3CX is based on being open and interoperable.

3cx ocs 2007 R2 pbxnsip

Response Point: Do We Do It or Not?

We have been reviewing a bunch of Windows/SMB IP PBX's to keep up on the competition and to make sure we know what's going on and if we should offer more systems to our clients. Because we are a very Microsoft oriented shop we haven't been able to "not see" Response Point. My first opinion with the Linksys and Syspine phones was that our clients will want more "key system" features on the phones. Also the limited features concerned me. Now with the Aastra phone (a very business oriented phone) I did a bit of research again. At this moment the BLF lights on the Aastra phone do not indicate other phone's status. It still seems to me that some of the features many SMB people want aren't there.

My hunch that Response Point is a fit for only the smallest SMB clients was confirmed when I briefly discussed RP with a very active promoter of RP. He said he really feels that RP really is a best fit for companies with 1-10 phones even though it can go to 50 phones.

Since we need to support 1-75 phones for clients we have ruled out RP as a product in our stable. But if you are evaluating RP, it keeps getting new features...

Windows 7 First Look: WOW!

I was hoping to have more details to share but after installing and using Windows 7 I have to get the news out: I'm impressed!

To make sure you know that I don't gush about new versions of Windows I need to let you know at our firm we still don't recommend Vista be placed into an existing network. And we always have a "wait and see" on new server and desktop operating systems (and for that matter any new product). I hate unstable products. (that is an understatement ;-) I guess I'm more your normal "i have 3 seconds" CEO than unruffled geek, but I want stuff TO WORK!

Why am I impressed?

Fast Performance: I think the number one issue with Vista is performance and I think that is what's sticking in the public's mind. And my mind. Vista is just a dog. I have a dual core laptop with 2GB of ram that runs soo slow I don't even use it for work...I decided to take a look at Windows 7 and installed it on one of our "beater" laptops at the office. P2.4 with 1GB of RAM and it runs as fast as Windows XP! Now THAT gets my attention.

Fast Install: I am amazed at the simplicity of installing Windows 7: Very few clicks and 30 minutes and your up and running. Remember that 30 minutes is on an old laptop, with an old hardrive and a p2.4g processor!

Compatible: I threw some odd ball/esoteric software at it to see if it would work: A security camera recording system and a windows based phone system* and they both ran perfectly out of the gate.

I would like to do a quick video review on Windows 7, so keep watching. Please remember Windows 7 is beta and do not use it in a live environment.

My only comment: This product needs to be shipped ASAP.

* This was not 3CX. Unfortunately 3cx IP PBX did not run well (some services would not stay running) on Windows 7. Because every other software did I'm not going to blame Windows 7. Well I'm not going to blame anyone because Windows 7 IS Beta.

"Unofficial" Addon's for 3CX List by Landis Computer

To serve the 3CX community we have added an "Unofficial" 3CX Add-ons List to our website.
Anyone can add to this list. Please do search the list to make sure the addon is not already there.

To search or add to the list please goto:
http://landiscomputer.com/3CX
Click on the link under "Landis Computer 3CX Resources".

I would suggest posting in this format:Subject= makers title of product (with your quick definition of it in parenthesis)With three sections in the Body:==Features== (features of addon), ==Interoperability== (how you've found it to work.), and ==Link== (where to find it).

Neither 3CX nor Landis Computer have authorized or in any way claim these addons work with 3CX (or work in general) so the onus is on you to test if they work and fill your need.

Once again you need no login to add material (just like wikipedia ;-) but spam/unrelated stuff will be deleted based on our website admin's discretion. If it is add-ons related to 3cx no worries, but once again we do reserve the right to remove material deemed not appropriate. Also, material added to the list does become property of Landis Computer and may be used elsewhere.

We feel this will be a useful tool and alleviate the various questions about availability of add-ons. Thanks for your contributions.

Keywords: SIP addons, SIP IP PBX phone system addons, Asterisk SIP addons, 3CX add-ons list, 3CX addons.

Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2: Will OCS Become a PBX?

Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division says that many companies have already bypassed buying an IP PBX box:
"...by using software to do the job that hardware did in the past -- only do it better"
http://rcpmag.com/news/article.aspx?editorialsid=10315

Here is a video of Elop's comments:
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/Features/2008/oct08/10-14OCSR2video.mspx

Here is a non-Microsoft take on the new features in OCS 2007 R2
http://www.ocspedia.com/Misc/OCS_2007_R2_Press_Release.htm

Here another blogger says some companies already use OCS as a PBX and has a checklist o see if you company is a fit for an OCS only implementation:
http://blog.enablingtechcorp.com/blog/2008/9/9/ocs-as-pbx.html

This article claims the release after R2 will be the "PBX replacer" version.
http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/entdev/article.php/3785946/Microsoft+OCS:+The+next+step.htm

This article claims that OCS R3 will be the "replacer" edition: (see paragraph 7)
http://www.cio.com.au/article/271576/unified_communications_war_will_heat_up_2009

My opinion? I think Microsoft's OCS product sure appears to be moving in that direction. Each release has more and more PBX features. With R2 they now have a quite sophisticated operator panel. (perhaps too complicated for the SMB?) They have native OCS phone handsets (http://products.nortel.com/go/product_content.jsp?segId=0&parId=0&prod_id=64241) and SNOM has released an OCS firmware for their very popular SNOM 3XX series to work with OCS.

I think OCS currently does not fit the majority of SMB organizations but it is interesting to watch this unfold.

keywords: is ocs a pbx? ocs pbx? is OCS a pbx replacer?

3CX versus ResponsePoint: Comparison Chart

I did a unscientific but point by point comparison chart of 3CX versus ResponsePoint for my own education. This comparison chart is a work in progress so I'm delivering it via email so I can update you with any new corrections. If you would like to recieve it immediately just click on this link:

http://landiscomputer.com/offer/1007.html


3cx versus responsepoint, response point versus 3cx, 3cx and responsepoint comparison chart