Coming soon: Asterisk in a box

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 13 September 2006 10:00

Business IT - Technology

Digium, developer of the Asterisk open source IP PABX software has announced plans to launch, in early 2007, IP PABX hardware running the Asterisk software.
It has foreshadowed the product with the launch of an Asterisk Appliance Developer Kit to give services providers, OEMs, resellers and integrators "all of the components necessary to build a turn-key telephony platform based on the upcoming Asterisk telephony appliance."

The appliance will be designed for small to medium businesses (2-50 users), and remote branch offices of larger organisations with a similar number of users per site and will feature the first Digium-developed Asterisk graphical user interface providing "simple, easy-to-use, basic configuration capabilities for open source developers to differentiate and customise their Asterisk-based solutions and applications." It will run a new "Embedded Business Edition," of the Asterisk software.

The Appliance will also offer a hybrid solution alternative - a combination of VoIP applications using legacy telecom equipment - for enterprise customers who are not yet ready to migrate to a complete VoIP solution.

"Today's communications offerings have fallen short for companies and sites with 2-50 users," said Mark Spencer, president of Digium and creator of Asterisk. "Traditional vendors lock-in users while lower-end solutions typically lack many features. At Digium, we are committed to developing products that will bring small to medium enterprises a feature-rich, cost-effective, reliable telephony solution."

The developer kit includes an early pilot production of the Asterisk Appliance, the Asterisk GUI framework, 2-4 port FXS cards, 2-4 port FXO cards, multi-media add-on cards, 8 MB Flash, cables for all port types, an IP phone, a CD with all software, documentation and specifications, how-to manuals, Digium support details, and Asterisk memorabilia. It will be available directly from Digium in October for $US3,995.00. Production versions of the appliance will sell for under $US500, in volumes of 10,000.