Third-party Applications

[Neiby]

We are looking at using VoIP at two of our locations that need new phone systems. We've been looking at Avaya, Shoretel, and Cisco. The Shoretel system seems to be the best overall system from a voice perspective. It gives the most bang for the buck, as they say. However, I like Cisco's perspective that the phone is no longer just a phone, but it's another network endpoint from which you can run applications.

There are gobs and gobs of companies out there providing third-party applications that can be accessed from Cisco phones. Are there any companies doing anything similar for Shoretel?

The Shoretel phone doesn't seem to make it easy to do that sort of thing. My worry, if it could be called a worry, is that if we select Shoretel we'll end up with a great phone system, but it will just be a phone system. On the other hand, Cisco's approach is to make your phone system part of a larger integrated communications system.

What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks,
John

[tnshurtm]

We are currently looking at dumping our Cisco IP Phone system and going to Shoretel. Cisco my have the networking/app figured out, but administration is a NIGHTMARE.

What do you want to run from your phones that you can't run from the desktop?

[Neiby]

We are currently looking at dumping our Cisco IP Phone system and going to Shoretel. Cisco my have the networking/app figured out, but administration is a NIGHTMARE.

What do you want to run from your phones that you can't run from the desktop?

I was thinking of things like their IPICS solution. It's basically an extremely fancy conference bridge. It can tie in disparate networks such as IP phones, TDM phones, cell phones, and land mobile radios. We're thinking of using that product to integrate communications in our emergency management departments (police and fire, mostly.)

Then again, I just found out that there is a competitor to IPICS called WAVES by Twisted Pair Solutions. I'll be checking that out a bit more in the future.

I'm pretty familiar with the Cisco solution. What didn't you like about the management of the system? I always felt that Cisco CallManager was fairly straightforward and easy to use. Of course, that depends on what you were doing. Some things weren't so easy.