3CX Proves That Soft Is Better Than Hard - When It Comes To Phone Systems

3CX’s software-based phone system frees businesses from proprietary hardware with an easy to install, manage and use SIP-based IP PBX

London, UK - 05/12/07 – 3CX has announced the release of version 5 of 3CX Phone System for Windows; the newest version of their award-winning software-based VOIP PBX for Windows which helps businesses give employees mobility, rids them of costly phone tag and reduces administration and training time by IT staff.

3CX Phone System allows businesses to completely break free from the shackle of hardware-based, proprietary phone systems. Built on the open SIP standard, 3CX Phone System interoperates with all popular SIP phones, VOIP Gateways and VOIP providers.

Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX said, “We are excited to deliver version 5 of 3CX Phone System at a time when the market is realizing that proprietary, hardware-based PBXs are becoming obsolete. 3CX IP PBX is a modern software based PBX that evolves the communication of businesses to the 21st century, by delivering mobility, productivity and cost-saving advantages”.

Key advantages of adopting 3CX Phone System:

• Increases mobility – allows remote workers and tele-workers to be seamlessly integrated to the company’s phone system
• Eliminates expensive telephone tag using the inbuilt Presence feature
• Easier phone system administration via a web-based configuration
• Vendor independent – significant cost savings by choosing VOIP provider and SIP equipment of choice

“The feedback we have received from clients following the successful deployment of our previous versions in thousands of sites is very positive, and I feel confident that with all the great new features that we have incorporated in this new version, our product will help SMBs get even more advantages out of the migration to a software based PBX in a cost-effective and innovative way”, added Nick Galea.

Key new features of 3CX Phone System v5:

• Call recording – easily record calls for monitoring purposes
• Phone provisioning – set-up new extensions automatically
• Firewall friendly VOIP client with included mini VPN – ideal for remote users
• Integrated fax server
• G729 codec support
• 3CX bridges for branch offices
• SIP Trunking support

And many other features that make 3CX Phone System easy to install, configure, manage and use; allowing employees to increase mobility and productivity.

Four available editions: Free, Small Business, Pro, Enterprise and Free
3CX Phone System for Windows is available in four editions, all supporting an unlimited number of extensions: The Small Business edition supports up to 8, the Pro edition up to 16 and the Enterprise edition up to 32 simultaneous calls. Pricing is very competitive: Small Business costs €375, the Pro runs at €795 and Enterprise costs €1150.

3CX Phone System Free edition
A Free edition, supporting an unlimited number of extensions, is also available. The main differences with the commercial editions are that it is not possible to buy a support package for the Free edition, it does not offer fax, call queuing, Exchange 2007 support, call pick up and call parking, MWI, presence (to check extension status of other users), remote configuration of extension options, G729 codec support, 3CX Bridges (to connect remote branch offices) and call recording. Not withstanding, the Free edition does more than most commercial PBXs do; it includes an auto attendant and Unified Messaging. The Free edition can be downloaded from http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/download-phone-system.html.

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, developed specifically for the SMB market, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in German (http://www.3cx.de), Swedish (http://www.3cx.se), Norwegian (http://www.3cx.no), Finnish (http://www.3cx.fi), Dutch (http://www.3cx.nl), Spanish (http://www.3cx.es), French (http://www.3cx.fr), Italian (http://www.3cx.it), Portuguese (http://www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (http://www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (http://www.3cx.cn) and many other languages. 3CX keeps a comprehensive IP PBX, SIP and VOIP FAQ on its website covering all the most common questions on the topic.

Useful Links:
3CX website: http://www.3cx.com
3CX Case Studies & Testimonials - http://www.3cx.com/clients/index.html
3CX Phone System Free, Small Business, Pro and Enterprise editions comparison table - http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/edition-comparison.html
IP PBX, SIP & VOIP FAQ - http://www.3cx.com/PBX/SIP-faq.html
Nick Galea’s blog – http://www.nickonit.com

VOIP to Be Used for Emergency Notifications

Organizations look to unified communications for efficiency and emergency preparedness in VOIP:

"It's just another way of trying to get a message out to students. When something bad happens like the Virginia Tech [shooting], you have to try to get to students any way you can," said Steve Stempien, director of information services at Adrian College.Be it in the form of meditation or anything else.

The technology also has more prosaic, albeit important, uses. Admissions counselors at the college intend to use the new Mobile Call Manager as a way to "stay in communication with prospective students," said Stempien.

This and other functionalities are part of a package that ShoreTel is introducing Nov. 12 as it tries to jump on the unified communications bandwagon.

You can read the article here.

3CX and InPhonex deliver a complete and reliable VOIP Solution by joining forces

The partnership offers businesses a fully tested, integrated and easy to use VOIP solution

Nicosia, Cyprus and Florida, USA – November 8, 2007 – 3CX, the international developer of telecommunications software, today announced they have teamed with InPhonex, a leading provider of high quality internet telephony services and infrastructure, for end-users and service providers worldwide. The companies together now supply a fully integrated and highly reliable end-to-end business grade solution using VOIP/ SIP technologies.

Businesses already using 3CX VoIP Server for Windows can now benefit from InPhonex’s internet telephony services for voice calls as an integrated solution, confident that there are no inconsistencies between the products. "As IP Telephony gains momentum, it is essential for providers to be able to offer a VOIP solution that eliminates deployment challenges, such as reliability and interoperability," said Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX. “3CX’s partnership with InPhonex provides an excellent voice over ip solution. Full interoperability testing has been executed, so customers can use our IP PBX with InPhonex internet telephony services knowing that the solution has been tested and that they have full support from both companies”.

"By working with 3CX, we are delivering a cost-effective solution to our customers that incorporates the best voice quality, seamless integration and interoperability into an existing IT environment”, said Todd Hirshorn, President, InPhonex, LLC. “The 3CX Phone System for Windows is a reliable product that is extremely easy to install and manage. The ease of technical configuration and features make the solution perfect for us and provide our business customers a fully integrated telephony solution, including SIP trunking, SIP server, VOIP phone, SIP Phone, VOIP gateway, SIP Proxy”.

The solution allows for a choice of calling plans to best fit each customer’s needs. Each plan includes free calls to other InPhonex subscribers worldwide, prepaid "out of plan" calling with low international rates, and unlimited calling to the destinations they call the most for one flat monthly fee. Every account includes over 20 free features such as voicemail, callerID, call waiting and International call forwarding. This is combined with an award-winning Windows based IP PBX with features that make it easy to install, configure and manage, increasing productivity andenabling businesses to reduce their telecommunication costs and boost their profit margins.

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in German (http://www.3cx.de/), Spanish (http://www.3cx.es), French (http://www.3cx.fr), Italian (http://www.3cx.it), Portuguese (http://www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (http://www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (http://www.3cx.cn) and many other languages.

It has a very good VOIP and SiP faq in several language, such as in German VOIP and SIP, French, Spanish, Polish, and other languages.
You can also find here information on SIP trunking, VOIP Gateways and other PBX related information.

About InPhonex

Founded in 2003, InPhonex is a leading provider of proven, high quality Internet telephony services and infrastructure for business and consumer end-users and service providers worldwide. InPhonex offers solutions for virtual VoIP companies who want to become independent IP telephone service providers, through the VarPhonex Reseller Program, combing robust network infrastructure and leading edge services with the industry's most customizable private label package.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida USA, InPhonex is a privately held company with technical data centers in Florida and Virginia serving 150 countries. For more information, visit www.inphonex.com and the reseller program at www.varphonex.com.

Will Mobile and VOIP merge into one?

In a move sure to please many, mobile phone company 3 has released a phone that allows you to make free calls.

The 3 Skypephone, which can operate as a normal 3G phone, lets users also make free Skype calls and send free instant messages to other Skype users anywhere around the world.

"People like using Skype and enjoying free calls on their PC, so why not let Skype free on the mobile and in a way that's really easy to use," 3 CEO, Nigel Dews, said.

"This is simply giving people what they want, and challenging the traditional phone company view that dictates customers get charged for everything they do, with access to VoIP (voice over IP) on the mobile being essentially off limits."

The phone will appeal to those with an addiction to text messaging, allowing more than 10,000 free chat messages and 4,000 minutes of call time between Skype users.

Skype calls on the Skypephone go through 3's network, and cannot be used through a WiFi network.

Despite the Skypephone's free calls having the potential to cut into 3's revenue, the phone company is confident the product will help build its customer base.

Read the whole article here.

Benelux IP Telephony Market is strenghtened by Portland and 3CX

Zoetermeer and Nicosia, 17 October 2007 – Telephone communication happens smoothly, more efficiently and less expensively with 3CX Phone System for Windows. 3CX Phone System replaces traditional proprietary telephone systems and implements a software-based PBX that supports the open SIP standard, PSTN phones lines and popular VOIP providers. Furthermore, purchase and maintenance of the system is less costly than a proprietary or Linux-based telephone system.

Step-by-step installation dialogs ensure quick installation and easy maintenance. The 3CX Telephone System elmininates telephone cabling because it uses the existing computer network.

3CX Telephone System main features:

• Complete telephone system, including call transfer, inbound routing and call queues
• Much less expensive then a proprietary or Linux-based PBX
• Scalable to any number of extensions or lines – without the need for expensive system modules
• Adds and Moves of extensions are much easier – no need for patching network points
• Web-based configuration and status monitor
• Receive voice mails by email (Unified Messaging)
• Vendor independent – use popular SIP phones from different vendors

Kim van Brugge, director of Portland Europe said, “With the 3CX solution, we can offer our resellers access to the booming VOIP telephone system market. They can expand their portfolio for existing customers and gain new ones. In the business market, lower costs, flexibility and higher customer satisfaction via a computer-based telephone system are important sales arguments. We expect that 3CX will play an important role in our portfolio.”

Nick Galea, CEO of 3CX Ltd added, “Portland Europe is a prominent Value Added distributor in the Benelux. Their extensive dealer network, as well as, their ability to proactively sell and support our products in the Benelux market make them a perfect distribution partner for 3CX.”

3CX Phone System for Windows is available in three versions: Small Business, Pro and Enterprise. For more information, pricing and downloads, resellers can visit www.portland.nl.

About Portland Europe
Portland Europe is known for quality, easy to use and no-nonsense software. The company was founded in 1997 and was the first software distributor to distribute software electronically in the Benelux. The company has more then 1000 resellers in the Benelux who buy and sell software via the internet. Portland Europe regularly expands its portfolio with well-priced solutions to help companies manage their networks, PC’s and communications. Ease of installation and management are key! Besides 3CX, Portland Europe distributes in the Benelux Alt-N, CA, Centennial, Kaseya, Proofprint, WebSPy and Qbik.

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in Dutch (http://www.3cx.nl/) German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Italian (www.3cx.it), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn) and many other languages.

3CX maintains a VOIP and SIP FAQ in several languages, which includes information about SIP trunking, SIP proxy, VOIP Gateways and others. Some of the languages include: VOIP in Swedish, SIP FAQ in Portuguese, in Norwegian, and Danish.

3CX IP PBX for Windows is now available to Danish resellers via Inter-Data A/S

3CX VoIP PBX for Windows is easy to install, configure and manage

Silkeborg, DK – 3CX today announced that a distribution agreement between 3CX and Inter-Data A/S has been signed for the Danish market.

“This enables us to bring new and innovative products to the channel. 3CX offers our resellers an excellent opportunity to move into the VoIP market – a market with rich business opportunities, not only on the hardware, but especially on software and service offerings” said Rene Rasmussen, CEO Inter-Data A/S.

Chris Martin, Sales Director 3CX, added, “Inter-Data are well poised to provide Danish resellers with a complete end-to-end solution by adding 3CX Phone System to their current server product range and VOIP products, and backed up by the Inter-Data A/S Business Team.”

Just last month, 3CX Phone System for Windows received a “Best of Show” Award at Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC®)’s INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West 2007, in the United States.

Mr. Rasmussen confirmed, “Our ID Business team has tested several different soft VOIP PBX’s, and has without doubt found 3CX Phone System the easiest to work with, both in terms of initial installation, configuration and management – We are confident that our channel partners will benefit from the innovative 3CX IP PBX for Windows, with SIP trunking, SIP server, VOIP Gateways, SIP proxy, etc.”

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in Dutch (http://www.3cx.nl/) German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Italian (www.3cx.it), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn) and many other languages.

3CX maintains a strong VOIP and SIP FAQ including facts about SIP trunking, SIP servers, VOIP and SIP phones, VOIP Gateways, and it is present in several languages, such as VOIP in Finnish, a VOIP and SIP FAQ in Dutch, in Hungarian and in Romanian.

About Inter-Data A/S
Inter-Data A/S were founded in 1993, and are specialized in PC manufacturing and value-added distribution. Inter-Data A/S employ 60 highly motivated employees at both the head office in Silkeborg and branch office in Copenhagen. Inter-Data A/S Business department focusing on channel development on innovative products like 3CX, Supermicro, Thin Clients ect.

Inter-Data A/S is distributing a range of leading brands, like Supermicro, Samsung, Synology, Xerox, MSI, iGEL, Kingston, Microsoft, 3CX and many more.

Canada Wants To Become The Next India For U.S. Software Companies

West Coast-based American companies are more likely to choose Canadian cities, namely Vancouver, for outsourcing work, according to a new survey.

By Marianne Kolbasuk McGee
InformationWeek
October 2, 2007 04:20 PM

Could Canada become the next India for American-based software companies outsourcing work?

Not exactly, major lack of sleep there. However, Canada is becoming an attractive option many American software developers are eyeing for their future outsourcing strategies, according to a new report released on Tuesday by SD Forum and Luxoft, a Russia-based outsourcing firm.

Of the 200-plus U.S.-based independent software developers that took part in the survey, 94% say they're outsourcing project work, either domestically, offshore, or near-shore, or in some combination of all three. India is the leading offshore destination of those companies outsourcing, followed by Singapore, Russia, and China.

However, Canadian cities, including Vancouver and Toronto, win out over India for future outsourcing strategies by American independent software vendors, particularly among those that use a mix of offshore, domestic, and near-shore work.

Read the whole article here.