Adtran Adding Unified Communications To IP Office In-A-Box
The networking vendor's year-old move into the hot IP telephony market is targeting small office environments, where its NetVanta 7100 integrated data networking and IP PBX "office-in-a-box" can support up to 50 users at a list price of $5,095.
The key-system feature, which allows users to switch between lines via buttons on their phones, is popular with small-business users and often lacking in products from enterprise vendors that are moving into the SMB market, said Leslie Conway, vice president of global marketing at Adtran, Huntsville, Ala.
The company also said it simplied pricing to avoid the complex licensing structure that often complicates the sale of PBX equipment. The key system should be available in a June upgrade, while the unified communications will be introduced in July.
Conway said it currently has about 200 top-tier partners that are certified and authorized to sell the NetVanta 7100 box; it plans to add another 100 partners this year. "We're new to the IP PBX space, so we're careful in selecting partners that have IP PBX experience," she said.
"For 25 seats and under, it might be good," said Kevin McDonald, vice president of Alvaka Networks, Huntington Beach, Calif., one of roughly 50 solution providers at the event, where about a half-dozen vendors gave fast-paced, 10-minute presentations.
But, McDonald said, for Alvaka's customer base he would be leary about packing too many things into one device because of peformance concerns and troubleshooting issues. "I'd have to see it in action," he said.
Steven Meyer, a principal of RS Pacific Information Technology Solutions, Huntington Beach, Calif., said while he wasn't interested in VoIP, he did find Adtran's other integrated devices of interest.
"I got reacquainted with Adtran," he said. "They make a new line of managed switches that might be ideal for my customers."
Another vendor that drew a lot of attention from the solution providers was Extricom, based in New York. Extricom demonstrated its Interference-Free Wireless LAN System, which avoids co-channel interference and allows for roaming from access point to access point without interruption of the connection, according to David Confalonieri, vice president of marketing.
By wiring each access point into the central switch, which manages the system, devices are connected to the most logical access point. Confalonieri said the architecture increases the reliablity of the connection, avoids quality-of-service issues and reduces the cost of planning and deployment.
"Our VARs tell us from a [total cost of project] it winds up being a third to a quarter of the cost," he said.
McDonald said the technology could be ideal for clients that need to deploy temporary WLAN projects. "The simplicity of the deployment, if it is true, could cause us to do more wireless, which we haven't done much in the past," he said.
Also at the event, a Samsung representative said for new models of its second-generation Q1Ultra computer, a hybrid between a notebook and a handheld PC, should be available through distributors within the next two weeks.
The models includes a small keyboard, split into two pads, that can be operated by the user's thumbs. Ranging in price from $799 to $1,119, they also includes an integrated mouse and camera. Most of the ultra-portables are being purchased by businesses for use in niche applications like survey taking, the company said.