Nortel Networks has unveiled new communications solutions for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), providing more choices for implementing converged IP networks.
Anton van Bers, Nortel product manager at IT systems and communications distributor Comztek, says the new product portfolio enables SMEs to leverage their existing telephony equipment to migrate to IP telephony as needs change, while deploying the most comprehensive and cost-effective convergence solutions available. It also means sidestepping time-consuming and costly integration issues.
"Businesses wanting to seamlessly connect their offices with a single IP network, which will not disrupt existing operations, should look no further than Nortel Business Communications Manager," Van Bers says.
"This solution is able to address companies` communication needs, enabling them to serve customers better and to reduce operational costs. This translates into increased workforce productivity and improved communications. It`s the perfect solution for companies that require a reliable, high-performance IP telephony system," he adds.
"In addition, the new line of Nortel IP telephony products for the SME offers our resellers greater flexibility and a wider range of options for migrating their customers to an IP network. These products enable resellers to offer big business solutions at an attractive price point.
"Comztek will assist resellers provide their customers with full technical support on the Nortel range of products. We also provide sales support and training, and guarantee comprehensive technical backup support and replacement parts should the Nortel equipment prove faulty," he says.
The Nortel IP telephony product range includes software release 3.5 for Nortel Business Communications Manager, a converged voice and data platform for enterprises; a new Nortel Norstar IP telephony gateway; enhancements to Nortel CallPilot unified messaging platform; and Contivity Secure IP services gateway, a new security product.
Business Communications Manager 3.5 integrates rich voice features with quality of service (QoS), secure network access, unified messaging and call routing, interactive voice response (IVR), and several product enhancements that support:
*.Applications - Business Communications Manager 3.5 enhances existing capabilities and delivers new technologies designed to increase employee efficiency, maximise the viability of existing resources and reduce operating costs.
* Enhanced networking - This will extend enterprise communications by supporting seamless call server networking capabilities, designed to decrease networking costs and eliminate barriers associated with sharing voice mail and other features.
* Security - Among the many security enhancements will be support for Secure Socket Layer, Secure Shell, multilevel password policies, and enhanced denial of service upgrades.
*.Management - Business Communications Manager 3.5 will enable users to manage one or more Business Communications Managers locally or remotely by browser.
* Investment protection - Previous versions of Business Communications Manager can be easily and cost-effectively upgraded to Release 3.5.
CallPilot 100/150 2.0 unified messaging combines voice, fax, and e-mail into a single `point-and-click` interface on user desktops. Enhancements to CallPilot include increased application performance with centralised voice mail and auto attendant capabilities; introduction of unified messaging on CallPilot 100; centralised unified messaging; and increased scalability to support up to 300 subscriber mailboxes.
The Norstar IP telephony gateway drives down operational costs by eliminating the need for private leased lines and the expense of traditional telephony toll charges.
Nortel Contivity 1740 Secure IP services extend Contivity`s mid-range secure IP services portfolio. The gateways will offer SMEs both routing and stringent security capabilities to securely network remote sites and branch offices. The gateway provides IP routing, virtual private networking (VPN), integrated firewalls, and QoS and bandwidth management capabilities.
In addition, the Contivity 1740 gateway handles up to 500 VPN tunnels. With up to four expansion slots, Contivity 1740 can accommodate a wide area network (WAN) and local area network (LAN) interfaces, and encryption acceleration cards.
"This makes it an attractive alternative to businesses looking for a flexible and cost-effective secure networking solution to connect remote sites," Van Bers concludes.
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