Call Costing Engine

The telephone call costing engine, currently used in InfoDEN’s PABX Call Logger , is fast, compact, configurable and is capable of being integrated into third party applications across multiple platforms. The call costing engine’s potential uses include:

Internet based call costing - the call costing engine can be licenced for use by any web site requiring an accurate telephone call costing function. The costing engine creates its charging tables dynamically based on the “calling from” phone number and is therefore capable of accurately processing costing requests and returning the processed calls in the required format. The costing engine can also process each call costing request using up to 256 user defined and configurable carrier costing tables. This is ideal for sites wanting to provide carrier comparison reports or individual telecommunications carriers/resellers wanting to provide a call calculator service for their customers.

Call Accounting Applications – the costing engine can be licenced for use by third party software developers wanting to rapidly enter the call accounting market. These developers can then focus their efforts on the userability, reporting and networking funtions of their programs. This option is also available to existing call accounting developers who are unable to keep up with the ever changing manner of the telecommunications industry. International developers will also find this an attractive option when analysing the feasibilty of entering the Australian market. 

Other Software Applications - the costing engine can be licenced for use by third party software developers wanting call costing functionality in their software applications. This may include developers of CRM, accounting or phone dialler applications where call accounting is not the core use of the software, however its inclusion will provide benefit to users and a competitive edge.

PDA Applications – a great opportunity awaits any developer wanting to exploit the costing engine’s power on Windows CE devices. Currently we are not aware of any call costing based applications available for Windows CE.

Apple OSX – as with Windows CE, an opportunity also awaits any developer wanting to use the costing engine on the Apple OSX platform. Currently we are not aware of any call costing based applications available for Apple OSX.

The costing engines features include:

SPEED – The costing engine can process 100,000 calls in less than 2 seconds.

INTERNATIONAL PORTABILITY – Costing tables are currently available for Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the United Kingdom. Costing tables for other countries will be developed as required. This allows the costing engine to be integrated into third party products for sale in multiple countries.

SIZE – The size of the costing engine is only 341KB including telephone numbering plan and one carrier’s rates. Each additional carrier rate table adds an extra 4KB to the application. Therefore, adding the costing engine to an application does not diminish the ability to distribute that product via the Internet. The costing engine can also run on Windows CE handheld PDA devices.

GENERIC RATE TABLES - The costing engine uses a single set of costing tables to calculate call costs for every charging zone throughout Australia. Therefore a single version of any product using the costing engine can be distributed to every region in Australia without the need for site specific table customisation. This also simplifies rate updating as one set of files can be distributed to all customers.

RATE VALIDITY – Each carrier rate table can have multiple rates running across different date ranges. I.e. the ability to include rate expiry dates allows rate changes and specials to be applied accurately.

HTML CONVERTER – A Universal Converter has been developed to automatically extract the National Numbering Plan details contained in various soft copy formats and convert it into C++ code. This is an efficient means of maintaining the numbering plan tables and allows updates to be implemented quickly and reliably.

FILE STRUCTURE – The costing engine does not use a conventional database to store costing related information. All costing parameters are stored in InfoDEN’s proprietary file types thereby eliminating the processing overhead imposed by database applications. 

NETWORKABILITY – The costing engine can be run in a distributed environment. It can service clients on many machines across a network as it is developed using the Component Object Model (COM) interface specifications.

PLATFORMS – The costing engine has been written using the C++ programming language and can be compiled to run on multiple platforms including Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP, Windows CE, MAC OSX, Unix and Linux.

(source from: www.ipcortex.co.uk)

Driving Factor to Upgrade PBX System

It's not so much that the PBX features have changed, it's the technology delivering those features and your co-workers interaction that is changing.

In the end the choice to upgrade your voice communications system may not even be yours. Many PBX manufactures are embracing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and the newest technology, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) as their new flagship systems while limiting the support of their Legacy TDM (Time Division Multiplex) systems.

Whether you have a small system or a large system, it's imperative as a Telecommunications manager that you understand the latest technologies and begin to blueprint when a system upgrade would make sense for your company.

Many managers are put off by the fact that they have to upgrade their telecommunication system - after all it's worked fine for many years. They are even more upset when they are notified or find out that the system they have is reaching or is end-of-life and will no longer be supported by the manufacturer.

What's the driving factor behind these changes? The short answer - Convergence.

Convergence views voice communications and data communications as a comparable information nucleus - they are doing basically the same function. Passing data from an originating point to an end point. Voice communications uses dedicated paths to connect parties and data communications uses non-dedicated paths and protocols to send and retrieve information.

Is this the first convergent of seemingly different technologies? Not at all, the fax revolution of the 80's was produced by a convergence of telecommunications technology, optical scanning technology, and printing technology. There are countless other examples of convergent technologies on the market today.

When should you begin planning for your upgrade? The simple answer is of course; there is no time like the present.

As with any project you will need to make a presentation case for the project, outlining the immediate and future benefits to your company's business culture and the company's bottom line. I'll discuss three common driving factors, End-of-life schedules, culture/business shift and company reorganization.

I'll use Nortel's SIP Multimedia PC Client as an example.

1. Identify your current systems End-of-life schedule.

A. Pbx systems are comprised of software and hardware. In some system configurations, the hardware will follow a different end-of-life schedule than the software and vice versa.
B. You should review all aspects of your telecommunications system from the software, to the cards, to the telephone sets and catalog all concerns.
C. Upgrading your system outright to the latest and greatest may make more sense to the bottom line than continually upgrading the various parts of the system.

2. Determine if new systems features will improve your company's telecommunications culture.

A. Nortel's SIP Multimedia PC Client as an example offers many features beyond traditional telephony. It supports video calling, instant messaging, call screening, real-time call disposition, conferencing, file sharing, and white-boarding.
B. Advanced Web communications include pushing Web pages and co-browsing the Web with customers, co-workers, and associates
C. Virtual Office is always an exciting feature of the newer VoIP and SIP systems.

3. Company growth, downsizing or related projects.

A. Company growth is a good time to analyze your telecommunications systems. It might be cost-effective to embrace the new system features and create Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) that in turn, reduce your requirements on T1's.
B. If your company is downsizing in property. It might prove fruitful to allow the older systems to convey with the property, while focusing on re-growth and the newer systems.
C. If you company is engaged in related projects (Infrastructure upgrades, IT system upgrades, etc.). It is crucial that you as the Telecommunications Manager are part of the process to ensure that newly installed systems will communicate with your vision of the future for your Pbx department.

Of course there are other driving factors that are unique to each and every business and this article briefly touches on only a few factors. More important are the key factors in planning that can be categorized into anticipation on your part and the effective management of information, quality, and scope.

Anticipating changes in the telecommunications sector and taking advantage of those changes to benefit your company are paramount to a competent, executable plan. In addition, effectively managing the information, ensuring quality research and developing a scope of action will assist in the creation of a sound telecommunications project.

Whether you're just beginning the research process of upgrading your Pbx system or are well along in the process - PbxInfo.com is a great place to perform research, post questions and get answers about a wide array of systems.

Tips PABX: 4 Things to Know Before Buying PABX

PABX has now become a tool is needed for communication within a company or an office that has many telephone . Currently, many offices are willing to buy a PABX for small business or for the office , but still do not understand how to buy the right PABX .

In buying PABX for your office , there are some considerations that you should know that capacity PABX , PABX Price , Features and Upgrades PABX to PABX System . Here we will give 4 Tips you should know before buying a PABX following :1 . capacity PABX

It is the capacity of the PABX is the amount you need to use the PABX and the existing trunk line number in the PABX . Trunk lines are often referred to as CO Lines / Connections Public Switched Telephone Network to communicate with the outside world .

And it is in maskud with extension is the extension number of the phone that will be installed in the office . To determine the number of CO Line depends on the number of key posts that require direct connectivity to the outside of the phone .

If your office has a high marketing activities of course you need a CO line that is much more in comparison with that office just doing product development . CO line or analog to digital form . Number line for Analog Co. konksi regular PSTN line is and the amount of CO line for digital usually starts from 30 digital ports .The organization's future growth in the number of employees in a certain time is an important factor in choosing Type and Capacity PABX .2 . PABX Upgrade Capabilities

The second thing to note in buying PABX is the ability to upgrade in the PABX or the ability to add capacity . This is important because there are some PABX that can not upgrade capacity. PABX upgrade capability is important when you are developing enterprise IT .

It would be troublesome if you need more capacity in the use of PABX , PABX you earlier but can not be upgraded . Also consider the cost of the upgrade in the PABX purchases carefully , lest you get stuck with the high upgrade costs .

 3 . Price PABXPrice PABX is a very important factor in buying a PABX . Each person must look for a cheap price but on the other PABX low price you also consider the quality of the PABX . Aside from the price PABX itself you also have to pay attention to the price of the components in the system such as cable installation PABX , PABX Backup Power Supply , placement and rank system and others.

Sometimes PABX cheaper with the same configuration and load , can not perform its function well compared with PABX relatively more expensive . PABX system maintenance costs and vendor support in after sales service is another thing that should also be considered .

4 . features PABXNow the PABX has had a variety of features depending on the type and the type of PABX . But good  PABX features listed below :

    call transfer
    Caller ID
    call Conferencing
    Auto attendant
    call Forwarding

For advanced features such as voicemail , CTI ( Computer Telephony Integration ) is the current price is still high but CTI is very useful in the long-term use .

10 Reasons to Migrate From PBX to IP PBX

What is IP PBX ? IP PBX is a telephone system with features that provide complete telephone calls via the Internet ( Voice over Internet Protocol ) . The whole conversation is sent as data packets over the network . The technology includes advanced communication features highly efficient and of good quality .

Companies do not need to tamper with the existing communication tools but with the IP PBX can connect to traditional phone ( Telkom ) through VoIP Gateway , so that the company can still save the existing Telkom number .How does it work ?

IP PBX consists of one or more SIP Phone , IP PBX server and optional VoIP Gateway to connect to traditional phone lines .

The function of an IP PBX server is similar to the Proxy Server . Members register with the IP PBX server , and when making a call , the members will ask the client phone number that will be addressed . IP PBX has a directory that enables all members to communicate with each other internally or through a VOIP phone to the PSTN Gateway .10 Reasons to Migrate From PBX to IP PBX:

1 . It is easier to install and setup rather than the traditional PBX .IP PBX using software running on a computer with a processor utilizing just like Windows . In traditional PBX expert needed to install and maintenance process .

2 . It is convenient in maintenance due to use GUI interface / Web Based SystemsIP PBX can easily webbase dimaintenance use interface , facilitate the routing and configuration . While traditional PBX requires specialized technicians to perform the configuration .

3 . Significant cost savingsCan be integrated with VoIP providers such as international VoIP providers , local provider ( voiprakyat ) thus saving the cost of long-distance and international calls

4 . Negating the phone cordIP PBX connects a standard telephone via a computer network . On installation of a new building , not needed the telephone network , computer network enough , so that it can more easily when moved .

5 . Eliminate dependence on a single vendor .With the standard protocol VOIP , IP PBX vendors are free to use the standardization that has been specified .

6.Mudah in doing expansionAdditions / upgrades in the traditional PBX system requires hardware and modules that are relatively expensive . In some cases you will need a new system to be able to meet the needs of proficiency level . With an IP PBX , the upgrade can be done simply by adding a VoIP phone on a network that already exists .7 . Better customer service & productivityWith an IP PBX , service customer service easier and productive . Since the telephone system using a computer , you can integrate phone functions with business applications . For example : automatically record the missed calls . Phones can exit directly through Ms.Outlook or CRM system .

8 . More features as compared to a conventional telephone .With the IP PBX using the software , it is easy to develop and improve features . Most VoIP phone system is equipped with an auto attendant , voice mail , ring groups , advanced reporting and more . This feature is very expensive in the conventional system

9 . Facilitate " Hot Desking "Hot Desking is the transfer system from one place to another . IP PBX using a computer network , making it easy to removal .

10 . Features SIP PhoneSometimes to the conventional telephone conferencing setup required cost and advanced features . Unlike IP PBX that already has these features .