Nortel BCM for medium business / call center?

We carry 3Com IP Telephony Platform. It's a great switch and will come out to be more cost effective than Nortels BCM platform, which is not a true IP.

3Com runs on UNIX, so no MS patches, updates or VIRUSES to deal with. It has ACD Groups with stats, Monitoring etc. Another feature that is built in and in Nortel dosn't it's Call Detail Reporting - this is not FREE with Nortel. and since you a small business 3Com's has a very intuitive web based administrations.

With Nortel to get at least some call center functionality you will need Symphony Call Center. I don't know if they proposed this to you or not...but it's more $$$ for less functinality.

I don't understand why you hasitate to go IP on LAN? It's much easier to manage + your upgrade will be with no downtime what so ever.

Alan Medvinsky

AdroTech Communications,Inc. - "Orchestrating your Voice & Data Communications!"

222 Forbes Road, Suite 201| Braintree, MA 02184 USA Direct +1 781.930.3660| Main +1 888.617.ADRO| Fax +1 617.812.4678

snipped-for-privacy@adrotech.com |

sphealey wrote:

support

functionality

Well, I was really looking more for experience than a sales pitch. But to answer your points:

We have 125 analog instruments spread out across a very large factory floor and wired with low-grade telephone wire. They work fine and it would be very difficult to cost-justify replacing the cabling and bringing them onto a LAN (including the cost of a Layer 3 switch which would then be required for the LAN).

As for 3Com, I specified and purchased $100k's of their product from around 1990 to 2000. After what they did to their enterprise class customers in both switching and fax serving, I think it would be a bit of a risk to buy from then again.

sPh

i think i would be good choice we represent nortel and others and we are a smaller company. we could help you with the hardware, installation or both

now here s the pitch I hope it is ok

I can help by asking a few questions to determine your needs/requirements and offer a solution that would be serve your requirements.

we can also provide a proposal for the solution and do the installation, programming , training, etc.

if you would like my/our help

I can be reached at

Hal Epstein Telenet Solutions- Solving Your Business Communication Needs snipped-for-privacy@telenetsolutions.com

phone 415 671 0971

thanks Hal

sphealey wrote:

support

functionality

It's always nice to hear from someone who doesn't know his own product let alone the other guys.

We carry both and in a non-IP phone environment the BCM always comes out cheaper. In fact the BCM is always less expensive in it's size range. The

3Com will scale higher. And BCM is native IP, as well as TDM. The 3Com in "Ethernet" layer 2, with an option called "IP on the fly" to make it IP. 3Com used to charge for this option but now it's free. 3Com runs on VxWorks not Unix. BCM runs on NT ENBEDDED, not really the same thing as NT. No MS SQL, no MS IIS, no mail client, ect. We've put in hundreds an not one virus yet. But if you're still concerned, BCM will be moving to Linux with version 4.0.

Correct, you have to buy it.

Mostly true, but the call routing configuration is still a text file that is edited as a text file within a web page. Otherwise it's a good interface. The BCM similarly has good and bad points to it's web interface. We provide training and the clients don't seem to have a problem handling it.

Wrong. Call Center is a keycoded option to the CallPilot within the BCM. It can be had as "Basic" and "Profesional" and with or without Reporting.

Let's start with PoE, so thats new switches or power injectors like PowerDsine, or better yet use power bricks at ever phone (and a UPS at every phone in case the power goes out). I like IP phones but no matter how you look at it it costs more. If you get all the same functionality why add the expense. Not to mention that the BCM can do IP so it's there when you're ready.

Well since he put in his company name, and he's a direct competitor so will I.