Zultys Technologies' MX30 3.0

Release 3.0 of the software for Zultys' MX30 and MX250 IP PBXs lets small and midsize businesses benefit from features typically reserved for bigger corporations. Tariffs have dropped so low that long-distance can be had for a song, so the decision to move to voice over IP over conventional telephony isn't based on cost savings. Rather, VoIP system features improve productivity and connectivity. Universal messaging, for example, integrates e-mail, voicemail, fax and instant messaging with a messaging server like Microsoft Exchange. Intelligent call routing keeps employees in touch with customers and co-workers. Specialized telecom applications, such as call-center support, hunt groups, scheduled auto-attendance, and interactive voice scripts, are no longer reserved for companies with deep pockets.

Zultys' Release 3.0 brings an advanced software client/softphone, Web application integration, E911 improvements, an IM gateway and a fractional E1/T1 CAS/PRI line card to an established product line.With its all-SIP appliances, Zultys is well-established in the IP PBX market. Nevertheless, the small company faces competition from telecom companies, including Avaya, Nortel Networks and Siemens, as well as from pure-play vendors such as Cisco Systems, ShoreTel and Vonexus. All are vying to replace your TDM PBX with theirs.

The IP PBX and options you select depend on your needs. IP PBX systems' pricing complexity, as well as their expense, rivals that of many conventional PBXs. Prepare a shopping list. You may want advanced IVR (interactive voice response), call-center support for inbound call routing and flow control, and modules to support business processes, such as outreach sales programs.

A La Carte Features

Zultys' MX30 is $1,160 and the MX250 is $3,000. The upgrade to 3.0 is free to current subscribers, and brings many new features to the platform. Subsequent upgrades will require a subscription: $138 plus 8 percent of the purchased licenses for the MX30, and $353 plus 8 percent for the MX250. Some of the new features are catch-ups, such as fax and call recording archiving; fractional T1, E1, and ISDN PRI support; and Exchange integration. Others are leading features, such as phone-to-IP PBX encrypted calls, advanced E911, and IM gateway support.

In any case, many important a la carte features require additional licenses, and user fees add up quickly. Here's a short list:» Zultys Media Exchange Interface for End users (MXIE) software client: $50 per user

» Exchange integration: $25 per user

» Advanced auto-attendant: $4,500.

A base MX30 or MX250 comes with no user licenses, so you'll also need to shell out $150 per user, not including any SIP phones, beyond the appliance price.

New ProtectionsAlthough privacy and emergency calling have been concerns for VoIP users, Zultys' latest release has both issues covered. Secure real-time transport (SRTP) between phones ensures privacy for VoIP calls. Release 3.0 also encrypts calls heading out to the PSTN by encrypting the call between the phone and MX system using SRTP with 128-bit AES. The Advanced MXIE client also supports encryption for voice calls.

The MX30 can be configured to kick a PSTN call if all lines are busy and a 911 call is attempted, ensuring emergency calls always get through. Release 3.0 also adds enhanced E911 by automatically routing a call from a 911 center to the last phone that dialed 911. Locations and 911 dialing rules are defined based on IP ranges, so as phones move from location to location, 911 dialing and ANI is automatically applied.

Zultys also capitalizes on VoIP features that surpass those of PSTN systems. Release 3.0's auto-attendant can grab input from Web servers, for example. The returned parameters can be used elsewhere in the script for call routing, call center pop-screens, or for text-to-speech playback to callers.

Zultys' Inbound Call Center allows calls routed based on calling number. Customers can be routed to a specific group, for example, and the calling number can populate a dialog on the operators console.

Call-Center CompetitionIn its call-center abilities, Zultys' products finally have the features to competitive with other PBX systems, such as those from Vonexus. For example, the 3.0 release lets call-center applications archive faxes and call recordings to a central location--a feature Vonexus already offers. Zultys' data archive server requires a separate Windows computer to retrieve and store the archived data. Automatic call recording is only available on the MX250, but you can define call-recording rules for customer service evaluation and policy compliance. Zultys' fractional T1/E1/PRI card for the MX30 simplifies wiring and can reduce telecom costs compared with the same number of analog lines.

Zultys touts its new IM gateway option, which lets you configure who can use IM for internal and external communications through the group profile. Enforcing a no-IM policy--that is, allowing only IMs that come from the MX system--requires you to shut off IM applications at the border firewall by blocking access to the IM servers or using a content-aware switch to block the outbound traffic. Zultys' system uses a third-party Jabber server to connect to external services such as AIM and ICQ. Unfortunately, using this feature adds expense and management burdens as Zultys does not offer a seamless IM proxy. Zultys' IM integration uses an existing Jabber server, or a subscription to a Jabber service, which in turn provides the connections to external IM networks like AIM, Yahoo! and MSN.

Mike Fratto is a senior technology editor based in Network Computing's Syracuse University Real-World Labs®. Write to him at [email protected].