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Edgewater Prices SBCs For The Masses

Targeted at small to midsize businesses and branch offices, Edgewater Networks' all-in-one EdgeMarc 250 Series Enterprise Session Border Controller, an integrated Ethernet switch, reportedly simplifies the management, improves the performance and reduces the costs of converged voice, video and data networks. However, what sets the company's latest Session Border Controller (SBC) apart from competitors is its price, says Ira Weinstein, senior analyst, Wainhouse Research.

“EdgeWater has done an excellent job of providing enterprise-level capabilities for SMBs, priced for SMBs,” says Weinstein. "What they're doing is exceptional. Lots of competitors are doing this, but the price points are exceptional.”

With prices ranging from $375 to $652, depending on configuration, the 250 series provides a 10/100-Mbps Ethernet WAN, ADSL 2/2+ WAN, 8 x 10/100/1,000-Mbps Ethernet switch, 802.11b/g/n WAP, 4 x FXS ports, 1 x FXO port and 1 x USB port. Key software features include support for up to 10 concurrent calls, VoIP and video-aware NAT/firewall, IPSec VPN, protocol harmonization for interoperability of VoIP and video devices, active VoIP line testing, call quality monitoring, survivability, WAN link redundancy, QoS and more.

The company says the switches provide a public switched telephone network (PSTN) connection for failover, as well as the ability to route voice and data over alternate WAN links for survivability. The WAN links include ADSL, Ethernet or certified broadband wireless cards using the integrated USB port.

Edgewater says the continued growth of unified communications (UC) is driving the demand for a comprehensive gateway for all IP communications. A recent CDW poll of 900 IT professionals who work on UC or component technologies found UC implementation rates doubled from 2010 to 2011, with 16% of organizations fully implemented today.

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