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Deciding between Cisco and Alcatel IP telephony

Carrie Higbie EXPERT RESPONSE FROM: Carrie Higbie

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QUESTION POSED ON: 09 May 2007

We are in the process of deciding between Cisco and Alcatel IP telephony.

We are currently a small organization but are expecting to grow. As we acquire other businesses, our intention is to phase out the traditional PBX system and replace with a VoIP system.

Given this information, is one system superior to the other for cost and manageability?


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EXPERT RESPONSE

Both systems will serve your needs just fine. Things you will want to consider include ease of maintenance, moves, adds and changes, knowledge transfer for both admin and end users, scalability and local support. One advantage that you will likely see with Cisco over Alcatel is the ability to have resources that are versed on the switches allowing you to hire remote contractors for set up and training at the site.

Another area to consider is the interoperability of other phones. It may not be a bad idea to take an inventory of what is out there to see if there is a potential money savings in the headsets.


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