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Which is a better/cost effective PBX for a small business, Allworx or Cisco?
We are a pediatrician's office with less than 20 employees and are switching from a hosted PBX to an in-house PBX and I am curious as to the actual differences in the Allworx system versus the Cisco system. I am aware that Cisco is much more costly, but obviously there is a reason for that. I am wondering if Cisco is necessary since we are a small business but our lifeline (being a busy pediatric practice) is our phones.
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6 Answers
Go open source if you are looking at very low cost. SipXecs solution is fantastic!!!
Jennifer,
These two systems are very different. So, it really depends on what level of integration you want to do. Allworx is a very nice SIP phone system. If you currently have a circuit that is delivered through an Integrated Access Device (IAD) and broken out as PRI (this is a typical MO for a lot of carriers today), I would consider converting it to straight SIP and eliminating the IAD. Beyond that what I really like about Allworx is their licensing. All of their licensing is system wide instead of per user. You can still provision which users get access to licensed software. Overall it's a very solid system for a small business.
What Cisco can bring to the table is the ability to integrate with mobile devices to the extent of being able to push basic patient info to any phone screen or iPhone, Tablet, etc. You also get the ability to have a single vendor for LAN and phone system. But, I can honestly say from experience that doesn't always equate to ease of manageability. If you don't have tech savvy doctors, then it could all be for not.
Bottom line, if you're small and want to stay uncomplicated, you can save a lot of money by installing the Allworx.
Jennifer, As a small medical office, your needs are actually very straightforward, and there are many systems on the market beyond Allworx and Cisco that will meet your needs.
Allworx will meet your needs and more than likely exceed them at a very competitive price. Cicso will do the same, at a higher price.
If Allworx meets your needs, then you may want to also look at similar products that compete well with Allworx. Yes, reliability is critical for your medical office, and most systems will meet those needs out of the box.
I think what is more important than finding the right system, is the right vendor that understands the issues, knows how to install and maintain with reliability. Know your vendor well, and check their references to find the most reliable implementation.
Jennifer,
There are many entry level, low cost systems that will work for you. Assuming you will not have your own IT staff, it is most important for you to find a reliable service company that can be relied upon to "fix" the system any day of the week and any time of day.
Service companies can be experts in one or two systems. You may be challenged to find one or more service companies for an Allworx system, so be careful there. The value of knowing more than one service provider cannot be overstated, for the purpose of keeping your chosen service provider on their toes knowing that you have an alternate(s) waiting in the wings.
Best wishes.
Jennifer,
If you have a good local Allworx vendor to deal with, they will understand what to do regarding your voice/data circuit. I have connections at Allworx if you need to speak to them directly.
Good luck
Derek
If you want low cost, reliable and being easy to self manage its 3cx
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