Comparitive evaluations of small business IP phone systems.

I have been requested to make recommendations for a phone switch for a
new building for a small business with 100-200 users. I am vaguely
familiar with Cisco and Mitel systems, but don't really understand all
the necessary components and features, and have not yet been able to
find a good comparitive analysis of the different products available
and their features. Can anyone make any personal recommendations or
point me to any papers with comparitive tests?

thanks,

Hal

 

wrote in message news:<>...
> I have been requested to make recommendations for a phone switch for a
> new building for a small business with 100-200 users. I am vaguely
> familiar with Cisco and Mitel systems, but don't really understand all
> the necessary components and features, and have not yet been able to
> find a good comparitive analysis of the different products available
> and their features. Can anyone make any personal recommendations or
> point me to any papers with comparitive tests?
>

Perhaps you need to look at this another way. What do you and your
users want and more importantly need. A Mitel system has over 200
features. of which NO one uses them all.
Firstly you need to ask users what the need, Do not make the common
mistake of asking their line or department managers as the managers V
often have little idea of what is required.
Then when you have this list find the systems that best match them.

Dont get carried away by the tech bit, your users dont care, They want
a system that does what they want, the rest of it they dont cae about.

Ian

 

[FONT=&quot]Just moved into a office, well will do on Wednesday, I need quite an advanced business phone system, one that can do voicemail for multiple users, decent hold music, transfers, cheap calls nationally and international, maybe a degree of automation as well as direct dials and a work group number. Any ideas? Forgot to add possible the Internet connection through it as well and installed asap.

Business Phone Systems
[/FONT]