Phone Services

Asterisk
This is one of the more commonly used, Linux-based platforms. This platform is versatile and can be used on-premise or in the cloud (hosted). It contains a wide array of features and is easily customizable. Many Asterisk companies with allow for “per path” pricing, which may be advantageous in an organization that has many handsets but low usage (i.e., schools). Many of the features are included in the license costs because the platform is open-source. This can also be a limitation – since the platform is open source, support and also scalability are limited once a provider has customized the solution and made it proprietary. Asterisk providers are generally smaller than most telecommunications companies, and may lack infrastructure, support, or financial backing to ultimately compete against larger providers.

Broadworks
This is the gold standard of hosted VoIP. There are 2 reasons behind that statement: 1) it is a class 5 switch and hosted PBX platform in one, and 2) its market share is tremendous. It is used in 15 of the top 25 global carriers, including Verizon, Comcast, Orange, and Telefonica. Broadsoft employs hundreds of engineers who not only support the platform, but also constantly develop new features. This creates a constant technology refresh, so customers can take advantage of a system that is never out of date. There is also a legion of 3rd party developers who work with Broadsoft to provide integrations with commonly used business applications, like Salesforce.com, ACT, and CTI. It boasts tremendous features, scalability and disaster recovery capabilities. That being said, it is not the right solution for every organization due to its per-user pricing model.