April 3rd 2008
voip-news.com, by Robert Poe
“A lot of small companies download free Asterisk software and put it on a server, producing an instant cut-rate IP PBX. They use a tutorial to learn how to configure extensions, and then they run into trouble. Figuring out how to set up a dial plan or call flow — that is, the set of rules governing how the switch deals with incoming and outgoing calls — is very complicated. One option is to learn to program the call flow using the text-based Asterisk dial-plan syntax. If that’s too hard — and for most non-geeks, it is — companies can hire someone to do it, which can diminish the benefits of free software. Or they can turn to a user-friendly GUI-based approach.”
“We created a visual environment and built so-called building blocks for each and every Asterisk application and function,” said Apstel president Mr. Peter Simich. “We leverage a GUI to allow users to drag and drop building blocks into the work area, and then to connect those blocks to create a call flow or dial plan for inbound and outbound calls.”