BASIC QUESTIONS
GETTING STARTED QUESTIONS

BASIC QUESTIONS

Q. What is Digium / Asterisk?
R. Asterisk is from Digium Inc. USA. It is a free open source software running on Linux. It replaces a PBX (EPABX). You can handle phone calls, voicemail, IVR, Call Center, record the calls (logging) and almost all the features of a PBX. All you need is some hardware to connect to the phone lines. The company Digium makes this hardware as well.

Can you use free Asterisk / want to know more?
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. Why should I use Asterisk?
R. Asterisk gives you the feature set of an expensive proprietary PBX without the overhead. You can use Asterisk as much or as little as you want, as a conference server, IVR or complete communications platform. For a list of features see http://www.asterisk.org/features
For actual examples of use and benefits see case studies http://www.digium.com/en/company/casestudies/

Want to know more about using Digium? For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. What is the best way to use Asterisk in India?
R. In India most people use Asterisk / Digium for small Call Centers and for IVR (Interactive Voice Response). Some are using it for PBX replacement. The applications and possibilities are endless.

Want to know more about using it in India? For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. What kind of hardware do I need?
R. You need "Voice Cards" (also called Computer Telephony cards and provided by Digium) to connect to the phone lines. (These are the phone lines that are coming in to your office from the phone company such as MTNL or BSNL). You also need hardware to connect to extensions. (Or you may use Soft Phones. This is software running on an employee's PC, which works like a phone. You talk via a headset)

Should you use a softphone, want to know more?
For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. Who uses Asterisk?
R. Many small and large companies, including Fortune 500 companies all over the world. Because of the flexibility of Asterisk, you can use Asterisk to make your five-person company give off a bigger impression, or you can use Asterisk as the PBX of your 2,000-person corporation.

Want to know about customers in your area? For a prompt response call or :
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. If it's free, who is going to support Asterisk?
R. You can download it free, Or you can buy the Commercial version from Digium, called Asterisk Business Edition. This comes with support. Also, when you buy the hardware (Digium) you get support for your card.

Want to know more about support or more?
For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. What technology does Asterisk work on?
R. Asterisk is a type of VoIP (= Voice over Internet Protocol, popularly known as Internet Telephony). When you use VoIP, then instead of using phone lines, the sound goes over Data Lines (such as your LAN, or the Internet). That means sound is sent in the form of DATA to each user's IP Phone (or to his PC running a Soft Phone). There, it is converted back from data to sound. The number of users depends on the hardware. Many people use the common SIP protocol or H.323, Asterisk has its own protocol called IAX2 which is more efficient.

Want to know about using Asterisk for your needs?
For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

GETTING STARTED QUESTIONS

This assumes you already know what Asterisk is and what it is used for. (Link to 1st section above)

Q. How do I get started using Asterisk?
R. So you want to use Asterisk for running a Call Center, or an IVR, or replacing a PBX. You need to know a few terms:

Q. What is FXO and FXS?
R. FXO means Outside lines - the telephone lines that come in to your office from the phone company. (If you pick up this line you will hear a dial tone and you can just dial a number.) FXS means Extensions.

You need to know how many outside lines are coming in to your office, and how many extensions you want to give to employees. Now, you know which size of card will work for you.

Example 1: Suppose you have 8 incoming phone lines and 12 extensions. You need to buy a card that has 8 FXO and 12 FXS.
Example 2: you have 1 E1 line coming in to your Call Center and 12 agents. You need to buy a card that supports an E1 line and a second card that supports 12 extensions. (Or, instead of the second card you can use soft phones)

What to know more about which card you need? For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. What about expansion - if I need more tel lines or add more employees?
R. The smaller cards are modular and can expand. Please call us with your needs.

Which size of card is right for you? For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. What is Echo Cancellation? Should I buy with echo cancellation of without?
R. You will have echo developing, even if the IP is just over a small LAN. So it is best you use a card with echo cancellation. If you have a very tight budget then you can buy a card without this. It will be cheaper but the voice quality will not be good.

Call us to discuss echo cancellation. For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. If I buy the right card and plug it in to my PC will it work?
R. No. You will need to be familiar with Linux and do some programming to make it work. If you don't want to do that we can suggest an INTEGRATOR who will do the programming and installation for you:

Want to know about an expert in your area? For a prompt response call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com

Q. I may be able to do a little programming not much. My needs are simple.
R. You can buy an Appliance which basically has everything in it (Cards, Operating System, Asterisk). http://www.switchvox.com/catalog/bundles.php
Switchvox received Internet Telephony's Product of the Year award in 2006.

Q. How do I buy the card and start?
R. Calls us to discuss your needs. We can suggest you the right card. You can even ask for a trial card against deposit. We will send you a booklet and the AsteriskNOW CD that contains everything you need to get started. There is also a lot of help on the Internet http://voip-info.org/wiki/view/Asterisk+User+Groups and for India try http://asterisk.pbx.in/ Call us to get started:

To get started call or:
Email:sales@foremost-systems.com