DIDs FEATURED ARTICLE

Business begins with communication, especially when looking at an enterprise with thousands of employees; communication is absolutely integral to success. Whether it’s hosted in the cloud or on-premises, a firm’s PBX (News - Alert) phone system provides the foundation to business operations. For many, the choice has dwindled between two open source PBX phone systems: FreeSWITCH or Asterisk.

The Asterisk (News - Alert) software switch was developed in 1999, created by Digium it can easily be integrated into various PBX systems. FreeSwitch was developed to make improvements to the Asterisk framework launched in 2007 and has not looked back since.

The one constant for both platforms is they are becoming well supported by most telecommunication carriers, including CLECs—like Vitcom that offers hybrid network solutions to interop with service providers and enterprises choosing either platform. Vitcom, like most CLECs, owns the TDM facilities connected to the PSTN, and they enable SIP connectivity for the open source community to develop new and exciting telephony solutions using FREEswitch or Asterisk.

Functionality-wise, the two are quite similar with some differentiating features—for instance, some may prefer FreeSWITCH’s GUI. The general consensus is Asterisk is easier to work with, but again, each system has its pro’s and con’s—let’s compare and contrast.

Both are feature-rich platforms that offer advanced features like call recording, conferencing and chat, but from here we begin to see cleavages between the two. Asterisk offers a smaller server footprint in terms of processing and memory capabilities. Asterisk offers greater longevity; and with that comes forums, FAQs and an overall wider knowledge base for quick fixes or configurations. Its large database of end-device templates for auto provisioning makes utilizing IP and soft phones a cinch.

FreeSWITCH boasts a multi-tenant platform that effectively and securely segregates each tenant as well as clustering capabilities that split functions by installation, which means greater performance overall, as high call volumes can bog down an Asterisk system. Multi-tenancy is vital for carriers because it ensures separation between customers. FreeSWITCH requires more RAM (News - Alert) and processing power for implementation but the added “bulk” means added capabilities—i.e. the ability to handle a greater volume of calls. And, the layered API of FreeSWITCH maintains unique roles aiding in the higher level of functionality.

This serves as a key differentiator between the two. For an enterprise with thousands of employees or a contact center with hundreds of seats this is an integral piece to the decision-making process, which is why the preferred system is FreeSWITCH.

Another point of comparison for discussion is the development of PBX’s on top of either underlying software. FreeSWITCH has seen FusionPBX, SipXecs and SipXcom developed for its PBX system, whereas, FreePBX, Elastix and PBX in a Flash (News - Alert) were built on the Asterisk framework.

Selecting a PBX system is an important decision that affects the CEO and CTO just as much as the contact center agent. Choose wisely, and you will be rewarded on a grand scale. Choose poorly and enjoy the view from the backseat.