We are looking into a new phone system. Avaya is using strong arm tactics which have me thinking 'anything but Avaya'.
I have spent the last few months telling folks to stay with Avaya to give us flexibility (I'm a small fish in an IT department). Now I'm on the other side.
From what I've read Cisco will provide the least reliable service at the most price, but what else do you all recommend?
We have 1600 phones half digital half analog and have the need for about 400 SIP phones, which will replace digital.

So it will be half SIP and half analog?
Hotel?

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curlycord
www.curlycord.com

Hosted?

<runs for cover before the flames start>

Take Care

Matt
I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my telephone.
My wish has come true. I no longer know how to use my telephone.

Run fast my son two dogs........

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curlycord
www.curlycord.com

What Avaya platform are you on now? ACM? Why / how are Avaya "strong arming" you?

if you want a mix of traditional pbx and IP of that size you could try an alcatel omni pcx enterprise.

ACSS - SME
General Geek

Here is choice to think of that works awesome with Polycom SIP sets.

http://www.williamsglobal.com/picturesnews/FIREWOR...

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curlycord
www.curlycord.com

Depending on how many phones you have, stay away from hosted. It would be interesting to know how Avaya is strong arming you.

SHK Certified (School of Hard Knocks)
NCSS, ATSP/IP

I would choose an Aastra MX-ONE (IP based PBX) in this case!

///doktor

Actually we are pretty flexible. Our infrastructure for digital is in place.
All else being equal, only 25 or so phones would have need for VoIP within 5 years.
I like digital from the standpoint of not needing to go to POE switches with all to associated heat to contend with in my data closets.
Maybe that's just narrow minded. Not sure if that's politically correct to affirm.
Hosted, I saw a bumper sticker today thet had a cross-hairs on it and it said "This is my peace sign". Better to hide than to run. lol.

Hide good my son two dogs........

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curlycord
www.curlycord.com

to me, all manufacturers want to push IP. I salute you for requesting digital and I am very curious to see what manufacturer will offer this many digital sets.

Have you checked with Mitel?

Not familiar with Mitel,
I'll check into that, thanks.
Seems to me digital is a bargain and in my case probably just as good.
What does an IP phone have over a Digital phone. I doubt there's very much, but again I may not be looking at this with an open eye.
Actually when we get our new system, I want to have one of those on my desk, just to try to understand all the hype.

honestly we only recommend ip for remote workers.. especially with avaya the ip phones even look the same.

when we were a nortel shop people would request the IP phones because they looked so much nicer.

E-Metrotel UCx??

Joseph Sus-Nortel Installer/Programmer
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/joe-sus/12/1a7/856

Quote:

What does an IP phone have over a Digital phone

Flexibility.

Office moves?
So long as the network is live, plug them in, even if moving to another building / country.
Redundancy?
Nearly all these days can register with multiple servers to allow for DR.
Ease of set-up (most of the time)?
Set it up and ship it out. No need to wire anything in, we even get end users to do it themselves a lot of the time.
Replacements?
(see above)

I'd go back to analogue and digital only for a stupid amount of money paid directly into my bank account.

Robert Wilensky:
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

http://alvechurchlounge.org.uk

We go to analog phones because the VoIP phones are so expensive and they have away of running off when the patient checks out. Some hospitals even throw them out for sanitation purposes. Office moves can be a little more tricky than VoIP, mut not always. If the new locatiion is hot, just enter the code on the from side and another on the to side and you're good. Once you have to cable you're up to a lot of work either way.
The main thing that's nice about VoIP from this perspective is the "outside" capabilities which we probably would rarely use.
So in the end it all comes down to application. In My environment there's probably not to much advantage for VoIP.