Siemens Rolls Out HiPath 2000 for Small Businesses

By Sandra M. Gustavsen

Analyst, Access Intelligence LLC

 

Siemens (News - Alert) Communications, Inc. expands its HiPath portfolio to include the new HiPath 2000, a new IP PBX that is “tailor-made” for small and medium-sized businesses with fewer than 30 employees. HiPath 2000 promises easy installation and administration and all the advantages of IP at a reasonable price. Like the earlier and larger HiPath platforms, the new system deploys the Siemens HiPath ComScendo feature set for voice features. As an IP-based system, the HiPath 2000 is simple to install and administer, enabling easy set-up of Virtual Private Networks for teleworkers or branch office workers. HiPath 2000 is based on a Linux operating system and houses an integrated gateway for communication with the public telephone network via ISDN. Also included is an integrated firewall and LAN switch for access to an IP network. For redundancy, Siemens optiPoint telephones can re-register with a secondary gatekeeper such as a HiPath 2000, HiPath 3000, HiPath 4000 or HiPath 5000; SIP devices can also register to a HiPath 8000.

 

Two models are available. HiPath 2020 is designed for small businesses and branch offices with up to 20 employees. HiPath 2020 supports a maximum of 20 IP stations with 10 user licenses included in the base price of the system. HiPath 2030 supports up to 30 IP stations with 10 user licenses included and features a pre-installed Integrated Voicemail Module (EVM) with two ports, 24 mailboxes, two hours of recording storage, auto attendant, announcements and 16 languages (three loadable). An integrated voice mail capability is not available for HiPath 2020; however, the system can connect to a centralized voicemail system as part of a HiPath network (e.g. HiPath 4000 with HiPath Xpressions) or a third party voice mail system.  See comparative snapshot from TelecomTactics below.

 

Businesses that deploy the HiPath 2000 can take advantage of productivity applications from Siemens, including “SimplyPhone” for Outlook or LotusNotes that enables telephone functionality using a PC (conference, call forwarding, call logging, call from contact list, etc.) and “Personal Call Manager,” a Web-based user management tool for users to specify call routing parameters such as call forwarding based on Caller ID, time of day or day of week, for example. A Siemens HiPath ProCenter ACD server cannot be directly connected to a HiPath 2000 system; however, contact center agents can be located at the HiPath 2000 location if the HiPath 2000 is part of a HiPath network with HiPath ProCenter (Siemens’ contact center platform) as a centralized application.

 

Several IP telephones are available for the HiPath family, including Siemens optiPoint 420 family with basic and advanced models, optiClient software-based telephones and the optiPoint WL2 professional, an 802.11g wireless LAN telephone. Earlier in 2005, Siemens announced the optiPoint 420 family of IP telephones with the advanced functionality of the earlier Siemens 410 series such as full-duplex speakerphone, OptiGuide soft keys and G.722 Wideband Codec for improved speech quality, and adding programmable Self-Labeling Key (SLK) functionality that stores feature key names or numbers on an LCD instead of on paper labels. A range of snap-in modules is available for flexibility and choice, including the Large Display Interaction Module with voice dialing and touch-screen functionality for WAP-based browsing and access to corporate directories. The optiPoint 420 "advance" for executives and "power" users has a graphic backlit alpha numeric 4-line x 24-character display and one option bay. SIP and H.323 protocol support enable the phones to operate with Siemens HiPath 2000, HiPath 3000 and 4000 and 8000 systems, as well as other SIP-based systems on the market.

 

 

Visit www.telecomtactics.com for a full report on the Siemens HiPath 2000 systems and to compare these to other IP-based systems on the market. Also new in TelecomTactics this month are NEC (News - Alert) Electra Elite IPK II, Philips Business Communication SOPHO IPC 100, Alcatel (News - Alert) OmniPCX Office 4.1, eOn Millennium V3.11, Vodavi TeleniumIP Generation III, Vertical Communications SIP Phones (from Aastra), Percipia PTCE Hospitality for Cisco CallManager, Toshiba (News - Alert) Strata CIX ACD and much more!