Asterisk is an open source toolkit for building communications applications, now owned and supported by Sangoma (acquired with Digium in 2018). Most Asterisk-based systems and solutions require additional components (e.g. IP-phones, VoIP gateways or telephony interface cards, and other hardware), and expertise.
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Webex App
Score 8.1 out of 10
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The Webex App brings together Webex Calling, Meetings, and Messaging into a single application, fostering collaboration and unlocking more productive ways to work.
Digium Asterisk is well suited for a city government as a communications solution for internal and external use. Other options like PBX are more expensive and hard to escalate. VoIP makes it easier to use the communications infrastructure instead that already exists rather than having to wire every phone when the solution is a digital or analog phone. In my city, government offices are not in the same place, which makes it harder to communicate everything together.
The biggest use case I have for Webex is the public and private Spaces feature. It is so handy to have a single place where I can collaborate with team members on a single project. We can chat about new ideas and share files just on that specific project. That way I am not having to search email, or a Sharepoint site or a network drives for files. And I don't have to search through a separate chat log for ideas for this project. Add to that that I can use the Webex app on my PC, Mac, iphone and Android tablet and that makes it the killer app.
I have had trouble having my favorites list from Digium connect to my phone and save my preferences there. I have only managed to do this once, but now we have an added person in our Dept. I can add them on Digium, but my phone does not update.
I don’t have access to video features.) In an age when our smartphones do everything but call our friends, family, or clients, it’s refreshing to have a desktop app that can make calls in the smartphone’s place. It seems appropriate in a time when we’re all worried about the robots rising and taking over the world. Why not transfer the functionality of a telephone to the same computer where we program those world-dominating robots? It’s practical. Cisco Jabber takes the classic idea of making calls with a phone and puts it in the same place where we spend most of our worktime. This frees up desk space, as well as keeps the smartphone available for what it was invented to do: take Instagram photos. Not to mention, because it has its own number, it makes it easier to contact clients without having to give them your personal phone number. Need to make a call, but you don’t want to share your home phone? Cisco Jabber makes that easy. And best of all, because you call through your computer, all you need is a microphone to speak and speakers to listen, and you never have to pick up the phone at all. If you hate having sweaty ears, then Cisco Jabber is your app of choice. Note: Because I have access to phone features only, and Cisco Jabber has more available that I can’t use, I can see where it may also be a pro for business owners that Cisco apparently allows custom features availability for users, depending on roles.
Webex is quite usable, and it is, in fact very easy to use as well. You don't need a lot of documentation to learn how to use the app as it's mostly self-explanatory. The user interface is easy on the eyes, and people can see buttons without issues. Overall, WebEx's front-end design is great and I don't have much issue with it.
I would say every time I open it, it is there, there are times that our users have to sign out and back in to get it to work or even do a full exit as the app will disconnect from the controlling the desk phone, but some easy steps to sign-out or fully exit the app gets the user back up and running quickly.
Software loads and runs well. I like the ability to run the full app version, or, just run through a browser using a lightweight webex experience. In a pinch, this ability has saved my bacon when I had to connect in an emergency on a borrowed phone or computer
The support team is quick in reverting to the issues faced, and it has multiple language support, which would be very helpful for some instances. Their expertise in resolving queries is instantaneous. Most of the common lags/issues in the application are identified and fixed with regular updates.
I am very satisfied with my experience with Webex App in online training. The creation of the event is very easy with the possibility of scheduling it in advance. The management of participants, organizers, and animators is complete. The invitations are automated and by simply using emails we can create all the schedules of the training session
Very easy to create. All operations are done without any problems with our business growth. All people like the experience including me as an instructor. The tools that WebEx App offers us are very complete for working in a virtual classroom, whether it is sharing the screen, the different display modes, the whiteboard, or even the scoring tools on the screen, it allows me to do my job as an instructor as if I was face to face with the participants.
There was quite a bit of back and forth with TAC and Cisco Reps to get it fully up and running but we did get there. Some of which had to do with documentation was not fully understandable. But with Cisco TAC we were able to get fully up and running.
Recently I've been using Vonage Business, and while it is far more expensive and a lot less configurable than Digium, the mobility is essential for my new role. Digium is ideal for a business with both a very technical staff and a user base that is not remote. Digium was selected due to price and ability to create custom applications.
A lot of drops from calls/meetings frustrated me and my customers in some cases, but with Webex App, I see very less (or even null) drops, even when I am streaming HD content through my camera, even when I connected with the support team for other products for an explanation, they blame it on ISP even though my ISP gives around 200 Mbps speed, Webex App is miraculously never "affected" by ISP speed.
Once everything is in place on the back end getting Webex on a user's PC is now very easy and with single sign-on, users are able to sign in without having to remember another password. Just make sure you have all the user settings in CUCM, CUC set right, and that they have the needed licenses in Webex Control Hub.
Cisco Jabber helped us develop a Business Continuity Plan in case of emergencies.
It allowed our employees to answer their office-phones remotely.
It saved us a 10.000$ investment every 4 years on the desk phones for only the Turkey office, possibly much higher figures on the global scale of Hilti.
