Vertical’s InstantOffice Model 3000

Vertical’s InstantOffice is at the low-end of the IP PBX capacity scale. The Model 3000 is offered in configurations as small as eight phones. In most key regards, however, this system’s management fares as well as, and in a few respects even better than, the IP PBX big boys.

InstantOffice has long supported IP trunking between remote systems, but only picked up IP hardphone station support in January. InstantOffice does not support a softphone, however.

All the system management happens via the free Remote Management Console (RMC) interface, making Vertical’s the lightest and least-expensive management toolbox we tested.

This is a Web browser and Java-based interface installed directly into the Windows NT-based call controller that drives the system.

Vertical also offers a high-end, umbrella management package for multi-system management, called Multi-Site Manager for about $500 per system managed. Its functionality is limited, and it does not replace the RMC, but rather provides a high-level overview of multiple systems. It was not included in this test because Vertical says it generally is employed if you’re managing 25 or more systems.

Because special applications are not needed on your management console/laptop, access is quick and straightforward. All management actions are accomplished via about three dozen icons that are arranged on the main screen in four groups: General Admin, PBX and Application Admin, Data Admin, and Trunk Admin. It is easier and faster to find what you’re looking for via this interface than any of the other systems tested.

The context-sensitive, on-screen help accompanying the RMC interface is very good, and is very close to Siemens’ as far as usefulness, information content and succinctness.

Vertical offers the most efficient screen for setting quality-of-service values in VoIP packets, letting type-of-service or Differentiated-Services values be entered in hex, decimal or binary, and automatically translating between these. The system does not now support Layer 2 virtual LAN tags as a QoS mechanism, however.

 For the full report, go to https://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2003/0630rev.html