Reviewers at Network Computing put Cisco’s Small Business Communications System through its paces, testing the product at the Syracuse University Real-World Labs.
Among the the highlights of the review include:
* SBCS performed at a level of quality expected from Cisco’s enterprise products.
* A simple Web configuration utility enabled the testers to set up a wireless network and VoIP system in two hours.
* The amount of customization available within the SBCS could be overwhelming for some network admins in smaller companies.
* Cisco Configuration Assistant (CCA), which handles configuration and management had “some stumbling blocks.”
According to the reviewers:
For example, the wireless access point built into the UC 520 is managed as a separate network from the Cisco 526, because the UC 520’s internal AP isn’t compatible with LWAPP … Our major stumbling block, however, lies in using CCA for day-to-day management. While the tool does provide numerous network views, including topology and “front panel” views, it still brings a feature-oriented management style to the table.
We’d prefer a process-oriented approach that keeps day-to-day management tasks, like administering voice mail and configuring extensions, separate from the complexity of the rest of the system, similar to how Microsoft handles Windows administration today.
Go to Cisco Subnet for more Cisco news, blogs, discussion forums, security alerts, book giveaways, and more.
