this paper as a pdf

Elastix Unified Communication
Servers
a solution for every need
Author: Edgar Landívar
CEO, Elastix
Why choose an Elastix Appliance over just
any server?
In frequent conversations we have with new resellers, they always bring up one question: Why choose an Elastix Appliance over just any server?
A close friend who collaborates with Elastix asked me to write an article about this, since
we haven’t publicized certain interesting facts about the Elastix appliances.
As a result, we decided to enlist 10 good reasons of why it’s better to buy an Elastix
appliance.
1) You can rest assured that Elastix comes preloaded in the server, and that it works
as it should
When someone buys a random computer to install Elastix, there is a number of variables
that could go out of control. Since it would be very hard to test Elastix in every computer
brand existing in the world, there is a chance that multiple issues might come up. For
example, the mainboard or some other device might not be correctly recognized by the
operating system, or there could be stability concerns, which is utterly unacceptable in
telephony.
This is actually why the Elastix appliances exist, because we use them to test and make
sure that Elastix runs at its finest. Many times we have even optimized the distro itself so
that it runs properly in our servers.
2) Built following the philosophy of an all-metal chassis
That’s right. WE ARE AGAINST using plastic casing for an IPPBX, and there are plenty of
reasons for this. Many will say that plastic is fashionable nowadays, and that it helps
reducing costs. However, in this matter we are inflexible and I’ll explain why.
Less interference
This is critical for a telecommunications device, where interference might affect voice
quality. The metal chassis plays the role of a shield against interference; this principle is
scientifically known as Faraday cage, you can find a lot of documentation out there on
the Internet about it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage)
Copyright © 2015 Elastix
WWW.ELASTIX.COM
Unified Communication Servers
Better heat dissipation
It is undeniable that metal dissipates heat A LOT better than plastic, and that a properly
cooled computer will always outperform an overheated one. And that’s without taking
into account the lengthening of the server life cycle.
Better impact resistance
Since school we are taught that metals are malleable. This allows them to bend rather
than break, which is useful during transportation. You just have to take a look at the
video below (where we had a car run over an Elastix appliance), to realize that it is
unlikely that a plastic appliance could stand this weight over it:
https://vimeo.com/104447883
3) You support Elastix, a free project
The Elastix team makes an enormous effort so that the project can remain free. It invests
thousands of hours per year in research and development, pays for web hosting, etc.
These are thousands of dollars that need to be financed somehow. One way to contribute to this initiative is by purchasing an official appliance.
4) Your appliance is monitored 24/7/365 and you get alerts for possible failures
At the time of purchasing an Elastix appliance, you can get monitoring from the cloud.
Thus, you can receive an alert when the server resources start to be used in unusual
ways, such as when the recordings begin to fill up the hard drive. It's a way to stay one
step ahead of problems.
5) You get 15% off in training and support subscriptions
That’s right, we believe that the best way to maximize the investment of purchasing an
official appliance is training. Besides, you can get support from certified and highly
experienced engineers at a competitive price. With this combo, you undoubtedly get
the best value in the market.
6) If you need support, all our agents know the hardware well, and can provide
optimal support
Our in-house support agents are familiar with every model of Elastix appliances there
exists, which is undoubtedly an advantage.
Copyright © 2015 Elastix
WWW.ELASTIX.COM
Unified Communication Servers
7) Designed in Latin America
The Elastix appliances are manufactured all over the world, but the conception and
design themselves are carried out in Latin America. Little by little, the Elastix project has
become a symbol showing that high-quality technology can actually come from our
region.
8) The specs for concurrent calls are estimated with 30% CPU capacity
This is a major difference when compared to the competition.
There are other brands that advertise a number of concurrent calls over three times
more than that of Elastix appliances using similar hardware. The difference lies in our
highly conservative approach when it comes to publicize the number of concurrent
calls an appliance Elastix can handle.
This also means that if a customer buys a server for 30 concurrent calls, it will likely be
able to handle many more calls than that. We want happy customers.
9) Solving bugs reported on Elastix appliance installations is a top priority
When a customer reports an issue in the Elastix distro through official channels, it has
higher priority when it comes from a user of an official appliance.
It is only fair and it is also most convenient for an Elastix appliance buyer.
10) All hardware certification tests are performed on Elastix appliances
The Elastix Hardware Certification Program is a successful initiative of Elastix which the
biggest brands in the market of Voice over IP have joined to.
http:elx.ec/ehcp (hardware certification website)
Well, know this:
Third-party hardware tests are performed on Elastix appliances!
This means that if you bought a telephony card from another brand, it’s much more
likely to work well on an Elastix appliance than on any other server.
Copyright © 2015 Elastix
WWW.ELASTIX.COM