The economic impact of Linux and Asterisk are immeasurable. Contact center software built to run on top of this powerful technology stack can offer a greatly superior platform at considerable cost savings. Technology managers are starting to realize the benefits of Asterisk, a powerful hybrid PBX that can also serve as a media server and a protocol gateway. This VoIP switch runs on Linux, the dominant server operating system. For many years now, Linux has dispensed away the need for endless licensing costs enforced by the proprietary operating system software of the earlier decade.
A Linux based infrastructure with Asterisk PBX requires a sophisticated contact center software with an ACD that is capable of clustering and scaling to multiple Asterisk servers. Like any sophisticated platform, this requires skilled technicians who are capable of managing the technology stack. This is an absolute requirement with managed services, where well trained, quick thinking, and knowledgeable technical team well versed in Asterisk, Linux, and call center software deployment, can quickly resolve problems. A perfect example is the entire 2.6.32 line of kernels for Ubuntu 10.04, when used in an environment requiring G729 transcoding. The presence of artifacts sounding like stuttering or wavy underwater type of muffling, impacted the quality of voice communications. In the words of Justin Traer, the Director of Support at Indosoft, “Identifying and resolving such problems are a difficult exercise especially when indicators like load and disk I/O are normal. Compiling a matrix of all the different working versions of Asterisk/Linux Kernel/Hardware will assist in identifying the common thread.”
The example above makes a compelling case for organizations to seek managed service where a hosted provider with all the required skills will provide the services to keep the technology stack running. The demand for large and distributed contact center operations are increasing due to globalization. An Asterisk based contact center with a sophisticated call center ACD provided by a technically competent hosted service provider will result in considerable cost savings.