What is Asterisk? Things to Note When Using This PBX System

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You’ve probably heard the idiom “carrying the world,” a Greek saying referring to the god Atlas single-handedly supporting the earth. There’s an interesting similarity between Atlas and Asterisk: their incredible strength and ability to carry a heavy load. Asterisk has become extremely prominent in the telecommunications industry because it can communicate and operate on most standards and handle any telephone system. This software transforms a regular computer into a true PBX with extremely high customization and scalability. However, many businesses hesitate to use this software. Why?

What is Asterisk?

Asterisk is open-source software designed to connect existing networks such as PSTN and IP to a PBX system. Common protocols used include SIP, MGCP, and H323. This software also has its own protocol, IAX (Inter-Asterisk exchange).

Asterisk was initially developed on the GNU/Linux x86 (Intel) platform, but now it can also be compiled and run on OpenBSD, FreeBSD, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. The software fully meets the basic features of a traditional PBX such as: call waiting, call forwarding, conference calls, etc. The system also supports advanced features such as voicemail, voice response (IVR), automatic calling… Beyond its function as a PBX, the system also allows integration with database management software, CRM, and video calling. Mark Spencer, the creator of Asterisk, affirms that the flexibility and scalability of this software are limitless.

Asterisk’s Interoperability

What makes Asterisk successful is its excellent compatibility with various telephone systems. No matter what technology or protocol your telephone network uses, Asterisk can connect and operate them. Here’s what this software can do:

• Register endpoints for VoIP systems.
• Connect any gateway to Asterisk.
• Use the Asterisk IP PBX itself as a voice gateway between IP phones and the PSTN.
• Connect other PBXs using SIP Trunking or similar technologies.
• The Inter-Asterisk Exchange (IAX) standard can transfer VoIP phone sessions between Asterisk-based IP PBXs.

Is Asterisk really free?

Asterisk is open-source software, meaning you can download, install, and use it commercially without paying any fees. You can also access and modify the source code to make it work exactly the way you want. As open-source software, it has a large and active online community that is constantly improving.

However, such a solution isn’t always suitable. The online community can’t address all the requirements for your specific system. Therefore, your business needs a technical team that can intervene and customize the system to best suit your company’s needs.

Asterisk is free software, but to use it, you need to pay your technical team to customize the system to best suit your business.

Should you deploy Asterisk yourself?

This is a powerful and flexible software that is expected to continue developing for many years to come. Therefore, using this software to manage your telephone network is very suitable. The only thing you need to consider is whether your technical team can operate this software. If the answer is yes, congratulations. Otherwise, you don’t need to worry because nowadays, providers of smart call center solutions can meet your requirements.

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