Cisco CallManager
Cisco CallManager provides the IP telephony solution with a software-based call
processing platform to fill the role of a traditional PBX. CallManager represents
one of the first large-scale enterprise solutions to answer the challenge of IP telephony.
As an aside, IP telephony is by no means a new idea. Several companies
have introduced VoIP solutions. For example, several Internet Chat programs such
as Microsoft NetMeeting,America Online (AOL) Instant Messenger, and Yahoo!
Messenger offer the ability to communicate via voice by utilizing the Internet or
other network as a medium.While fun to play with, however, it is difficult to
imagine an organization utilizing them for an enterprise-wide IP telephony solution,
because solutions such as these are essentially entertainment software, and
provide for no hierarchy or reliability.
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30 Chapter 2 • New World Technologies
Cisco’s CallManager offers a scalable, reliable, and manageable solution for an
organization of almost any size and demographic.While it may not be the ultimate
choice for IP telephony, it has set a standard of performance for IP telephony
call processing, and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable
future. In this section, we will further discuss the CallManager platform, its architecture,
hardware, benefits, and limitations.