impressive review by zdnet/pcweek (now eweek) and the high bench marks flxion x300 received at the end of the review.
COMM SERVICES IN A SINGLE BOX
Flexion's X300 a snap for small sites that use NT
By Francis Chu, eWEEK Labs
May 29, 2000 12:00 AM ET
Small businesses that don't have much in the way of IT resources to devote to more
than one communication system will find Flexion Systems Inc.'s BusinessGuardian
X300 an easy-to-use and relatively inexpensive all-in-one unit that integrates PBX
telephony, Internet access, voice mail, e-mail and fax services.
Designed for Windows NT networks, the BusinessGuardian X300 provides PBX switching capabilities
with support for as many as 64 phone lines working in conjunction with NT 4.0 and Microsoft Corp.'s
Exchange 5.5 servers to provide integrated e-mail, voice mail and CTI (computer-telephony integration)
services on Windows-based PCs and conventional analog phones.
After originally launching the X300 in February, Flexion started shipping Version 2.0 this month priced at
$6,000 for the standard eight-user configuration. The X300 can take care of most small-business
communication needs and is reasonably priced compared with dedicated PBX and Centrex systems that
can cost more than $10,000.
The X300's smart, modular chassis can host as many as six communication interface cards. The
standard configuration that eWeek Labs tested consists of a single eight-port voice interface, a WAN card
with four BRI ISDN ports (a WAN card with a single PRI T-1 port is also available) and a router card
hosting a serial port and a 10/100M-bps Ethernet port. The router interface hosts the X300's configuration
and connects it to the network.
With the exception of the router card, the interface cards can be easily replaced during upgrades or repair
without the need to power down the unit, reducing downtime.
The X300 allows the addition of more voice cards that cost about $1,000 each to provide connections for
as many as 32 telephone lines. Two X300 units can be daisy-chained to support as many as 64 users.
Shops that require faster data speed than ISDN should use the T-1 WAN interface.
The X300 does not support DSL (digital subscriber line) connections; Flexion officials said DSL support
will be available in future versions.
In tests, we found the setup of the X300 to be fairly straightforward, but the server software must be
installed on a Primary Domain Controller or a Backup Domain Controller.
The X300 hosts a Web server for system configuration and management through a Web browser.
(Netscape Communications Corp.'s Navigator 4.0 or Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.0 or later versions of
either browser can be used.) Other communication parameters, including Point-to-Point Protocol, Routing
Information Protocol and Network Address Translation settings, can also be set up using a browser.
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Stiff requirements
The X300 server software integrates voice messaging services with Windows NT and must be installed
on a computer running NT Server 4.0 with Service Pack 4 and Exchange Server 5.5 with Service Pack
2?stiff software requirements for small businesses. The CTI client software runs on Windows 95,
Windows 98 or NT and provides users with advanced telephone functions on their analog phones,
including call forwarding, hold and call screening, that are normally available only on newer digital
phones.
In addition to being accessible by phone, voice mail messages are stored on the Exchange server as
WAV files and are retrievable in Outlook's Inbox. Using speech synthesis, e-mail can also be played back
over the phone. IT administrators should be aware that voice mail files are significantly larger than e-mail
files and, with many users, the voice mail files can quickly use up server disk space.
Technician Francis Chu can be contacted at francis_chu@ziffdavis.com.
Executive Summary: BusinessGuardian X300
Flexion's BusinessGuardian X300 puts a variety of
communication types in one box. However, the X300 unit
requires significant investment in NT software.
Short-term Business Impact: Initial rollout will require CTI
training client, and IT managers should expect e-mail downtime
during software installation.
Long-term Business Impact: With a relatively low rollout cost, the X300 system will earn
a quick return on investment.
Integrates voice mail, e-mail, Internet access and fax services in one unit; easy to use
and manage.
No DSL support; runs only on NT networks.
Flexion Systems
San Francisco, Calif
(415) 864-0847
USABILITY A
CAPABILITY A
PERFORMANCE B
INTEROPERABILITY B
MANAGEABILITY B |
