Asterisk Basics

This page is a brief introduction to Asterisk, it is used as a communication network within corporations. To have more effective communication and production, a company needs a communication system. If you are interested in this telephone system, read through the page and watch our video below.

The Asterisk is a telephone system that is a software. Asterisk is a console application: it appears only through a text interface. Asterisk is in fact a PBX that can create your computer into a communications server. The Asterisk has many tasks, for example it switches calls, manages routes and can connect participants through IP (Internet Protocol). You can connect different VoIP phones and softphones to Ozeki Phone System even if you have an old Asterisk PBX system. You just simply have to connect your Asterisk to Ozeki Phone System that provides advanced communication. - Figure 1.

asterisk pbx
Figure 1 - Asterisk PBX

You can imagine Asterisk as pieces of Lego. From the different blocks, you can create different kinds of systems such as PBX and IVR (Interactive Voice Response). Genereally, it is called a tool-kit.

Parts of the Tool-Kit

  • VoIP protocol drivers
  • record call details
  • bridge for single and multi-party calls
  • speech recognition

Asterisk is an open-source technology, that means there is no charge for downloading it from the Internet.

Asterisk is used by call centers, several companies and governments primarily, because it helps to create a strong and magnificient solution for communication. In this way, companies and businesses are able to improve their work processes and their productivity.

Asterisk can replace traditional PBXs and enables users to set up new phone systems. Asterisk uses different kinds of channels (e.g. VoIP) that provides high quality services and supports several VoIP protocols such as SIP and H.323.

Provides

Asterisk provides services that an ordinary PBX provides:

  • Interactive Voice Response
  • conference calling
  • voicemails
  • call transfer
  • call forwarding
  • trunking
  • you can add more functionlities

Asterisk requires Linux Operating System (OS) to run. It is not an advantage since the version update is difficult and it has an expensive administrative cost

Ozeki Phone System offers the same VoIP services that Asterisk offers on Linux. The difference between Ozeki Phone System and Asterisk is that Ozeki Phone System has a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

Take a look at these pages for more information related to Asterisk:

If you became interested in this topic, please watch our video:

Asterisk Basics (Video tutorial)

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