Mitel 5000 + Unified Messaging + Required Fax Server
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So the question is what server OS and fax management software can be used with this phone system to so we can take full advantage of the Mitel 5000 Unified Messaging.
Personally something light weight, that can run in a VM.
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If you find out that that Mitel can do it's own faxes like FreePBX can, I'm going to kill my vendor!
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Well it is a Linux distro on the Mitel units so I wouldn't be surprised.
We're checking with our vendor too, as well as looking at some providers like RingCentral.
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@Dashrender said:
If you find out that that Mitel can do it's own faxes like FreePBX can, I'm going to kill my vendor!
That seems like a massive gap in their offering if they don't.
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I am certain it does support this, but I'm uncertain of what is required on our part to do so.
Buying a windows server license for just this seems insane. So I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations.
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@DustinB3403 said:
Buying a windows server license for just this seems insane. So I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations.
That one license alone would pay for migrating to a more enterprise, robust PBX platform.
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Exactly.
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But I feel pretty confident that Mitel will do this. I'm not a huge Mitel fan, but they are not that bad either. And this is very basic functionality.
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I have to ask - what are the components that make up Unified Messaging?
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@Dashrender said:
I have to ask - what are the components that make up Unified Messaging?
That's just a buzzword. It's not really a thing. Only gear you would not want to use uses that term. It's for gear that is sold directly to managers and not through IT. (RE: it's a Cisco thing.)
More or less it is a marketing term for low end voice, vmail, instant messaging and email mushed into one crappy solution that does none of them well.
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In 1998, Wired Magazine called Unified Messaging the top hype term of the year.
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Wikipedia: "Unified messaging is an indistinct term that can refer to the typical definition[3] of simple inclusion of incoming faxes and voice-mail in one's email inbox"
This basically means that UM is a term from a different era. It's a legacy term. And a legacy buzzword, at that.
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Mitel 5000 systems can detect fax tone on a DID and send it to email. One of our clients has this setup. We are only software development for this client. Someone else manages their phone system, so I cannot give any details on versions and software, etc.
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I have end-user experience with the Cisco Unified Communications system. From the end-user's side, when it's working, it's rather nice. I can't speak to the administration of it, sadly.
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@JaredBusch said:
Mitel 5000 systems can detect fax tone on a DID and send it to email. One of our clients has this setup. We are only software development for this client. Someone else manages their phone system, so I cannot give any details on versions and software, etc.
You have got to be F*&^@#ING kidding me!
Can you get me some details? I specifically asked my vendor about this and they said no, it does not have a fax modem in it so it can't do that.
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@JaredBusch said:
Mitel 5000 systems can detect fax tone on a DID and send it to email. One of our clients has this setup. We are only software development for this client. Someone else manages their phone system, so I cannot give any details on versions and software, etc.
That makes more sense. Mitel's IP PBX offerings seem pretty good, in general. I'm not advising them, but I'd be shocked that they would be lacking such a basic feature.
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@Dashrender said:
Can you get me some details? I specifically asked my vendor about this and they said no, it does not have a fax modem in it so it can't do that.
Mistakes....
- Asking a salesman (technically this is a spot where a salesman should have been useful, but they aren't engineers and really don't understand this stuff.)
- FAX MODEM. He said this and you took him seriously? There is no such thing as a fax modem. That's just some made up marketing term. A modem is a modem.
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Scott, not everyone dwells on the minutia that you do. I know that a modem is a modem - it was his way of expressing that the Mitel could not accept a fax directly inside itself.
JB has told me through PM, he is now not sure if the 5000 itself is handling the fax, or if the 5000 simply hears the tones and forwards the call to the correct external device that would handle faxes.
So we're still in an unknown state on this question.
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@Dashrender said:
Scott, not everyone dwells on the minutia that you do. I know that a modem is a modem - it was his way of expressing that the Mitel could not accept a fax directly inside itself.
Maybe they should
That he said fax modem should have been a tip off. Does the Mitel really have no modem capabilities at all? -
@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
Scott, not everyone dwells on the minutia that you do. I know that a modem is a modem - it was his way of expressing that the Mitel could not accept a fax directly inside itself.
Maybe they should
That he said fax modem should have been a tip off. Does the Mitel really have no modem capabilities at all?Actually I know that it does - that's how they manage them remotely for the most part. Of course as customers move to SIP, this particular vendor is asking for a site to site VPN to be setup so they can manage the phone system remotely.
damnit - I'm I'm getting mad again lol
