Enterprise Telephony

Enterprise telephony has evolved greatly over time. Most commonly this functionality is referenced using the term Private Branch Exchange (PBX). The term PBX was first used when switchboard operators were manually operating company switchboards, but it now is used to describe complex telephony switching systems of all types.

Enterprise telephony not only is the capability to make and receive audio calls between users, but also relates to complex features that many organizations demand of a PBX system. These can include the following:

• Auto Attendants

• Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)

• Call Accounting

• Call Forwarding

• Call Park

• Call Pickup

• Call Transfer

• Call Waiting

• Music on Hold

• Voice Mail

• Emergency Call Handling (911 and E911)

The features listed are commonly used to determine whether a modern telephony system is capable of performing PBX features. Many new systems are not marketed as PBXs. They are called PBX replacements with UC functionality instead (think Microsoft Lync [Enterprise Voice] or Cisco Call Manager [IPT]).