sundance-communications.com/forum Forums TDM Business Telephone Systems Toshiba Telephones & Systems Integrating CTX670 with Cisco Unity

We are fed up with our stratagy vm system and are looking to change voicemail system. We don't have any problems with phone system itself, just the voicemail piece. We currenty have a 12 port Stratagy ies32. We spoke to our dealer about a mas but our processor and several other pieces would need to be upgraded.

We like cisco but the entire system + vm is out of our budget this year. I found a cisco document outlining integration with a ctx670 for unity v4 (current is v8). Has anyone integrated unity with a toshiba system? Any other toshiba-alternative voicemail options available?

There are other better voicemail systems out there than Unity.

Try Active Voice.

Or T3. It is a Linux box and the integration can be done pretty easily. I had a T3 on a CIX 670.. It worked very well..

I would first ask what are the problems with the iES32? It is a hard drive based system and they do go bad.

The iES16 is Flash based and will support up to 16 ports.

Are the issues programming related? Training?

I believe in using the voice mail that is made for the phone system (no integration issues). If you can swing it, upgrade to the 2UMAS. You won't be sorry, and you'll have a solid system that will last for years.

FYI...Toshiba has released a Linux based system, but it only goes up to 8 ports.

I would agree with the previous post. IES32 with the hard drive had issues of hard drive failures. Also, you may need a tech (who understands the ies32) who will sit down and take the time to troubleshoot the problems.

Toshiba's linux vm is a T3 unit.

We've had to replace the hard drive 3 times already. They won't let us provide our own hard drive so we have to wait a day or more for toshiba to send us a whole new card. Evidently they don't just replace drives anymore. Our dealer sends out a tech who just calls toshiba so we are basically paying someone $100/hr to call toshiba which is a waste IMO. I'm just done with toshiba to be honest (mostly the dealer) but don't have the money to replace the entire system and they are the only dealer within 200 miles. If we happened to use cisco unity it would be a step in the right direction towards an entire cisco systme when budget permits.

I am not locked into cisco but any kind of toshiba-alternative voicemail suggestions would be great.

The Strata Messenger would require a newer BCTU2A processor with the latest 5.20 software.

The MAS voicemail can be installed without upgrading the processor. The software would have to be upgraded to 3.10 and an LIPU card would have to be installed. I just put one in on the old processor after updating the software.

After my first look at the new Stata messanger, I like it better the the Stratagy voicmail systems.

Actually, Toshiba does. If you make a backup of your iES32 with the backup and restore program, your dealer can get just the hard drive replaced and then restore your database. If the vm is failing that often, it's probably a heat related issue. Is the room air-conditioned? Ventilated? Are the vents on top of the cabinet blocked? Is the voicemail installed in the right-most slot as recommended by Toshiba? If heat is the issue, take the cover off the cabinet and direct a small fan at the voicemail. I've had much success doing this.

phonemeister - Wish you were my toshiba dealer because mine basically says\does the opposite of what you say. Most illogical people I have ever dealt with. Yes - the ies is in the right most slot of the cabinet. Yes the room is temperature controlled to 65 degrees. I noticed this time they even replaced the drive with a smaller 9gb hard drive (didn't know they even made drives that small). We are just going to image the drive ourselves in case it happens again. Be cheaper and faster than dealing with out dealer.

Air flow is a biggy. Used to have the same issues, I have actually cut PC case fans into the CTX face plate, Dressed them up so they looked nice, no hack job. Have not had a drive failure in 5 years now, knock on wood.

You can monitor the voice mail temp in trace, it gives it every couple of min.