atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums VOIP Phones & IP PBX Cisco Telephones and Systems Cisco is coming whether I like it or not

Our best customer is just about to go Cisco ip phones and I dont think I can persuade them not to, as they just spent 70,000 on new switch. Some of that cost I'm told is the fact that it is designed to support ip phones when they do make the move. I hate to admit it, but but I think I want to get some training so I can still be of use to them. any suggestions on were to start? Are there manuals available? Online classes maybe. I think in the long run I'm gonna have to do it anyway, may as well start now.

I'm a phone man and I can change.. if I have to.. I guess..

https://www.networkworld.com/news/2006/091206-von-sam-houston.html

Try here. Probably not what you are looking for, but a start. If you want to go cisco, i would say start with your ccna cert and move from there. You essentially have to be fully invested in Cisco to be a VAR for the VoIP stuff, and being a VAR is probably the only way to go if you are really interested in making some cash. One of our customers went to cisco also, we made some money on preparing the wiring, but there is no way we could compete with Qwest for territorial rights.

Plus we like the freedom of not being tied down to quotas.

Emmitt, I asked pretty much the same question a few months ago and got some good pointers here.

Uh, what's a VAR? Is that yet another CG term being spread amongst the telecom industry?

Until this stuff truly crashes and burns (which it is doing at a rapid pace with my former customers), the CEO/CIO bunch on the golf course is going to keep buying into this charade.

I like the fact that the few customers who jumped ship are doing a very good job of keeping in touch and sharing their experiences. One being a bank hasn't had branch to branch calling since the Ciscrap system was installed at their headquarters. The joker(s) who sold them the equipment swore that they could integrate with any system's nodes.

My company still maintains the remote bank branches, all of which must be dialed by a 10-digit number now instead of a 4-digit extension. Transfers are fake, as in transferring the caller via the full phone number. The remote branches no longer have voice mail since it was in our hub system that was replaced by Cisco equipment.

The bank is also paying 10.6 cents per call, whether a transfer or even a simple "internal" call to another branch since that's what the LEC charges for message units.

Wow, that Cisco stuff looks like it is a real cost saver! Granted, any VOIP systems may bridge some gaps, but people buying these systems seem to be under the misconception that they can eliminate the need for an LEC/CLEC. The people selling VOIP seem to be forgetting this vital factor when selling their wares. It's just a matter of time before people wake up and realize that Cisco, et: all, is not the product that people are being BS'd into believing that it is.

VAR=Value-Added Reseller

Pet Smart's in our area are taking out Partner systems and putting in CISCO. We have been asked to to the hook up on the extenal devices such as paging and music on hold because the installing company does not do that. We went to a site last week to check out a MOH problem and the manager was really upset about his new CISCO. Can't handle but one call at a time. Have to park the first caller and that caller always get cut off when the second call is answered. We had no advice for him. We also have a couple of other customers who are going CISCO. We're doing the cabling. We also did a CISCO Wireless Access Point install for one of the customers. From what we're seeing, the installing companies don't want to get their hands dirty doing things like cabling, and physical stuff.

Mark, please clarify --- are you saying they are a bunch of computer geeks that don't know anything about telephony? Don't know how to climb a ladder? Don't know how to pull or terminate wire? Useless waste of oxygen, food, water, and space on this earth? Or are they just too good to do REAL work? Please clarify.

Sorry, Chico and Bix made me do it. :toothy:

Apparently the entire PetSmarts conversion to Cisco has been fiasco. We've had to do the same thing as Mark for one of the local ones. One of the big problems is the Cisco techs come in when the store closes, cuts over to the new system and is gone by the time the store opens. Training is done via a video.

Mike Sandman's piece on VOIP is fun reading.

https://sandman.com/VoIPresearch.html

It's all in the delivery. I pulled a 14 station hosted VoIP last week and in the process of pulling a 9 station hosted VoIP solution Monday. Both had the same complaint..can't be heard by calling party.

Last Wednesday I needed an obscure part that has been discontinued for 10 plus years. Found a source on the internet and couldn't understand the sales person. I said I'll bet you're on a VoIP phone as I can understand every third word. He called me back on his Blackberry and we laughed and completed the transaction.

I make as much installing VoIP as I do replacing VoIP.

Bottom line is..if your network is crap your IP appliances are worse.

QOS QOS QOS QOS and finally QOS.

Apparently you guys haven't heard the news. One of them there Cisco systems can save you about a million dollars a month on your phone bill. Pays for itself in like a week I'm told.

Same thing here, Mark and Larry with PetSmart. A new store had the same situation; the midnight bandits.

A friend here was able to put their local coordinator in touch with my company to help them get the job finished. When I say "them", I refer to to PetSmart, not the installing company. They took the money and ran in the night, leaving a non-functional system.

They claimed that one of the numbers wasn't appearing on the "D-Mark". Apparently, the telco was paid probably a gazzillion dollars to extend the lines inward from the outdoor NID. Another line was added after the fact but wasn't extended because this activity wasn't requested. The middle man had to pay us to go there and cross-connect the line to the 'super sysem'.

Funny how CG's can steal business away from us, yet they have no clue what happens "beyond that orange cover". Maybe it's high time we stop helping them get their systems working. I tried to do this with my bank customer, but having had such a great relationship with their staff, I couldn't help but have a heart.

Now I wish I hadn't since guess who they call when their $75,000.00 system doesn't work? I might add that this is three times what they paid for their original working (and capable) hub system.

Ed I think that was the site I referred to you.
This is something that I have complained about with the national contractor for Petsmart. Can you imagine putting your system in and not be there for the first day of service. Every new install leaves the store employee’s confused. Yet the process continues.
:shrug: :scratch:

Think what Gov IT idiots are dropping down the drain
on this junk. The local County school district now has 2 Cisco at bus barns in Dallas Co. Both still have the DBS Panasonic phones on thier desk for paging and intercom, and make only outgoing calls
on Cisco,can't figure out the one call appearance
of the low end ($400.00) phones. They are waiting for the next budget to get a paging server, (thats what thier vendor call it for over 3500). They call us for any wiring or CO line problems.
We explained that paging can be hooked up via a inexpensive CO port, and save themselves $3k,
but vendor tells them this will void warranty
and would not work anyway and that we don't understand thier system. Guess who they belive?
Im sure that someone on the inside has thier hand in the Cookie Jar. Our school districts, County and City are awash in people who are criminal or just plain stupid. The city DISD actually gave all
employees Credit Cards! Without any system tp monitor the use of those cards. Then acted suprised when news story broke about Staff and teachers using the cards to furnishn thier houses
and trips to casino!!

I gave them an earful also. But, they are not the ones putting in the Cisco's. They are simply billing time + materials to fix their competitions problems. I still don't see how this is getting by the corporate big-wigs.

But, what do I know? I'm just the phoneman...

When one of the Petsmart's went to CISCO, we got a call from the contract service group that used to service the Avaya's. He asked if we would be at Petsmart at 3:00 am to hook up the paging and MOH. :rofl:

Whats the funny part; being there at 3am or the assumption there is still avaya equipment on premise?

wow... what idiot ordered the 70k switch that supports VOIP? just to clarify, any regular ol' layer2 switch can be programmed to support VOIP to an extent. in order to understand how VOIP works, just take a short one-week CTP course and you'll be up to date in no time. also check with your manufacturer, some have implemented their own voip programs to educate their dealers. btw, if you're pursuing cisco, i just had a chance to see how their gui interface works and its somewhat impressive compared to command prompts.