In mid-September 2016, Kerio released an update to its Kerio Operator phone system. It should be noted that in the era of computerization, IP telephony is more user-friendly and increases deployment flexibility for small and medium-sized businesses. VoIP technology is becoming increasingly popular, and with the advent of software tools for creating a small, established station, deploying telephony for a small organization has become even easier. One of the products, namely Kerio Operator 2.5, aimed at reducing the cost of telephony in small and medium-sized enterprises, we will tell in this review.

The new version of Kerio Operator 2.5 brings the new Kerio Operator Softphone application to the product, which is a softphone. By integrating two new codecs, users receive high quality calls. In addition, the new version improves call quality and integrates with the MyKerio cloud-based web console, with which users can remotely manage and configure installed Kerio devices. The new Kerio Operator Softphone for Windows, Mac and Linux allows you to make face-to-face video calls, listen to and manage voicemail messages, forward calls, and all of this regardless of user location using a computer.

Kerio Operator 2.5

Kerio Operator 2.5 software package is based on Asterisk IP-ATC with SIP support. Since almost all functions are implemented by software, it is easy to increase functionality in IP-PBX systems, upgrade them, and correct errors. The advantages of this class of PBX are work in a virtual environment under the control of various virtualization systems, as well as the ability to flexibly choose hardware characteristics. With the help of specialized PCI cards, you can connect such automatic telephone exchanges to the existing infrastructure via digital ports PRI, ISDN BRI and analog FXO, FXS. As a reminder, Asterisk is a free, open source, VoIP-enabled computer telephony solution that is currently one of the most popular IP-PBXs in the world. Since configuring Asterisk is usually a rather laborious task, Kerio offers an intuitive management interface in its Kerio Operator product, which is very similar to other Kerio software products, so those administrators who already use Kerio Control or Kerio Connect will quickly become familiar with this. product.

Kerio Operator 2.5

Since Kerio strongly encourages the development of virtualization, Kerio Operator is delivered as separate images for virtual VmWare environments in OVF and VMX formats. In addition, it is possible to install Kerio Operator on the hardware platform by deploying the appropriate ISO image.

Kerio Operator 2.5

Kerio Operator 2.5

It should be noted an important feature of the new versions of Kerio Operator. During the initial configuration, the administrator can take advantage of the remote configuration using the MyKerio cloud service. By connecting the new Kerio Operator server to his MyKerio account, the administrator can remotely configure it and make all the basic changes to get started.

Kerio Operator 2.5

In addition, the administrator can always add a new or updated Kerio Operator to MyKerio in a separate menu. In addition, integration with the Kerio Connect mail service is supported (voice messages can be automatically sent to the user’s mail) and the services of one of the largest CRM systems – Salesforce.

Kerio Operator 2.5

Added support for flexible Opus audio codec, which adapts to the available bandwidth, and VP8 video codec, which provides high quality transmission for office and remote employees. By default, this codec is now enabled, but if necessary, you can disable it in the corresponding menu. The new release also adds auto provisioning support for Ubiquiti UniFi phones and increases the number of Grandstream and Snom models supported.

Kerio Operator 2.5

The most interesting innovation, however, is the new Kerio SoftPhone, which can be downloaded from the Kerio website. This utility is available both for desktop PCs, as programs for Windows, Linux and MacOS, and as standalone applications for smartphones based on iOS and Android. It should be noted that for smartphones, Kerio SoftPhone is distributed for a fee and can be downloaded from the respective application stores. It is impossible to ignore the fact that since Kerio SoftPhone is based on web technologies, it is also available as separate extensions for such popular browsers as Mozilla and Chrome.

Kerio Operator 2.5

Kerio Operator 2.5

In fact, Kerio SoftPhone for desktop PCs is an analogue of the web interface that is available to the user when connected to the Kerio Operator server. With this application, the user can make calls, leave messages and receive calls made through the Kerio Operator PBX. Since the application has just appeared in the public domain, its capabilities are still quite limited by the interface, but most likely in the future Kerio SoftPhone will become a full-fledged user assistant.

Kerio Operator 2.5

On the other hand, the new application allows not only audio but also video calls between Kerio Operator clients. This allows you to significantly expand the possibilities for creating conference calls between remote offices.



By Alex

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang is a Silicon Valley-based consultant and writer. His latest book Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less (Basic Books, 2016) and The Distraction Addiction (Little Brown, 2013) blend history, psychology, and neuroscience to explore the hidden role of leisure and mind-wandering in creative lives.

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