Thursday, May 31, 2007

RSI Announces The Release of MerAssistant Switch Manager for Enterprise Nortel Telephony Platforms

OSHAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA – May 30, 2007 - Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) announced today general availability of MerAssistant Switch Manager. RSI recently acquired the assets of MerAssitant.com and incorporated the new software into its extensive portfolio of products tailored for Nortel telephony platforms.

"The launch of MerAssistant Switch Manager is part of our commitment to offer the best compatible solutions for Nortel telephony platforms through internal development and strategic acquisitions.", said Rito Salomone, President of RSI. "We are delighted to offer Nortel enterprise customers a truly simplistic approach to switch programming. It has never been easier to perform adds, moves and changes (MACs)".

MerAssistant is a powerful GUI program that allows administrators to perform many of the daily tasks of programming with simple drop down menus and point and click access rather then a command line interface. MerAssistant empowers non-technical users to make safe system changes with ease.

MerAssistant is designed to turn a Maintenance Terminal into a Graphical User Interface (GUI) solution where change actions take place at the click of a button. It allows Nortel Meridian Pbx Managers, Pbx Supervisors, Pbx Administrators and Technicians to easily manage their switch. Enterprise customers with many locations can perform adds, moves and changes (MACs) from a centralized location.

“I've never even logged into a switch before - but with this program, I feel comfortable interacting with our switch. I use it on a daily basis and it works like a charm." - J. Jackson, Pbx Supervisor.

MerAssistant boasts task automation, over 100 pre-defined reports, over 50 pre-defined programming commands, global set changes, dial up capability and much more. MerAssistant was designed to save Nortel administrators time and frustration when performing many of the complex programming tasks needed to maintain a Pbx system.

Many Nortel administrators are finding MerAssistant an invaluable tool, "Straight forward and easy to use. I've changed names of directory numbers, class of service of telephone sets and enabled sets that were unplugged. All actions that I would normally have to wait for the technician to arrive to complete. MerAssistant is a nice program to have." - R. Kessell, Pbx Department Manager.

MerAssistant is perfect for onsite or traveling technicians as well because it allows global and on the fly changes. It also supports direct connect or dial up access to the Pbx. MerAssistant gives you the power to perform moves, adds or changes easily, effectively and efficiently.

RSI is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The communication management product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI is a Nortel Developer Partner with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products.

Information about RSI, its products and the company's maintenance program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.telecost.com

Contact:
Rana Banik, Director of Sales
Email: rana@telecost.com
Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI)
40 King Street West, Suite 300
Oshawa, Ontario. L1H 1A4
Phone: 905 576-4575
Fax: 905 576-8836

Monday, May 28, 2007

Did You Know? - Visual Rapport Desktop Productivity

RSI offers an intuitive visual communication console that provides customers with real time employee telephone presence, instant messaging, emailing, screen pops, call logging and file transfers all under one roof?

Our Visual Rapport offers an integrated scripting engine that gives the customer the ability to tailor their system with such features as time logging, account code prompting, URL screen pop and call accounting integration.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Print Publication Networks Now Highlights Call Accounting Services

Nortel Now is a monthly report focusing on Nortel customers, Nortel products and Nortel technology. It offers news that highlights products and services that enhance Nortel platforms, solve specific industry challenges, or help enterprises migrate into next generation applications, and have a special focus on Nortel Developer Program Members and products (http://telecomreseller.com/nortel) RSI is a regular contributor of industry articles and advertising content.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Telecom Call Detail Record (CDR) Databases Among The Largest In The World

There are many organizations around the world that rely on huge databases residing on powerful systems to process information. These databases are filled with trillions of records collected from real time transactions. Some of the world’s most notable organizations made the list of Top 10 Databases as compiled by BusinessIntelligenceLowdown.com.

Here are the Top 10 Databases:
1. World Data Center for Climate
2. National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center
3. AT&T
4. Google
5. Sprint
6. ChoicePoint
7. YouTube
8. Amazon
9. Central Intelligence Agency
10. Library of Congress

Two of the top 5 organizations are US telecom giants that process huge amounts of call detail records in real time. AT&T has a database estimated at 1.9 trillion calling records and growing. The data includes number called, time, duration of call and various other details. AT&T has been retaining billing records for decades (even before the technology to store hundreds of terabytes of data existed).

Sprint is another giant in telecommunication call data collection. The company has a daily volume of 365 million call records and at peak times boasts an insertion rate of 70000 records per second.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

RSI Announces Call Accounting Compatibility With Latest Nortel Telephony Platforms

OSHAWA, ONTARIO - May 11, 2007 -- Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) announced today that its core call accounting software applications have again been granted Compatible Product status for Nortel Networks’ latest versions of Business Communication Manager (BCM). RSI has been working within the Nortel Developer Partner Program since the program inception to provide compatible solutions tailored for Nortel platforms including Norstar, BCM, Meridian and CS1000.

The latest Nortel Compatible Product Certificates are available online at:

BCM 50 Release 2
Shadow - http://www.nortel.com/prd/dpp/product/prodpages/certs/cert2054.html
TELECOST - http://www.nortel.com/prd/dpp/product/prodpages/certs/cert2056.html

BCM 200/400 version 4.0
Shadow - http://www.nortel.com/prd/dpp/product/prodpages/certs/cert2053.html TeleCOST - http://www.nortel.com/prd/dpp/product/prodpages/certs/cert2055.html

More products designed specifically for Nortel platforms can be reviewed online at http://www.telecost.com/nortel.

About RSI
Founded in 1990, Resource Software International Ltd. is a developer, manufacturer and distributor of leading edge computer telephony management solutions. The company offers a wide range of other products including: call accounting, hotel/motel management, carrier comparisons, invoice analysis, telemanagement and rebilling outsourcing services. RSI has distributors in North America, Europe, Caribbean, Singapore and Middle East.

Information about RSI, its products and the company's maintenance program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.telecost.com/

Friday, May 18, 2007

RSI Showcasing Communication Management Software at INNUA

Resource Softare International Ltd. (RSI) invites you to visit us at Booth 642 in the Nortel Partner Pavilion at Global Connect 2007, June 10-13 in Tampa.

RSI will be featuring our latest communication management solutions for every enterprise including call accounting, hotel billing, unified messaging, desktop console, switch management and traffic analysis solutions. RSI will showcase our latest solutions exclusively for Nortel Networks communication servers.

Global Connect 2007, presented by the International Nortel Networks Users Association (INNUA) is keeping you ahead of the curve with the latest information on Nortel technologies, VoIP, and multi-media, convergence planning, unified communications, business administration and more.
Check out our Virtual Booth or visit our website at www.telecost.com

Thursday, May 17, 2007

RSI to Attend the International Alliance of Avaya Users (InAAU) Conference

RSI is pleased to announce our participation in the 2007 InAAU International Conference being held May 20, 2007 to May 24, 2007 in San Antonio, TX.

As a proud Avaya DeveloperConnection Gold Member, and a member of InAAU, RSI is focused on providing InAAU members and Avaya customers with insight, training and resources highlighting our tailored product portfolio. RSI will demonstrate how our products can add value to customers with Avaya communications environments.

For more information about InAAU's International Conference, please visit www.inaau.org.

Form ore information about RSI and our relationship with Avaya please visit www.telecost.com/avaya.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Call Accounting for Cisco Devices

Cisco devices such as Call Manager Express generate a number of syslog event types. These logs include system interface up and down events and h.323 call logging. A Cisco Voice Gateway with PRI lines,will generate an %ISDN-6-CONNECT event when a call connects and an %ISDN-6-DISCONNECT when the call disconnects.

To generate proper call detail records and to generate billing records, which have numbers for both peers, full h.323 connection call accounting needs to be activated. The records from this log type generate a %VOIPAAA-5-VOIP_CALL_HISTORY syslog entry.

Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) offers call accounting and communication management software for SMB to large enterprise environments with Cisco Call Manager or any Cisco device with an active syslog.

For more information, visit www.telecost.com/cisco

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

RSI Offers Unified Communication Management Solutions for Every Enterprise

Communication is the lifeline of every organization. Imagine the damage to your business without a secure and reliable communication network. Since its invention, the telephone has historically been the centerpiece of communication. People can communicate in real time without physically traveling for face-to-face meetings.

As communication technology has grown, new means of communication are being adopted in every enterprise. Today communication can be achieved using a broad range of facilities including voice, video and data communication through fixed and wireless devices. The instantaneous and critical nature of communication has forced managers to watchdog the health of a network with more powerful monitoring and management applications.

Traditional call accounting software is being revamped and updated to incorporate a complete umbrella of tools to track and analyze traffic from various sources including instant messaging (IM), email, voice mail, call center automated call distribution (ACD), interactive voice response (IVR) and call detail record (CDR) statistics.

Call accounting has given way to more powerful siblings that offer complete communication management solutions (CMS). These new systems consolidate reporting of various facilities into one logical solution. CMS systems are generally web based and SQL database driven to take advantage of remote and multi-user access. Managers are able to get a much better handle on corporate communication network security, performance and misuse. Companies that adopt communication management systems realize up to 30% savings on monthly telecom expenses in addition to enhanced productivity.

Most legacy call accounting systems are reactive solutions. They can only report activity that has already taken place. Modern solutions are completely integrated with manufacturer hardware to provide "as it happens" response for emergency and security notification.

Communication management systems can reduce telecom spend by pinpointing billing errors, identifying network inefficiencies and curbing misuse. Billing errors often account for up to 10% of a corporate telecom budget. If left unchecked, billing errors can eat away at the bottom line.

Corporations concerned about securing sensitive data require monitoring solutions that highlight possible breach from would be spies, hackers and malicious personnel. CMS systems can trace obscure or unusual behavior and alert authorized personnel.

Many corporations can derive huge returns by managing their communication networks properly. Productivity can increase up to 50% by systematic tracking of communication logs. Some estimates have put productivity loss at 20 minutes to 1 and one half hours per day per employee due to abuse of communication facilities such as non business telephone calls, email and internet use. The cost to a corporation can be staggering if left unchecked.

The analysis of communication facility logs can be important in optimizing and provisioning of IP PBXs, VoIP services, wireless equipment, multi-party conference and other call handling applications. CMS systems can act as a means of consolidation with mergers, acquisitions, and new technologies creating non-uniform networks. The “new call accounting” remains a core weapon in the arsenal of all telecom and IT managers. A powerful CMS system can unify communication management under one umbrella.

Shadow CMS by RSI is a powerful system that facilitates communications management from various telephone systems and IP switches. Modules include call accounting, hotel billing, guest tracking, traffic analysis and web call management. The system is completely scaleable from a small office to a global multi-site environment.

RSI is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The communication management product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI has been granted Nortel Developer Partner status with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products. RSI is a Cisco Technology Partner, Siemens HiPath Ready Standard certified, Avaya DeveloperConnect Member, Mitel MiSN Member, Adtran Complementary Solutions Provider, ShoreTel Technology Partner, NEC Univerge Partner and Alcatel Applications Partner.

More information about communication management systems can be found at www.telecost.com.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

How to Secure Call Accounting Data

Call accounting software is a means of tracking, storing and analyzing telephone call transactions usually in a centralized database. The call information can be used for many reasons including cost allocation, network and traffic management, fraud prevention and trend line analysis.

Most telecom managers would agree that examining call accounting reports provides a vivid picture of the health and performance of the entire company. Telephone call records contain information that can often be of a sensitive nature. If call detail information were to fall in the wrong hands a company could be compromised.

Call detail records generally contain call source and destination, authorization codes, account codes, mailbox, credit card, banking pin numbers and many other access codes prompted by voice mail, IVR, ACD and other systems. Unsuspecting companies with open access databases and unsecured data transfers could be subject to security breaches, hacking and fraud. An entire business could be brought to its knees if call detail records (CDR) information is not properly protected.

Many corporations are adopting standards and policies to be in full compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and HTPAA regulations. Call accounting vendors are responding with solutions that incorporate secure buffer boxes that adopt Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) and Secure Shell (SSH) for authentication. This form of encryption allows companies with remote locations to transfer their sensitive CDR across the public network.

Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) recently announced that its product portfolio including --- Shadow CMS and Revolution Web Call Accounting --- would allow companies to secure data collection. RSI offers secure data collection buffers from best in class manufactuers that interface with its software. This eliminates the need for additional expense to secure network connections to get sensitive data.

RSI is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The communication management product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI has been granted Nortel Developer Partner status with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products. RSI is a Cisco Technology Partner, Siemens HiPath Ready Standard certified, Avaya DeveloperConnect Member, Mitel MiSN Member, Adtran Complementary Solutions Provider, ShoreTel Technology Partner, NEC Univerge Partner and Alcatel Applications Partner.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Global Connect 2007 Nortel Customer Keynote

Join the International Nortel Networks Users Association (INNUA) at Global Connect 2007, June 10-13 for the largest user-driven Nortel focused training event. Nortel customers from around the globe will meet in Tampa, Florida for education, networking and the chance to explore Nortel voice and data solutions first-hand. Plus, you will have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive Nortel customer keynote presentation from the CIO of the 2010 Olympic and Paralymic Winter games.

This news comes just days after Nortel announced that they have been selected as the Official Converged Network Equipment Supplier for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC).

Nortel Customer Keynote


Ward Chapin - CIO for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Winter Games
Ward Chapin, Chief Information Officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is leading the team that will implement and manage all the technology and systems critical for staging the 2010 Winter Games. He will explain how he analyzes key industry trends and plans for his 2010 Games network today, where Nortel will supply the network communications equipment. Don't miss this glimpse into the future of communications networks. For details on Ward Chapin and his role with the 2010 Winter Games,
click here.


Because of this special announcement, we are giving you more time to receive early bird savings!
Register by Friday, May 18 and you can still receive the discounted rate - up to $180 off the price of registration.
Still need approval to attend?

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Call Accounting Transformation

Call accounting software is a system that records, translates and reports on telephone call activity. The software is used by most corporations to control expenses, allocate cost and increase productivity. Hotels, hospitals and other hospitality environments utilize call accounting to resell telephone calls to their clientele.

Over the years call accounting has evolved from a single processor MS DOS system to elaborate SQL databases with globally accessible web-based solutions. Web browsers are either pre-installed with the operating system or freely available downloads from the internet. Browsers are popular because they can access information remotely from a public IP address or via a virtual private network (VPN). Therefore an individual can access his stock quotes, read the latest headlines and review call accounting reports through various tabs on the browser. Web browser based systems allow enterprise users to easily manage many sites from a centralized location.

Various vendors of robust call accounting systems utilize DBMS systems such as MS SQL, MySQL and Oracle. These backend databases are crucial for large enterprises that require rapid consolidated reporting. This method of open standards based architecture allows for third party data access and virtually unlimited scalability.

Closed architecture legacy systems could take hours or even days to produce the same results. These legacy systems are often ill-equipped to store more than a small window of call activity (usually 1 to 3 months). Many corporations require access to many months of data because of corporate policy, audit or adherence to stringent government regulations such as Sarbanes Oxley (SOX). An SQL based system can generally return query results in a matter of seconds.

Call accounting is constantly evolving. The traditional system that studied call detail records (CDR) from the PBX are strictly one dimensional. Call accounting now needs to concern itself with desk phone, hand held devices, VoIP services etc. There is no longer one entry point into an organization. There are many facilities such as auto attendant, IVR, voice mail, wireless etc. that require consolidation into a complete communication management system (CMS). Resource Software International Ltd. (RSI) (News) provides detailed analysis of such services under one umbrella.

The business case for call accounting has generally revolved around the traditional benefits of cost recovery, network analysis and contact center management. There are many creative uses for call accounting. Selecting the proper application requires a proper analysis of the corporate objectives. Some vendors specialize in professional bill back, others focus on the unique requirements of hospitality environments and others offer generic solutions for general business requirements.

There are many choices for an average business. It is virtually dependent on your budget and needs to determine a viable solution. You should keep in mind that whatever solution you select should be backed by a good maintenance program for software updates, tariffs and inquiries. The software should be available to trial. You should consider installing the software before purchase to determine if it fits your needs. This will give you a good idea about the quality of the software and the company providing the solution.

RSI is recognized as an industry leader in the field of communication management. The communication management product portfolio includes tailored integration to the most popular switching and network manufactures. RSI has been granted Nortel Developer Partner status with recognition for its core portfolio as Compatible Products. RSI is a Cisco Technology Partner, Siemens HiPath Ready Standard certified, Avaya DeveloperConnect Member, Mitel MiSN Member, Adtran Complementary Solutions Provider, NEC Univerge Partner and Alcatel Applications Partner.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Mitel acquires Inter-Tel, signaling more consolidation to come

By Andrew R. Hickey, Senior News Writer
01 May 2007 | SearchVoIP.com


Mitel late last week acquired Inter-Tel for $723 million, heralding a new trend of consolidation that will better position VoIP vendors to compete against the incumbent big boys like Cisco and Microsoft.

The combination of Mitel and Inter-Tel, a full-service business communications solution provider, allows the two vendors to better target small and midsized businesses (SMBs), which have been gobbling up VoIP solutions as the enterprise VoIP market has started to dwindle. Both vendors offer tools for unified communications, network management and applications such as messaging, contact centers, mobility and collaboration.

According to a statement released by Mitel, the deal positions the merged company to gain traction in the SMB space while also allowing for expansion into enterprises. Mitel is typically known for its global reach, while Inter-Tel has a strong channel and support.

In a statement, Mitel CEO Don Smith said: "By bringing together the unique strengths of each company, this transaction accelerates our growth strategy. Inter-Tel's achievements, particularly in North America, include creating successful managed service offerings that we intend to extend to Mitel's resellers and customers worldwide. Mitel's scalable solutions and broad geographic reach will drive growth in the large enterprise sector, complementing recent moves by Inter-Tel to expand its addressable market."

Yankee Group senior vice president Zeus Kerravala said the acquisition, which he billed "a consolidation play," is a sign of things to come. "It gives Mitel a very strong footprint in the SMB space, although I think Mitel's vision and technology were much better," he said, adding, "Inter-Tel had a decent size channel." Nemertes Research analyst Irwin Lazar agreed, noting that the acquisition's "impact to other players is a more competitive SMB market, with Mitel gaining new channels and visibility."

In the short-term, Mitel users will see little impact, Kerravala said, but Inter-Tel customers will benefit from Mitel's strong vision in the VoIP space. He added that SMBs will be the first to reap the benefits of the pairing.

"They'll get better products faster than if [Inter-Tel] had remained stand-alone," he said. "Mitel has been one of the most innovative companies in the IP telephony space."

Kerravala compared the Mitel/Inter-Tel acquisition to the recent partnership of Microsoft and Nortel Networks -- an innovative company pairing with a struggling company to offer more VoIP options.

"I think we'll see further consolidation between vendors that have vision of where the market is going and ones that don't," he said. "I think Microsoft partnering with Nortel was an example of that. Microsoft has a very unique vision of the market. Nortel was old and tired." The Mitel/Inter-Tel deal also draws attention to the rapid uptake of VoIP solutions in the SMB arena, where deployment has been swift and continues to grow. Most of the larger vendors -- Microsoft, Cisco and now Mitel -- are competing to corner an SMB market that's ready to explode.

In his blog, Lazar noted that both Mitel and Inter-Tel competed in the SMB VoIP market, and both have strong solutions, although there is some overlap that may create challenges when the deal is finalized.

"My guess is that Mitel saw two primary gains with this acquisition," Lazar said. "The first is Inter-Tel's large network of service and support offices throughout the U.S.; the second is Inter-Tel's strength in the SMB market. Inter-Tel also offers managed services that Mitel can build upon."

Kerravala said the acquisition is in line with VoIP vendors setting their sights on SMBs as massive enterprise deployments start to fizzle out.

"All large vendors are targeting SMBs, because VoIP is being adopted by SMBs, where it's sluggish in the enterprise space," Kerravala said. "VoIP is complex. [It's] easier to deploy in small environments and easier to prove the value."

For enterprises, VoIP's complexity is fueling a decline in deployments. It requires many more moving parts and large-scale network upgrades, and it forces companies to split their resources into datacom and telecom groups -- all challenges that are virtually nonexistent in SMBs.

Kerravala said he envisions more consolidation plays in the near future as vendors fight for the growing, but relatively fresh, SMB VoIP market.

"I think you'll see a little more consolidation," he said. "It takes a company with good technology and vision [Mitel] and adds a strong U.S. channel [Inter-Tel]. One plus one equals three."