by Ed Mass

The PBX (Private Branch Exchange), otherwise known simply as the telephone system in your office, is a “special purpose” computer. This computer provides “intelligence”, that is, the programming of how the PBX is to function, under a variety of conditions for the making, receiving, and processing of calls into, out of, and throughout your organization. Your LAN (Local Area Network) is a network of “general purpose” or “open system” computers within your organization. This allows you to use applications written by a multitude of companies other than the one company that wrote the operating system for your network and your individual computer. Therefore, you can find the best applications to meet your specific needs. In addition, you can have custom software written specifically for your situation.

The World Wide Web (or “the Web”) protocol (a set of official, standard guidelines) made the Internet an “open system” of networked computers around the world that could be easily understood and used by non-technical people.

Now, what if you could make the PBX another “open system” so you could keep enhancing its functionality to meet your organization’s specific needs? Then what if you could link the processing of calls with the information on your LAN to better address the caller’s needs and the needs of your employees? Finally, what if you could link the PBX, your LAN, and the Internet? What would you get? Let’s see.

The PBX as an Open System

First, you would get what is commonly referred to as Computer-Telephony Integration. You would see a multitude of new applications from companies other than the one that manufactured your PBX. Or you could have custom software, written in standard computer programming languages, developed to control your PBX to meet your specific needs. This software could easily integrate with the information stored on your LAN. Dare I say that this implies your PBX may never become obsolete again? That’s an unheard of and risky statement but notice I covered myself by saying “may.” In fact, some new PBXs are using a Windows or Unix server as their platform. Now we’re really talking open systems. The PBX becomes another server on the LAN, serving up telephony functions for the making, receiving, and processing of telephone calls right alongside the rest of your computer applications!

Okay, now your PBX is an open system and can integrate with your LAN. So what? Here’s one example. Let’s say you could see your voice mail messages on your computer screen. With Caller ID, you could see the name and telephone number of the person calling you. Wow! Finally, you get to decide in what order you listen to your messages. Now you can go right to the most important calls first. After hearing the message just click on an icon on your computer screen to automatically dial the caller. How quick and convenient! This occurs by linking your computer and your phone. You can do this with a single computer attached to a single phone. Or you could connect your LAN server to your PBX and provide this capability to everyone on the LAN.

Now add fax mail. You could have faxes come directly into your own fax mailbox just like your voice messages go into a voice mailbox. You could see the list of faxes on the same screen as you see your voice mail messages. Again with Caller ID, the faxes would be identified as to who sent them. You then look at them in the order of importance and respond back with a phone call or a fax back to the sender.

Next integrate your e-mail on the same screen with your voice mail and fax mail. Even more quick and convenient! All your mail types are in one place with one retrieval. As with many new technologies, this one goes by different names. It’s called Unified Messaging, Universal Messaging, or Integrated Messaging.

Web Browser Access to Unified Messaging

If you’re at home wouldn’t it be nice if you could call into your office and pick up your unified messages without any specialized software? It’s possible and will become more common. You can simply use a standard Web browser to do so. This is really handy if you travel. You can just call a local phone number to your Internet provider and access your unified messages in your office. No long distance charges — even from overseas — as long as you use a local telephone number. It’s all starting to happen now.