Here are some links on VOIP and IT technology that I like:

Tech news now
Say it's tech
PBX Rules
VOIP Wonder
Phone System
VOIP SIP News
Nick on IT
VOIP tech news
MC3s VOIP page

Achab expands its product range with a new, affordable and intuitive software solution for the SMB market in Italy

Nicosia, Cyprus – 14 September 2007 - Achab, a value-added distributor of software solutions for the Italian market, has announced that it will be expanding its portfolio of products to include 3CX VoIP Phone System for Windows – an IP PBX based on the SIP standard. The partnership with 3CX is part of Achab’s strategy to meet the typical needs of small- and medium-sized businesses, by identifying and distributing innovative software solutions, with a particular focus on Italy’s most dynamic industry segment.

Developing a business implies changing business processes and the technology that supports them. A single, wholly IP-based communications infrastructure is key to ensuring organizational flexibility, meeting needs of flexibility, responding to customers quickly and effectively, supporting a greater number of users, and containing costs. In such a context, VoIP systems play an essential role because of their greater flexibility, reduced costs, and superior functionality – all characteristics that are perfectly integrated in 3CX Phone System for Windows.

3CX Phone System for Windows, is based entirely on the SIP standard and is therefore able to work with the most popular SIP devices, VoIP gateways, and VoIP providers. This VoIP product overcomes the limitations of traditional phone systems by adding advanced features that promote greater productivity and reduce management costs. PBX software such as 3CX Phone System can be implemented and managed by the IT staff directly without the need for special skills or additional tools, resulting in a better return on investment and greater system flexibility.

“3CX Phone System is an innovative, high-quality product that perfectly meets the needs of SMBs. This is why we wanted to add it to our offering. It is an IP PBX that was designed with the needs of SMBs in mind, needs which Achab has always sought to meet with effective, custom-designed products and solutions. 3CX is a highly competitive, cost-effective solution, including a wealth of features, together with extreme ease-of-use. Furthermore, with 3CX, businesses are no longer bound to the manufacturer of the PBX and can choose from among the wide variety of SIP-based telephones and softphones available on the market,” said Andrea Veca, Achab Managing Director. “3CX Phone System completes our portfolio, and we are now able to offer our resellers a full range of solutions that can be used to create a business’ entire communication and information infrastructure, from the PBX to messaging, to the firewall and antivirus system, to network management, SIP trunking, SIP server, SIP proxy and VOIP Gateways.”

“We are highly satisfied with our agreement with Achab, which is a partner that brings a wealth of experience and skill in distribution,” said Nick Galea, founder of 3CX. “Achab is a value-added distributor with deep roots in Italy, one which is able to provide both a complete offering and excellent sales and technical support. We are truly excited about this partnership, which we are certain will be beneficial for both of our companies by uniting the efficacy of 3CX Phone System with Achab’s expertise in taking solutions to the market.”

3CX Phone System benefits
Among the numerous benefits of the 3CX Phone System package, of particular note are its ease-of-use, numerous functions, scalability, significantly lower cost as compared with traditional PBXs, greater ease of installation as compared with traditional proprietary systems, intuitive Web-based management system and the ability to use existing network infrastructures rather than dedicated phone wiring. With 3CX Phone System, users can also answer their own extensions from wherever they happen to be, whether it be someone else’s desk, a conference room, or even at home.

3CX will be presented to the press during a press lunch scheduled for 14 September and to resellers during Achab’s “Giro d’Italia delle Novità” five-city tour of Italian SMBs from 17-21 September. “Giro d’Italia delle Novità”, begins in Milan on 17 September, with the final stop being in Bologna on 21 September. The tour will also stop in Turin, Padua and Rome on 18, 19 and 20 September, respectively. During this five-day tour, Achab will be presenting its many new and existing products, including the new 3CX Phone System. For information and enrolment in “Giro d’Italia delle Novità”: www.achab.it/giroditalia.

About Achab (www.achab.it)
Achab distributes application software for small and medium-sized enterprises which aims at reducing costs and at taking full advantage of the opportunities offered by the Internet and by information technology. As soon as it identifies a problem or a need, Achab finds the right solution, either looking for it on the market or developing it internally. Thanks to its widespread network of more than two thousand retailers, Achab brings the advantages of the products it offers to end users who can enjoy a complete service made up of installation, assistance, maintenance and training. Communications with its distribution channel, that is a support and a source of inspiration for Achab, take place through the website that has always been a point of excellence for the company. Established in 1994, Achab is located in Milan and employs about 15 people.

About 3CX
3CX is a privately held company with a management team backed by years of experience in developing and selling network infrastructure software. It maintains a global presence with offices in 6 countries and localized information available in German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Traditional Chinese (www.3cx.hk), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn), Vietnamese (www.3cx.vn) and Korean (www.3cx.co.kr). Furthermore a localized website is maintained for all major countries: www.3cx.it, www.3cx.nl, www.3cx.ru, www.3cx.pl, www.3cx.ae, www.3cx.gr, www.3cx.cz, www.3cx.dk, www.3cx.fi, www.3cx.hu, www.3cx.jp, www.3cx.com.tr, www.3cx.no, www.3cx.ro, www.3cx.com.my and www.3cx.se.

3CX maintains a VOIP and SIP FAQ in several languages, including: a VOIP FAQ in Greek, in Japanese language, a SIP FAQ in Korean, in Chinese, Hong Kong, etc.

2X opens Asian Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to serve booming Asian server-based computing software market

Tokyo, Japan, 23 July 2007 – 2X Ltd, developer of thin client computing software, envisages its 2X ThinClientServer and Citrix-like 2X ApplicationServer products, will be vital to Asian companies, as the demand for manageable, low energy consuming and affordable IT infrastructure explodes. In view of this, 2X has opened an office in Tokyo to facilitate in expanding the Asian partner network, as well as help support Asia-based users. 

Thin client / server based computing growth in Asia-Pacific
The thin client market in the Asia-Pacific (including Japan), or APJ region, has recorded strong year-on-year growth, from 171,000 units in 2004 to 280,000 units in 2005, representing a 64% expansion. The growth has been fueled by a strong vendor push across the countries in the region, as well as growing acceptance of the thin client concept, as vendor presence increases across APJ. (Excerpts from: Asia/Pacific (Including Japan) Thin Client Market 2005-2010 Analysis and Forecast by Market Research.com)

Miami, Florida – 24 July 2007 – 3CX today announced it will have the latest version of its’ IP PBX for Windows, 3CX Phone System, on display at TMC™’s INTERNET TELEPHONY® Conference & EXPO West 2007, September 10-12, 2007 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California (www.itexpo.com).

INTERNET TELEPHONY® Conference & EXPO is the premier global event for showcasing leading cost-saving and cutting-edge IP Communications products and services.

“3CX’s participation at INTERNET TELEPHONY® Conference & EXPO is a primary reason why this show is widely recognized as the #1 venue where service providers, enterprises, government agencies, developers and resellers learn about the benefits inherent in IP Communications products and services,� said Rich Tehrani, TMC President. “The evolution in this industry has been monumental and it still continues to grow. We are proud to have 3CX and 3CX IP Phone System as a key part of this year’s program.�

Read the whole article here.

You probably knew the U.S. was behind other major markets in wireless technology. But did you know it's also behind the curve in VoIP? According to an upcoming report by In-Stat, the U.S. market and European VoIP markets are headed in opposite directions. The main difference is that in Europe, the traditional phone companies are playing significant roles in the growth of VoIP. In the U.S., the telcos are trying hard to stop it. And they're doing it so successfully that the top U.S. VoIP services are often more like conventional phone service than like VoIP.

The numbers are telling. Last year, incumbent European telcos lost 10 million fixed line subscribers to free guided meditation. But there were 14 million new VoIP subscribers, and of those, the telcos' VoIP operations picked up 3 million. In other words, the phone companies were trying pretty hard to evolve. In the U.S., the incumbents lost 4.5 million wireline subscribers. But while there were 4.4 million new VoIP subscribers, the telcos only got 300,000 of them. In other words, they weren't trying very hard at all.

You can read the rest of the article at http://www.voip-news.com/feature/europe-vs-us-instat-062207/

3CX passes Microsoft’s rigorous quality standards and demonstrates enterprise readiness

London, UK – 08 June 2007 – 3CX today announced that 3CX Phone System has earned the Windows Server 2003 certification from Microsoft Corp through VeriTest, the testing service of Lionbridge.

“3CX Phone System has proven that it is enterprise ready by passing this test,” said Nick Galea, 3CX CEO. “The future of the phone system is software-based. IP phone systems will have to be certified for the operating systems they run on. I am extremely proud that 3CX Phone System has earned the prestigious Windows 2003 certified logo.”

“3CX Phone System has passed the Windows Server 2003 certification, which established an unprecedented technical standard to identify applications that are secure and manageable,” said Steve Nemzer, Vice President, Global Development and Testing Solutions at Lionbridge. “Using procedures we co-developed with Microsoft, the product has been shown to withstand a series of precise testing and are now qualified to use the “Certified for Microsoft Windows Server 2003” logo. Customers can be certain that 3CX Phone System will run reliably on the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 platform”

The full certification results earned by 3CX Phone System may be viewed in the Lionbridge Catalog of Certified Server Applications at http://cert.veritest.com/CfWreports/server/

About 3CX Phone System
3CX Phone System for Windows is an IP PBX that completely replaces a proprietary PBX, supports standard SIP soft/hard phones, VOIP service providers and traditional PSTN phone lines. 3CX Phone System is far less expensive than a traditional PBX and can reduce call costs substantially by using a VOIP service provider. Its web based administration makes phone system management easy. 3CX Phone System eliminates the phone wiring network and allows users to hot desk simply by taking their phone.

About 3CX
3CX is a privately held company with a management team backed by years of experience in developing and selling network infrastructure software. It maintains a global presence with localized information available in German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Traditional Chinese (www.3cx.hk), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn), Vietnamese (www.3cx.vn) and Korean (www.3cx.co.kr). Furthermore a localized website is maintained for all major countries: www.3cx.it, www.3cx.nl, www.3cx.ru, www.3cx.pl, www.3cx.ae, www.3cx.gr, www.3cx.cz, www.3cx.dk, www.3cx.fi, www.3cx.hu, www.3cx.jp, www.3cx.com.tr, www.3cx.no, www.3cx.ro, www.3cx.com.my and www.3cx.se.

3CX maintains a very good VOIP and SiP faq in several language, such as in German VOIP and SIP, French, Spanish, Polish, and other languages.
You can also find here information on SIP trunking, VOIP Gateways and other PBX related information.

London, UK – May 30, 2007 – Businesses that rely on payment by credit cards are required to comply with the PCI security standards by September 2007. Non compliance could result in loss of merchant account, severe fines and lawsuits. In view of these new regulations, Acunetix has published a PCI Compliance Guide to help companies understand the concept behind the Payment Card Industry as well as documenting the steps needed to reach compliance.

What is PCI compliance?

PCI Compliance is a structured security checklist which aims at securing financial data, and helps to distinguish the secure and reliable businesses from the risky ones. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard was created in a joint effort by the major credit card companies: American Express, Visa, MasterCard and Discover to monitor and develop the PCI standard. Consumers who use credit/debit cards online to purchase products or services risk suffering financial losses when businesses process their transactions through systems which are not secure. The PCI standard aims to stop the cause of online financial and identity theft from its source by ensuring the systems which process and store customer details are secure.

For more information, read the whole article here.

Certified interoperability between 3CX’s free software PBX for Windows and Patton’s SmartNode VoIP gateways offers a cost-saving, VoIP solution for small offices that leverages existing computer, phone, and fax equipment.

Nicosia, Cyprus and Gaithersburg, Maryland – 15 May 2007: 3CX — developer of the software-based Private Branch Exchange (PBX) for Windows — and Patton Electronics Company— the industry leader in business-class network access, connectivity and VoIP equipment — announced today a strategic technology partnership that pairs 3CX’s free software-based IP-PBX for Windows with Patton’s SmartNode™ VoIP gateways.

3CX recently completed successful interoperability testing between their SIP-based PBX and Patton’s SmartNode VoIP equipment.

The certified interoperability means small offices can immediately realize the cost-saving benefits of VoIP (such as free calling and consolidated operations). Businesses can implement a cost-saving, feature-rich voice and data-communications system, built on state-of-the-art VoIP technology that preserves investments in legacy equipment. The 3CX-Patton cooperation enables a gradual transition to VoIP that avoids the expense and risk of a wholesale migration.

"We are very pleased to cooperate with such an industry leader as Patton,” said Nick Galea, CEO of 3CX. “SmartNode VOIP Gateways are well-known for their stability and powerful features. Our cooperation multiplies the value we can deliver to our mutual customers. Anyone who buys Patton and 3CX solutions can rest assured the products work well together and are fully supported."

SmartNode gateways provide all the traditional telephony interfaces (PRI, BRI, FXS, FXO, T1, E1, etc.) in addition to standard Ethernet. Customers can use those interfaces to interconnect the Windows computer running 3CX PBX software with installed POTS and ISDN phone and fax equipment. New hardware and software SIP-phones can also be incorporated in the fully-integrated VoIP, voice and data network. SmartNode also provides connections to the traditional Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) for fallback and local-number dialed access.

“We are honored to be working shoulder-to-shoulder with such an industry front-runner as 3CX,” said Bobby Patton, President of Patton Electronics. “It’s a collaboration of innovation.”

Both companies are distinguished by ground-breaking firsts. 3CX is first to market with a free software-based IP-PBX for the Windows operating system. Patton’s SmartNode brand has launched such innovations as VoIP-over-VPN with encrypted voice, and a low-cost, high-performance PRI VoIP gateway with Dual Gig Ethernet ports.

"Interoperability is the word in today’s converging networks," said Marco Liechti, VoIP Product Line Manager at Patton. “No business can risk an untested, non-standard system. We are very pleased 3CX has chosen SmartNode for their certification program. SmartNode VoIP equipment has reputation as the industry’s most interoperable. We’ve been supporting the SIP standard for years."

For hi-resolution images of SmartNode VoIP equipment, go to Patton's media resources page and click on VoIP.

About Patton

Patton manufactures communications equipment for carrier, enterprise, and industrial networks worldwide. Incorporated in 1984, Patton’s catalog of more than 1000 products includes the SIPxNano™ ultra-miniature IP-PBX, SmartNode™ and SmartLink™ VoIP solutions; ForeFront™ multi-service access infrastructure solutions (T1/E1, G.SHDSL, xDSL, dial-up); IPLink™ CPE solutions (WAN routers, modems, remote access servers, NTUs, CSU/DSUs); CopperLink™ Ethernet Extenders; EtherBITS™ device servers; EnviroNET™ industrial-networking equipment, network-connectivity Micro-Products (interface-converters, etc.), and more.

About 3CX

3CX offers a fully featured FREE IP PBX with no time outs that is supported via the 3CX forums. Take the product tour at http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/product-tour.html. 3CX is a privately held company with a management team backed by years of experience in developing and selling network infrastructure software. 3CX maintains a global presence by maintaining a localized website for all major countries with information available in German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Traditional Chinese (www.3cx.hk), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn), Vietnamese (www.3cx.vn) and Korean (www.3cx.co.kr).

For more information contact Tamara Borg (tamara@3cx.com)

3CX Ltd.

Engomi Business Center

1, 28th October Street

2414 Nicosia, Cyprus

Tel: +357 22461392

Website: http://www.3cx.com.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

3CX keeps a VOIP and SIP FAQ in several languages, which includes information about SIP trunking, SIP proxy, VOIP Gateways and others. Some of the languages include: VOIP in Swedish, SIP FAQ in Portuguese, in Norwegian, and Danish.

3CX launches new IP PBX for Windows: 3CX Phone System

London, UK – 9 May 2007 – 3CX today released its commercial edition of 3CX Phone System, a new Windows-based IP PBX that completely replaces a proprietary PABX. Based on the open SIP standard, it interoperates with a wide range of popular soft phones and hardware phones. Since it supports SIP, it is possible to interface with all SIP-based providers and gateways and connect to standard PSTN lines and/or hosted VOIP lines.

“The release of 3CX Phone System is significant because we have freed the IP PBX from dedicated hardware and proprietary protocols. Now an office phone system can run as a server application on Windows and can be more scalable and more manageable," said Nick Galea, 3CX CEO.

"The move to IP-based phone systems has been in progress for some time. But often it still involves proprietary hardware - a black box. Solutions from AVAYA, Cisco and even Microsoft’s Promised Response Point are all linked to a proprietary piece of hardware. In the case of AVAYA and CISCO it even involves a proprietary protocol and proprietary phones. 3CX Phone System delivers a truly open system that runs on any machine using Windows and interoperates with all popular SIP phones, gateways and providers. Furthermore, it doesn’t tie you to Linux," continued Nick Galea.

View Nick’s introduction to the product on Youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7kYNvM0WzU.

Key features of 3CX Phone System:

· Complete phone system - provides call switching, routing & queuing

· Eliminates phone wiring & patching of extensions to a particular network point

· Makes teleworking easy because employees can answer extension from home

· Purchase cost dramatically lower than a traditional hardware PBX

· Scalable - Unlimited extensions and phone lines. No proprietary expansion modules needed!

· Web-based configuration & status indication - Easy phone system management!

· Unified messaging - Receive voice mail via e-mail

· Auto attendant (e.g. 1 for sales, 2 for support etc.)

· Reduces long distance and inter office call costs using VOIP providers.

Three available editions: Small Business, Pro and Free

3CX phone System for Windows is available in 3 editions: The Small Business Edition supports up to 25 extensions, whilst the Pro edition supports an unlimited number of extensions. Pricing is competitive: Small Business costs $350 and Pro runs at $895.

3CX Phone System Free edition

A free edition, supporting an unlimited number of extensions, is also available. The main difference with Pro and Small Business phone system is that it’s not possible to buy a support package for the free edition, nor does it include the advanced features of 3CX Call Assistant. Not withstanding, the Free Edition does more than most commercial PBXs do; including an auto attendant, voice mail and even user-to-user support via the 3CX moderated product forums at http://www.3cx.com/forums/. The free edition can be downloaded from http://www.3cx.com/ip-pbx/index.html.

About 3CX

3CX is a privately held company with a management team backed by years of experience in developing and selling network infrastructure software. It maintains a global presence with localized information available in German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Traditional Chinese (www.3cx.hk), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn), Vietnamese (www.3cx.vn) and Korean (www.3cx.co.kr). Furthermore a localized website is maintained for all major countries: www.3cx.it, www.3cx.nl, www.3cx.ru, www.3cx.pl, www.3cx.ae, www.3cx.gr, www.3cx.cz, www.3cx.dk, www.3cx.fi, www.3cx.hu, www.3cx.jp, www.3cx.com.tr, www.3cx.no, www.3cx.ro, www.3cx.com.my and www.3cx.se.

3CX maintains a strong VOIP and SIP FAQ including facts about SIP trunking, SIP servers, VOIP and SIP phones, VOIP Gateways, and it is present in several languages, such as VOIP in Finnish, a VOIP and SIP FAQ in Dutch, in Hungarian and in Romanian.

For more information contact Tamara Borg (tamara@3cx.com)

3CX Ltd.
Palladia Stockley Park
8 The Square, Stockley Park
Heathrow, UB11 1FW
UK

Tel: +44 (0) 845 869 5215
Fax: +44 (0) 845 869 5215

Website: http://www.3cx.com.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Web application security is a main concern for any business with an internet marketing presence. With so many SQL Injection, Cross Site Scripting and Google hacking attacks being reported in news, it is important that web security is not taken lightly. In order to avoid harmful website hacks which could compromise your business, always use a web vulnerability scanner. Because of the many potential ajax security and stress at job issues, ensure that the scanner can scan java script pages, so that you can check that your ajax applications are secure.  Acunetix WVS also includes extensive reporting facilities such as VISA PCI compliance / PCI DSS reports to ensure your website audit is up to scratch. It can also check for web server security too. Check out the process of security scanning with a free trial or apply for a free security audit.