Critical Links Announces New Value Added Features For edgeBOX(TM) Office-in-a-Box Appliance.edgeBOX[TM] release 4.6 addresses the fault tolerance See fault tolerant. (architecture) fault tolerance - 1. The ability of a system or component to continue normal operation despite the presence of hardware or software faults. This often involves some degree of redundancy. 2. and security demands of Small and Medium Business (SMBs) while enhancing usability. FAIRFIELD, N.J. -- Critical Links, a global provider of converged ICT (1) (Information and Communications Technology) An umbrella term for the information technology field. See IT. (2) (International Computers and Tabulators) See ICL. 1. (testing) ICT - In Circuit Test. (information and communications technology Noun 1. communications technology - the activity of designing and constructing and maintaining communication systems engineering, technology - the practical application of science to commerce or industry ) solutions for SMBs, announced today the availability of new value-added features in its flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , the edgeBOX[TM]. The features, as part of release 4.6, provide edgeBOX[TM] users with new levels of fault tolerance and security, while simplifying provisioning and making the product even easier to use. In addition, the new release expands the hardware that is supportable by edgeBOX[TM]. "In order to compete effectively with larger rivals, SMBs need access to cutting edge capabilities at an affordable cost, and the edgeBOX[TM] aims to provide just that," said Abdul Kasim, vice president, global marketing and business development at Critical Links. "With its newest release, edgeBOX[TM] not only continues to provide the broadest suite of voice/data networking and IT capabilities, but also augments the fault-tolerance and security increasingly necessary for continuous business operations Business operations are those activities involved in the running of a business for the purpose of producing value for the stakeholders. Compare business processes. The outcome of business operations is the harvesting of value from assets ." Critical Links' edgeBOX[TM] is a multi-service business gateway appliance, which provides a full fledged fledge v. fledged, fledg·ing, fledg·es v.tr. 1. To take care of (a young bird) until it is ready to fly. 2. To cover with or as if with feathers. 3. VOIP/ IP-PBX and a host of data and IT services in a single device, while dramatically reducing complexity and deployment costs. Highlights of the new features in release 4.6 include: Fault-Tolerance: The edgeBOX[TM] offers a hot stand-by option that allows customers to have complete 1-on-1 redundancy for the entire platform. Employing this option eliminates a single point of failure, which is of particular concern to SMBs whose entire communication & IT infrastructure is increasingly being deployed on a single physical unit. Now with 4.6, the edgeBOX[TM] also has a hot stand-by-option for the spare RAID, and it can be replaced without operational impact. Security: edgeBOX[TM] 4.6 supports full port-based authentication based on IEEE 802.1x IEEE 802.1X is an IEEE standard for port-based Network Access Control; it is part of the IEEE 802 (802.1) group of protocols. It provides authentication to devices attached to a LAN port, establishing a point-to-point connection or preventing access from that port if and can be deployed in a VLAN See virtual LAN. VLAN - Virtual Local Area Network based wired and wireless infrastructure (based on IEEE 802.1Q). edgeBOX[TM] 4.6 also introduces numerous security features that allow for a finer level of control of user access, as well as protection from viruses. Provisioning and Usability The edgeBOX[TM] IP-PBX can now be automatically configured for phones from Aastra and Polycom; in fact, using the phone itself, configuration can be done instantaneously. The voice prompts can be customized, and FXO FXO Foreign Exchange Office (analog) lines can be configured using parameters such as TX/RX gain, Echo cancel and Wait dial tone. The IP-PBX also supports the EasyLink external billing solution. Being VLAN aware also means temporary/guest accounts can be set up very quickly on the system without setting up complex profiles. The edgeBOX[TM] 4.6 system clock can be synchronized with a remote NTP server. Hardware Support The edgeBOX[TM] IP PBX now supports additional hardware - E1/T1 and analog cards from Sangoma sangoma Noun S African a witch doctor [Nguni (language group of southern Africa) isangoma a diviner] Noun 1. sangoma - a traditional Zulu healer and respected elder and Digium. The edgeBOX[TM] replaces up to 8 specialized solutions with a single integrated device, providing SMB (1) (Small to Medium-sized Business) Also called "SME" (small to medium-sized enterprise), it refers to companies that are larger than the small office/home office (SOHO), but not huge. customers with a complete networking infrastructure that is simple to install and configure, easy to maintain and upgrade and can be managed remotely. Customers can leverage edgeBOX[TM] services ranging from VOIP (Voice Over IP) A digital telephone service that uses the public Internet as well as private backbones instead of the traditional telephone network. Many companies, including Vonage, 8x8 and AT&T (CallVantage), typically offer calling within the country for a , IP-PBX, VPNs, security, NAC See network access control. and QoS as well as web server, e-mail server and data storage. It is available on a range of scalable platforms that support up to 300 users. The edgeBOX[TM] is delivered to SMBs through Critical Links' global network of resellers, service providers and OEMs. Hundreds of edgeBOXes are deployed all over the world and are currently supporting thousands of users. For more information about the new features of edgeBOX[TM] 4.6, please visit Critical Links at http://www.critical-links.com/. Critical Links can also be visited at the following upcoming conferences: * Business Start-Up, London, UK, April 25-26, 2008 * Convergence Summit North, Manchester, UK, April 29-30, 2008 About Critical Links Critical Links is a global provider of converged ICT solutions for Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs) that dramatically simplify and cost-reduce by consolidating a host of advanced voice, data and IT applications over a single platform. Critical Links' flagship product, the edgeBOX[TM] is an award winning multi-function gateway device that provides VOIP, IP-PBX, VPNs, security, NAC and QoS as well as web server, e-mail server and data storage; it is available on a range of scalable and fault-tolerant platforms that support up to 300 users. Critical Links typically serves SMBs through a global network of VARs, System Integrators, OEMs and Service Providers. Critical Links has offices worldwide and on the web at www.critical-links.com. For more information: info@critical-links.com Editors Notes: 1. All brands and names may be trademarks of their respective companies. |
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