Users and customers frequently asked why Digium

offers both the free-and-open Asterisk engine and the

commercial Switchvox solution.

Asterisk
versus
Switchvox

Digium is the creator and primary sponsor of the

Asterisk project. Asterisk is an open source communications
engine that transforms commodity computers into powerful
communications servers. Asterisk is free.
Digium also makes and sells Switchvox, a turnkey unified
communications system (IP PBX) based on Asterisk. Switchvox is
far less expensive than competitive IP PBX and UC systems based
on proprietary technologies, but it is not free.
Users and customers frequently asked why Digium offers both
the free-and-open Asterisk engine and the commercial Switchvox
solution. The answer is simple: while both products fit into the larger
universe of telecommunications technologies, they have very
different purposes and are geared towards very different audiences.

Asterisk handles low-level details of

Where Asterisk is an engine, Switchvox

With raw Asterisk, the process of config-

initiating, maintaining and manipulating

web applications, a telephony server does

calls between phones.

nothing without telephony applications. Web

is a complete vehicle. The Switchvox

uring phones is entirely manual. Each phone

applications can be as simple as single static

development team has spent the past

must be independently set up by the system

six years creating a powerful unified

administrator. Switchvox automatically det-

HTML page or as complex as Facebook or

Asterisk is built by and for communication

Google. Likewise telephony applications can

Switchvox is a powerful

communications system that anyone with

ects and configures phones, making it easy

a minimum of computer experience can

to deploy and manage users. Switchvox

systems developers. The open source

be very simple scripts or hugely complex

unified communications system

project began in 1999 when Mark Spencer

suites of application software.

that anyone with a minimum of

manage. Where Asterisk is built for telecom

also detects and configures Digium interface

computer experience

developers, Switchvox is built for small and

cards, making it easy to connect to the

can manage.

mid-sized businesses that need a powerful,

PSTN. Setting up SIP trunks and tie-lines to

cost effective phone system.

other VoIP systems is even easier.

released the original Asterisk source code

Low-level engines like Asterisk and

and began accepting submissions from a

Apache are extremely powerful precisely

growing community of users. The resulting

because they have no fixed function or

product is an engine that handles all of the

Asterisk is an engine. Switchvox is a complete vehicle.

low-level details of initiating, maintaining

and manipulating real-time media streams
(calls) between endpoints (phones). Since
the initial release its been tested and
refined by a community of more than

specific purpose set by their creators.

build on top of them. These developers

The Case For Switchvox

65,000 developers and integrators in 170

The functions to which they are ultimately

craft purpose-built solutions that implement

Digiums line of Switchvox IP PBX

instead of Asterisk? People who arent

countries around the world.

applied are determined not by the creators

a specific set of functions. Asterisk

systems make unified communications

telecom gurus who need a powerful, easy to

(the developers of the Asterisk and Apache

application developers write programs that

capabilities available to small and medium

install, easy to maintain, reasonably priced

development teams) but by application

make Asterisk behave as a PBX or as VoIP

businesses. Switchvox is administered

phone system for up to 400 users.

developers.

gateway or as a dialer or virtually any other

through an easy to use graphical user

type of telecom apparatus.

interface (GUI) rather than raw configuration

to create a powerful PBX system using raw

files and custom scripts. Switchvox

Asterisk. The major drawbacks to running

use little more than the core Asterisk engine,

includes all of the standard features of

Asterisk as a PBX are the deployment

a few configuration files and some scripts

phone system plus unified communication

time and maintainability. Building an IP

written in Asterisks Dialplan language. More

capabilities like advanced voice messaging,

advanced Asterisk applications connect

instant messaging, desktop fax, drag/drop

Asterisk with databases, web services

call control, multi-party conferencing and

and other external resources. Finally, there

advanced IVR. Features that would cost

are application suites that interconnect

thousands to bolt onto a traditional

Asterisk with many other applications in a

phone system.

Asterisk is to telephony what the Apache

server is to web applications: essentially
the exquisitely complex plumbing on
which other applications are built. Just

Application developers take engine-level

as a web server does very little without

components like Asterisk and Apache and

Looking for an all-in-one solution

for your next business phone system?
Digiums Switchvox system is more than a

SMBs that want to do more than just talk can

phone system its the Unified Communications

count on Switchvox to help them easily transition

system that integrates all office communications,

from simple telephony to a feature-rich Unified

including phone, fax, chat and web mashups.

Communications solution to improve productivity

Some Asterisk applications are simple and

So who should really pick Switchvox

Dont get us wrong: its entirely possible

Where Asterisk is built

for telecom developers,

in their business. You can even use the IP phone

complex web of interactions. These complex

Switchvox is built for small

or VoIP service provider of your choice talk

aggregate solutions do far more than

and mid-sized businesses

about flexibility!

could be done by Asterisk alone. Digiums

that need a powerful, cost

Switchvox phone system is a perfect

example of this class of application.

effective phone system.

PBX out of raw Asterisk requires some

your own solution in 32 hours or less, go for

probably want to tie in email and possibly IM

with legacy switching gear, Asterisk can be

Take the Asterisk Fast-Start or Asterisk

fairly advanced technical skills, including a

it. If not, take a good look at Switchvox.

notifications and reminders. Given a skilled

indispensable. It acts as a kind of telephony

Advanced class for a bit of hands-on

development team you can probably bang

glue that ties VoIP to TDM and digital to

training. Youll find that building solid

this out in a few months.

analog. It also bolts onto legacy systems as

solutions with Asterisk is drastically easier

a perfect low-cost adjunct. Your customer

than building your own voice engine from

has an Octel voice messaging system thats

scratch using a raw C language API from

on its last legs? No problem. Replace it with

some proprietary vendor.

good working knowledge of IP networking,

Linux/Unix system administration skills,

The Case For Asterisk

traditional telephony experience and script

Lets go back to the engine/vehicle

programming know-how. Even those who

metaphor. Asterisk is an engine. Its

are fully versed in all four of these disciplines

powerful. Its flexible. It has enormous

potential. What it requires is a skilled

If you are creating a product or a

engineer (or even a skilled shade-tree

mechanic) who can take the engine and

custom solution that requires integrated

build it into a vehicle. If you are creating a

voice communications, Asterisk is

product or a custom solution that requires

exactly what you need.

integrated voice communications, Asterisk

is exactly what you need.
Lets take the product scenario first. If

Compare that with building from scratch

and you can see the power of Asterisk. You
didnt have to write (or license) a SIP stack.
You didnt have to write your own DTMF

Asterisk is also a terrific way to learn

detection algorithm. In fact, the actual

If youre in need of a

telephony programming probably came

great phone system

down to a few dozen lines of Dialplan script

and a bit of SQL to query the database.

at a great price, check out

You shaved years off your development

Switchvox.

and testing path, added value through your

about telephony and communications.

Students, hobbyists and artists have used
Asterisk to build some extraordinarily
creative applications while at the same
time learning about telecommunications.
Some of the most successful developers

snappy web interface and built it all on a

in the Asterisk ecosystem started out

will need to overcome something of a

you want to build a conferencing server

learning curve to create a working system.

that connects to both VoIP and PSTN

Once the system is up and running you will

networks, Asterisk is a great starting

need someone on staff (or at least on call)

toolboxes of telephony integrators and

point. Asterisk has all kinds of features

who knows how the system works and how

data VARs. If youve ever done custom

If youre already familiar with networks,

that make multi-party conferencing really,

integration work you know how difficult

telephony and scripting, the Asterisk learning

If youre technically inclined and want to

to handle any moves, adds or changes.

really easy. It also includes native support

it can be to make systems from different

curve is fairly easy to overcome. Read

build a communication product or solution,

for every major VoIP and PSTN protocol in

vendors (or different generations) play nicely.

Asterisk: The Future of Telephony by Smith,

then Asterisk is for you. If youre in need of a

use today. To build a conferencing server

In enterprise scenarios where modern data

Madsen and Van Meggelen. Take a look at

great phone system at a great price, check

applications share space in the server room

the samples and recipes on asterisk.org.

out Switchvox.

Digiums flagship Switchvox SMB system

(with all the bells and whistles you can

free engine. Nice.

an Asterisk-based system. Your biggest

Asterisk fits very comfortably into the

client needs a dialer that can call an entire

experimenting with the code while in

college or even high school.

city in an hour? Sure. Asterisk can do that.

Conclusion

Asterisk has enormous potential.

imagine) starts at around $3600. Our basic

out of Asterisk you need to pick out your

SOHO package is only $1600. If youre still

platform hardware (computer), create an

tempted to use Asterisk, thats fine but first

administration interface (probably a web

do this: Divide $1600 by what you think an

application running on Apache) and possibly

hour of your time is worth. Lets use $50 per

an end-user interface. Youll probably want

hour as an example. $1600 / $50 = 32 hours.

to integrate with calendaring systems like

If you can learn enough Asterisk to build

Exchange, iCal, Google Calendar, etc. You

Digium. Were changing the way businesses communicate.

Founded in 1999, Digium is the creator and primary

developer of Asterisk, the industrys first open source
telephony platform. More than one million customers in
125 countries have deployed Asterisk-based systems.
Digium is committed to ending the days of expensive,
proprietary telecom. The Switchvox family of Unified
Communications solutions is built on Asterisk and is
designed to provide enterprise class features at afford-

able prices for small and medium businesses. The awardwinning line of Switchvox IP PBX phone systems provides
more than a phone system it delivers a Unified Communications platform that integrates multiple features that
increase productivity and lower monthly communication
costs. Its the affordable solution with a proven return on
investment for businesses with 10 to 400 users.
Learn more at digium.com/switchvox

Copyright 2011 Digium, Inc. All rights reserved. Digium, Asterisk and Switchvox are trademarks of Digium, Inc.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. Version 1.0/3 January 2011

Want more information

on Switchvox?
Take a virtual tour of
this powerful Unified
Communications platform:
www.digium.com/switchvox

Contact us
were here to help.
Talk with a Switchvox specialist:
1 877 344 4861
1 256 428 6271
sales@digium.com