VoIP News Now

Is T-Mobile's $10 Home-Phone Service Right for You?

2008-06-30T23:37:00.000-07:00

It sounds like the deal of the decade: T-Mobile USA Inc.'s @Home service offers unlimited North American calling for $10 per month. After a two-city trial, the service is now available nationwide for T-Mobile users with "qualifying" subscriptions. But there are a lot of factors to consider before you sign up. However great it sounds, the service may not be the bargain it appears to be.
To use the service, you must buy a special home router, which costs $49.99 with a two-year service agreement. You'll also have to have a mobile subscription of at least $39.99 per month for a single line or $49.99 per month for a family plan. You plug the router into your broadband Internet connection, then plug a landline phone into the router. You can port your existing home-phone number to the new service if you wish to do so.

Of course, you'll still be paying for your broadband connection. If you're currently getting that as part of a bundle that includes home-phone service, the price will go up. Some providers offer home broadband for $33 per month with phone service, but if you drop the latter, the cost for the former could rise to $45 or more per month.

Read more about it here.

3CX Develops 10 Key New Features for Its IP PBX in Only 20 Weeks

2008-06-24T06:58:00.001-07:00

Call conferencing, Paging and Windows 2008 support among major features added to software-based 3CX Phone System for Windows in record time

London, UK – 24 June 2008 - 3CX (www.3cx.com) has announced the release of version 6.0 of 3CX Phone System for Windows. The most recent version of the award-winning and software-based PBX ships with 10 key new enterprise-level features such as call conferencing, paging and Windows 2008 support. These 10 new features were developed by the international software development company in only 20 weeks.

“We are very excited to launch this new version of 3CX Phone System for Windows. 3CX’ development team has proved that we can turn around new versions and new features in record time. What would take years on traditional PBXs takes only months on a software-based PBX like ours; simply because the structure is much more manageable” said Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX.

“With our new Windows 2008 support, organizations can virtualize the PBX and run a phone system without the need for an appliance or an extra server. This means lower administration costs, no extra hardware and less energy consumption.”

10 Key New Features of 3CX Phone System for Windows v6.0

Call conference service – up to 32 participants.
Windows 2008 server support – run a PBX virtualized.
Paging – page groups of users to broadcast a message.
Intercom – with two-way audio capability.
Support for Vegastream gateways (Patton & Audiocode already supported).
Enhanced SIP interoperability – addition of support for many leading international VoIP providers and SIP phones.
BLF provisioning – automatic provision of BLF lights indicating extension status on phones.
Phonebook Provisioning – listing all extensions and allowing addition of custom entries.
Fax – 3CX’ fax server allows the whole network to send and receive faxes.
Extended HTTP API - ability to switch recording on/off, disable an extension, and disable outbound calls for an extension.

3CX Phone System for Windows allows businesses to completely break free from the restrictions of costly hardware-based, proprietary phone systems. It also includes many other features that make 3CX Phone System easy to install, configure, manage and use; helping businesses increase employees’ mobility and productivity.

Four available editions: Small Business, Pro, Enterprise and Free

3CX Phone System is available in four editions, all supporting an unlimited number of extensions. The Free edition is limited to 8 simultaneous calls, whereas, the commercial editions can be extended beyond that and have a more extensive feature set. The Small Business version supports up to 8, the Pro version up to 16 and the Enterprise edition supports up to 32 simultaneous calls. Call capacity can be expanded with upgrade packs. A detailed edition comparison chart can be found on http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/edition-comparison.html.

3CX Phone System Free edition

A Free edition, supporting an unlimited number of extensions, is also available. It can be downloaded from http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/download-phone-system.html.

About 3CX

3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in the UK, USA, Germany, Cyprus, Malta and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, developed specifically for the SMB (small & medium business) market, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, the INTERNET Telephony Magazine Product of the Year Award, and the Communications Solutions 2007 Award, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in six countries and localized information available in various languages. For more information, visit www.3cx.com.

What do you need Unified Communications for?

2008-06-09T03:46:00.001-07:00

The answer is: it depends. In fact, Unified Communications means totally different things to different people.

By merging voice and data networks, unified communications solutions help businesses make real time delivery of information a simple task; but what works for one business might not be functional to the next. Therefore, identifying what type of information really needs to be delivered and how is the key to a successful Unified Communications deployment.

The bare minimum features in a unified communications setup to help enhance user productivity and business processes are: voice, presence, unified messaging (receiving voice mail and fax through email), CRM integration (i.e. with Salesforce.com) and call conferencing.

Deciding whether features such as chat, videophone or telepresence are important business tools or expensive business distractions really depends a lot on the management’s viewpoint.

In summary, once an organization decides to get rid of a traditional PBX, the next step should be to assess what exactly the business’ communication needs really are before making the next investment. Once these needs are identified, a sensitive solution would be to then go for an IP PBX that is vendor-independent, that is easy to deploy and use, and that comes at a competitive price.

3CX IP PBX Passes Tests for Interoperability with Linksys IP Phones

2008-06-04T06:42:00.001-07:00

London – 4 June 2008 – 3CX (www.3cx.com), developer of the award-winning 3CX Phone System for Windows has announced that interoperability testing with Linksys IP telephones has been completed successfully. The tested integration offers a cost effective VoIP Telephony solution that is well suited for the small and medium business market.

“3CX Phone System for Windows’ interoperability with Linksys IP telephones portfolio conforms to our strategy of offering a SIP-based IP PBX that works with the world’s leading IP phones,” said Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX. “We are pleased that the collaboration between 3CX and Linksys to perform interoperability in laboratory tests between our products has proved fruitful, as this will benefit many of our mutual customers.”

The 3CX-Linkys VoIP combination provides a highly scalable and efficient solution to help address the increasing IP communications needs of today’s businesses. Using 3CX IP PBX and Linksys IP telephones, businesses can leverage the power of end-to-end VoIP communications to help reduce deployment costs, and to benefit from a rich set of features normally only available to large enterprises.

“We are glad that all the required tests have been completed so that Linksys and 3CX customers can benefit from an excellent value VoIP solution. It is a pleasure to collaborate with such an industry innovator as 3CX,” said Alberto Montilla, Linksys Product Manager.

3CX Phone System for Windows is a software-based IP PBX that is simple to install, configure and manage, and yet includes enterprise-grade features such as integrated fax server, phone provisioning, and unified messaging that can help businesses increase productivity, reduce their telecommunication costs and boost their profit margins.

About 3CX

3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, developed specifically for the SMB market, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007 and the INTERNET Telephony Magazine Product of the Year Award, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in various languages For more information, visit www.3cx.com.

About Linksys

Founded in 1988, Linksys, a Division of Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the recognized global leader in voice, Wireless and Ethernet networking for consumer, SOHO and small business users. Linksys is dedicated to making networking easy and affordable for its customers, offering innovative, award-winning products that seamlessly integrate with a variety of devices and applications. Linksys provides award-winning product support to its customers. For more information, visit www.linksys.com.

French Businesses Benefit from Joint 3CX and WideVOIP IP Telephony Offer

2008-05-15T06:15:00.000-07:00

Paris, May 15, 2008 – 3CX (www.3cx.com), the international developer of the award-winning 3CX Phone System for Windows, and WideVOIP (http://www.widevoip.com), an established VoIP service provider based in France with international operations, have announced that they are joining forces and expertise to provide small and medium sized businesses with a wide choice of complete VOIP solutions.

Businesses can now implement 3CX IP PBX for Windows in combination with one of the many WideVOIP services certain that these solutions have been tested for interoperability. Furthermore, WideVOIP has put together various packages that integrate VoIP and SIP technologies and deliver a great choice of cost-effective telephony solutions, combining 3CX’s software and WideVOIP services with reliable and tested hardware.

Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX said: “3CX’s partnership with WideVOIP offers businesses a broad selection of VOIP solutions that can be adopted according to each company’s telephony needs. Versatility and innovation is what we offer the business community with this partnership, and we trust that businesses will easily recognise the many benefits associated with the deployment of the fully interoperable 3CX-WideVOIP IP Telephony solution.”

Vincent ROSZAK, Sales Manager, WideVOIP said: "We are very pleased to have 3CX as one of our main partners. 3CX Phone System for Windows has a business-grade set of features that delivers an easy to deploy alternative to proprietary PBXs, making it ideal for our customer base. We have put together combined solutions galore that incorporate our VOIP services expertise and 3CX IP PBX. With this, we are offering businesses an effective way to enjoy substantial savings on traditional telecommunications’ costs.”

The enterprise level VOIP plans offered through WideVOIP combine 3CX IP PBX with services that include telephone numbers, SIP trunks, installation, VoIP gateways, and much more. These VOIP solutions are not only easier to install, configure and manage, but also much more reasonably priced than any PBX alternative, starting from only €375.

About 3CX

About WideVOIP

WideVOIP™ is a VoIP and Internet service operated worldwide by Chmurtz Ltd. WideVOIP™ started providing premier quality terminations to end users in 2005. As to reach this goal, WideVOIP™ settled and operates its own private IP Backbone. As an integrated services provider WideVOIP™ provides equipment, VoIP and web services with first level support to customers.

The Hacking of US Department of Homeland Security’s Website Highlights Dangers

2008-05-13T03:52:00.001-07:00

Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner can be used to protect websites from the increasing threat of SQL injection attacks like the one on the DHS

London, May 6, 2008 – Acunetix (www.acunetix.com), a pioneer on web application security scanning technology, has announced that the sophisticated SQL injection attacks recently launched on the websites of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the UK’s Civil Service and the United Nations could have been prevented with the use of Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner.

Hackers have attacked hundreds of thousands of web pages from reputable sites with malicious code. This turned the hacked web sites into launch sites for attacks that install malware on the computers of those who visit them.

Sarah Tabone, Sales & Operations Manager at Acunetix said: “Research conducted on 3,200 websites showed that as many as 70% of web sites have vulnerabilities that could lead to the theft of sensitive corporate data such as credit card information and customer lists*. Furthermore, attacks like the one recently seen on the DHS can convert any web site into an attack weapon directed at unknowing visitors. These attacks could easily be avoided by using Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner.

“Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner ensures website security by automatically checking for SQL injection, Cross site scripting and other vulnerabilities. It gives security experts access to a specialized cross site scanning tool that allows them to evaluate their web sites for these threats.”

Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner also scans AJAX and Web 2.0 technologies for vulnerabilities, gives detailed reports that enable businesses to meet legal and regulatory compliances, analyses against Google Hacking Database (GHDB) and features other advance tools that permit fine tuning of web application security checks.

Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner is available in four editions: a Free edition, a Small Business edition, an Enterprise Edition for businesses operating more than one website, and a Consultant Edition.

The Free edition of Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner can be downloaded from: http://www.acunetix.com/cross-site-scripting/scanner.htm

About Acunetix

Acunetix was founded to combat the alarming rise in web attacks. Its flagship product, Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner, is the result of several years of work by a team of highly experienced security developers. Acunetix is a privately held European company.

Notes to Editors

*The report on the research conducted between January 2006 and January 2007 on 3,200 sites belonging to either businesses or non-commercial entities that showed that 70% of the web sites scanned were found to contain vulnerabilities is available on: http://www.acunetix.com/security-audit/acunetix_report.pdf

ALLNET Becomes 3CX Phone System for Windows’ Distributor in Three Countries

2008-05-08T00:39:00.000-07:00

German, Austrian and Swiss Businesses to Benefit from Partnership

London, May 8, 2008 - 3CX (www.3cx.com), the international developer of the award-winning 3CX Phone System for Windows has announced the appointment of ALLNET (http://www.allnet.de), the largest VoIP distributor in Germany, as a distributors of its Windows-based IP PBX in the German, Austrian and Swiss markets.

“3CX Phone System for Windows is a great addition to our portfolio”, said ALLNETS’ Johannes Haseneder. “3CX has developed an IP PBX based on the open SIP standard with focus on the small and medium sized businesses. 3CX Phone System for Windows has an enterprise level set of features that delivers an easy to deploy alternative to proprietary PBXs, making it an ideal IP PBX for our customer base and resellers.”

"We are delighted to appoint ALLNET as a one of 3CX’s distributors in Germany. ALLNET is a leading and much respected distributor. The German market is very important for us and with this partnership we wish to expand and strengthen our presence here even further." said Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX.

About 3CX

Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner Voted Windowsecurity.Com Readers’ Choice Award Winner

2008-04-09T00:59:00.000-07:00

Acunetix Singled Out by Network Security Administrators and Specialists

London, UK – 26 February 2008 – Leading Windows Security resource site, WindowSecurity.com, announced today that Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner was selected the winner in the Web Application Security Solution category of the WindowSecurity.com Readers’ Choice Awards.

“Our Readers’ Choice Awards give visitors to our site the opportunity to vote for the products they view as the very best in their respective category,” said Sean Buttigieg, WindowSecurity.com manager. “WindowSecurity.com users are specialists in their field who encounter various network security solutions at the workplace. The award serves as a mark of excellence, providing the ultimate recognition from peers within the industry.”

“We are honored to receive this award from WindowsSecurity.com. Being recognized by the readers of a leading authority in network security confirms our commitment to delivering an innovative and quality product,” said Sarah Tabone, Sales & Operations Manager at Acunetix.

WindowSecurity.com conducts monthly polls to discover which product is preferred by Network Security administrators in a particular category of third party network security solutions. The awards draw a huge response per category and are based entirely on the visitors’ votes. WindowSecurity.com visitors can submit their votes for the current Readers' Award poll in the site’s left-hand bar.

About Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner
Acunetix Web Vulnerability Scanner ensures website security by automatically checking for SQL injection, Cross site scripting and other vulnerabilities. It checks password strength on authentication pages and automatically audits shopping carts, forms, dynamic content and other web applications. As the scan is being completed, the software produces detailed reports that pinpoint where vulnerabilities exist. Acunetix WVS Reporting Application allows security alerts to be presented in a document which abides by the PCI Compliance specification.

About WindowSecurity.com

WindowSecurity.com (http://WindowSecurity.com) is a Microsoft Windows Security resource site. It is the leading Windows Security site, attracting over 440,000 Security administrators and specialists a month. The site provides the latest Windows Security Services, articles and tutorials by leading Windows Security experts, message boards, software listings and product reviews. WindowsSecurity.com forms part of a group of sites run by TechGenix Ltd., including http://www.windowsnetworking.com - a comprehensive Windows Networking resource site; http://www.msexchange.org, a Microsoft Exchange Server resource site; http://www.msterminalservices.org, a Server Based Computing resource site and http://www.isaserver.org, a Microsoft ISA Server resource site. For more information about WindowSecurity.com email info@windowsecurity.com

About Acunetix

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

3CX and VoIPon Offer Enterprise Level IP Telephony Solution for Businesses

2008-04-09T00:44:00.001-07:00

A fully integrated and easy to use VoIP solution is delivered through tested interoperability

London, 9 April, 2008 – 3CX (www.3cx.com), the international developer of the multi-awarded 3CX Phone System for Windows, and VoIPon (www.voipon.co.uk), a worldwide business to business distributor of the highest quality voice over IP solutions, have announced a strategic alliance providing a fully integrated business grade voice solution using VoIP (voice over IP) telecommunications technology.

Companies using 3CX IP PBX for Windows can now take advantage of the many voice services in VoIPon’s portfolio with assurance that the products have been tested for interoperability. The solution, which integrates VoIP and SIP technologies, is intended to help businesses increase employees’ mobility and productivity while reducing the cost of local and international telephone calls.

“We are pleased to have achieved comprehensive interoperability with VoIPon services”, said Nick Galea, CEO of 3CX. "The combination of VoIPon voice services and 3CX Phone System for Windows delivers a great value and innovative IP telephony solution that enables the business community to reduce telecommunications costs and to boost their profit margins."

Alexis Argent, Sales Manager at VoIPon Solutions said: "We are excited to have 3CX as a partner. 3CX Phone System for Windows has a unique feature set that is ideal for the SMB market and perfect for our customers. It offers a scaleable and easy to install alternative to proprietary PBX telephony solutions; and with VoIPon services the solution can help businesses enjoy substantial savings on traditional telephone bills."

The solution is offered worldwide, providing businesses with VoIPon services such as call credit, incoming 01/02 Geographic numbers, 0800 VoIP freephone number, 0845 VoIP local number, VoIPon tariffs, and much more, all securing low call rates. This is brought together with 3CX software-based IP PBX, a phone system that is extremely simple to install and configure, and yet includes advance features such as integrated fax server, phone provisioning, and unified messaging.

# # #

About 3CX

About VoIPon Solutions

VoIPon is a trading division of Keison International Ltd, which has been successfully distributing industrial products around the world for over 20 years. VoIPon utilises this experience in the rapidly expanding area of voice over IP telecommunications technology. Since 2005, VoIP on has gone from strength to strength, growing rapidly year on year by diversifying their product portfolio and building ongoing relationships with manufacturers and re-sellers, cementing their reputation as one of the most progressive companies in their field. VoIPon’s portfolio features the widest range of market leading brands available today. VoIPon shares the industry's vision, and believes in this market's potential, due to the multiple innovations and benefits available through VoIP. VoIPon is accredited to both ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 Quality and Environmental international standards.

3CX and snom Team Up to Deliver a Comprehensive VoIP Telephony Solution

2008-02-29T05:24:00.001-08:00

The strategic partnership secures an integrated solution pairing 3CX IP PBX for Windows with snom VoIP phones to deliver mobility, productivity and cost-saving advantages to businesses.

Hannover, Germany – 29 February 2008 – 3CX (www.3cx.com), developer of the award-winning software-based IP PBX for Windows, and snom technology AG (www.snom.com), developer and manufacturer of Voice-over-IP (VoIP) phones, have announced that interoperability testing between their products has been completed successfully. This certified interoperability ensures that small and medium businesses have access to a reliable and affordable VoIP solution when using 3CX’s software-based IP PBX for Windows together with snom’s VoIP-based products.

Businesses looking to replace their traditional proprietary hardware PBXs with an easy to install, manage and use VoIP Telephony system can now benefit from the very cost effective combined solution of 3CX Phone System for Windows and snom’s VoIP phones, knowing that it is and fully supported by both vendors. Furthermore, businesses can now easily implement a complete telephone system that helps them give employees mobility, rids them of costly phone tag and reduces administration and training time by IT staff.

Nick Galea, 3CX CEO said: “We are delighted to confirm 3CX IP PBX interoperability with snom VoIP products. Companies can now implement a complete and reliable software-based IP PBX solution that is more manageable and scaleable than traditional PBXs and also costs a fraction of the price, whilst delivering more features.”

Dr. Michael Knieling, Executive VP of Marketing and Sales, snom technology AG said: “"Interoperability is extremely important in the world of VoIP nowadays and we are pleased to have completed all the required tests to secure that snom and 3CX can offer the SMB market an excellent value and innovative solution that poses no instability risks to businesses.”

Key advantages of 3CX & snom VoIP telephony solution

Increases mobility – allows workers to be seamlessly integrated to the company’s phone system any time, any place.
Eliminates expensive telephone tag by allowing users to see if colleagues are there or not.
Businesses profit from less costs and more features compared to traditional telephone systems.

Both companies are participating as exhibitors at CeBIT 2008 from March 4-9 in Hannover, Germany (Hall 13 Booth D26).

About 3CX

3CX (www.3cx.com) is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. The company is focused on the Windows IP PBX market with its innovative and award-winning 3CX Phone System for Windows, which has been developed for the SMB market. 3CX allows businesses to experience the multiple benefits of an IP PBX through its fully functional 3CX Phone System Free Edition and its commercially supported and competitively-priced Commercial Editions.

About snom

snom technology AG (http://www.snom.com) develops and manufactures Voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephones and related equipment based on the IETF open standard, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). Recognized for its high quality, customizable and cost-effective business solutions, snom is also differentiated by the company’s history in the VoIP industry, and its dedication to high security standards. All of snom’s software exists in the firmware on the phones – making it easier for users to download updates and new features. snom customers benefit from the interoperability and flexibility that the snom telephones offer, including plug and play integration and universal compatibility with any SIP-based telephony platform.

3CX Phone System v5.1 makes integration of remote workers and branch offices easy

2008-02-20T23:43:00.000-08:00

3CX’s innovative tunnel makes firewall configuration for remote extensions using VoIP a breeze

London, UK - 20 February 08 – 3CX has announced the release of version 5.1 of 3CX Phone System for Windows. The latest version of the award-winning IP PBX has an integrated 3CX Tunnel which simplifies firewall configuration by channeling all VoIP traffic over a single port; making it easy for remote workers to connect to their company’s PBX and for Network Managers to connect different remote PBX systems between them. Traditionally, firewall configuration for remote SIP / VoIP systems and/or extensions can represent a challenge, because it requires many open ports.

Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX said: “We know how important it is for businesses nowadays to have remote workers and branches seamlessly integrated to their company’s phone system, and the addition of the 3CX Tunnel to 3CX Phone System for Windows facilitates this process.

“The 3CX Tunnel, unlike other similar tunneling protocols, is not proprietary and can be used with popular VoIP softphones and hard phones. This is ideal for businesses, as they can use a variety of telephone options with their IP PBX depending on their needs and budget.”

Key advantages of the 3CX Tunnel:

Easy firewall configuration – choose any port (ie. port 80) for seamless networking
Remote workers do not need to edit the firewall configuration to be able to connect to the IP PBX from any location (ie. home, hotels, conference centers, airports, etc.)
Mobility, productivity and cost-saving advantages for businesses from the integration of remote workers and branches to the company’s phone system

3CX Phone System for Windows allows businesses to completely break free from the restrictions of hardware-based, proprietary phone systems. Built on the open SIP standard, 3CX IP PBX interoperates with all popular SIP phones, VoIP Gateways and VoIP providers.

Main advantages of adopting 3CX Phone System for Windows:

Increases mobility – allows remote workers to be seamlessly integrated to the company’s phone system
Eliminates expensive telephone tag by using the inbuilt Presence feature
Simpler phone system administration via a web-based configuration
Vendor independent – significant cost savings by choosing VoIP provider and SIP equipment of choice
Delivers unified communications technology by merging voice and data networks, allowing businesses to simplify real time delivery of information.

Four available editions: Small Business, Pro, Enterprise and Free

3CX Phone System for Windows is available in four editions: Free, Small Business, Pro and Enterprise, all supporting an unlimited number of extensions. The Free edition is limited to 8 simultaneous calls, whereas the Small Business edition supports up to 8, the Pro version up to 16 and the Enterprise edition supports up to 32 simultaneous calls. Call capacity can be expanded with upgrade packs. A detailed edition comparison table can be found on http://www.3cx.com/phonesystem/edition-comparison.html

3CX Phone System Free edition

A Free edition, supporting an unlimited number of extensions, is also available. The Free edition can be downloaded from http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/download-phone-system.html.

# # #

About 3CX

Useful Links:

3CX website - www.3cx.com
3CX Case Studies & Testimonials - http://www.3cx.com/clients/index.html
IP PBX, SIP & VOIP FAQ - http://www.3cx.com/PBX/SIP-faq.html
Nick Galea’s blog - www.nickonit.com

VoIP vulnerabilities increasing, but not exploits

2008-02-01T00:10:00.000-08:00

The threats against VoIP are numerous and seem to be growing, but in 2008 the technology probably won't suffer crippling attacks.

The potential danger is very real. VoIP is susceptible to the many exploits that networks generally are heir to -- denial of service, buffer overflows and more. VoIP PBXs are servers on corporate networks and are only as secure as the networks themselves.

Read more about this here.

3CX Receives INTERNET TELEPHONY® Magazine’s 10th Annual Product of the Year Award

2008-01-09T00:27:00.000-08:00

3CX Phone System for Windows Recognized for Outstanding Innovation

London, UK – 9 January 2008 - 3CX announced today that Technology Marketing Corporation’s (TMC®) INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine (www.itmag.com) has named 3CX Phone System for Windows as a recipient of its 2007 Product of the Year Award. INTERNET TELEPHONY has been the VoIP Authority Since 1998™.

3CX Phone System for Windows is a software-based IP PBX that replaces traditional proprietary hardware PBX. It is entirely SIP-standard based, and therefore interoperates with most popular SIP phones, SIP VoIP Gateways and SIP VoIP providers. It helps businesses give employees mobility, rids them of costly telephone tag and reduces administration and training time by IT staff.

“We are honored to receive this award from TMC’s INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine as the publication is a prestigious VOIP authority. Being recognized by editors from such an important magazine confirms our commitment to delivering an innovative and high quality product,” said Nick Galea, CEO 3CX.

“3CX has proven they are committed to quality and excellence while addressing real needs in the marketplace. INTERNET TELEPHONY is pleased to grant a 2007 Product of the Year Award to 3CX Phone System for Windows”, said Rich Tehrani, TMC President and Editor-in-Chief of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. We’re proud to honor their hard work and accomplishments and look forward to more innovative solutions from 3CX in the future.”

A full list of Product of the Year winners will be published in the February, 2008 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. (www.itmag.com)

For more information about TMC, please visit www.tmcnet.com.

About 3CX

3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. The company is focused on the Windows IP PBX market with its innovative and award-winning 3CX Phone System for Windows, which has been developed for the SMB market. For additional information on 3CX please visit www.3cx.com.

About INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine

INTERNET TELEPHONY has been the VoIP Authority since 1998™. Since the first issue in February of 1998, INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine has been providing unbiased views of the complicated converged communications space. INTERNET TELEPHONY offers rich content from solutions-focused editorial content to reviews on products and services from TMC Labs. INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine has a circulation of 225,000 including pass-along readers. For more information, please visit www.itmag.com.

About TMC

Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) publishes Customer Interaction Solutions, INTERNET TELEPHONY, Unified Communications, and IMS Magazine. TMCnet, TMC's Web site, is the leading source of news and articles for the communications and technology industries. Ranked in the top 6,000 most visited Web sites in the world by alexa.com*, TMCnet serves as many as three million unique visitors each month. TMC is also the first publisher to test new products in its own on-site laboratories, TMC Labs. In addition, TMC produces INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO, and Call Center 2.0 Conference. For more information about TMC, visit www.tmcnet.com. (*alexa.com is an amazon.com company that ranks Web sites by their traffic levels. Neither alexa.com nor amazon.com is affiliated with TMCnet.) For more information about TMC, visit www.tmcnet.com.

Top 20 VoIP Influencers for 2007

2008-01-07T01:04:00.000-08:00

Owen Linderholm on January 2, 2008

As anyone who follows a communication industry knows, everything is changing all the time. But that is particularly true for VoIP and Internet telephony, especially now that the transition from VoIP-as-telephone-replacement to VoIP-as-enabler-of-business-processes is finally underway.

So here, in no particular order, are the people VoIP-News thinks are responsible for the most change in 2007 — either those who caused the most change directly or those who are influencing change in all kinds of ways — including changes that may not be felt in the market for years.

Jeff Pulver: In many ways, Jeff Pulver is responsible for the huge growth and success of VoIP, and every time someone thinks that he is retiring or becoming less of an influence, back he comes for more. Suffice it to say that founding VON; brokering deals; and turning his attention to applications, Internet video and many other projects are all keeping him a primary VoIP influencer.
Thomas Howe: Thomas Howe is less well known than most on this list, but what he's doing is highly significant. He is at the forefront of implementing the kind of change in businesses that VoIP is enabling. Rather than focusing on the technology side, like so many others in VoIP, he focuses on the business and how to effectively use technology. For example, the new way UPS Inc. uses business systems and VoIP — to see if you are going to be home if a package must be signed for — is all thanks to Thomas Howe.

To read the rest of the influencers, check here.

Meet us at INTERNET TELEPHONY® Conference & EXPO East 2008 in Miami

2007-12-20T05:54:00.001-08:00

3CX to Feature Latest Version of its Phone System for Windows at INTERNET TELEPHONY® Conference & EXPO East 2008 in Miami

Miami, Florida — 20 December 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 East 2008 (booth #327), from January 23 to 25, 2008 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Florida (www.itexpo.com).

INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO is the world’s largest and best-attended IP Communications trade show. Last year’s East coast event, held in South Florida in January, drew over 7,000 buyers and sellers of IP Communications products and services. The upcoming show in January will be the 17th INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO, and TMC projects total attendance to exceed 7,500.

“3CX participation at INTERNET TELEPHONY® Conference & EXPO exemplifies why this show is widely recognized as the #1 venue where service providers, enterprises, government agencies, developers and resellers gather to 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 Phone System for Windows as a key part of this year’s program.”

3CX Phone System for Windows is an award-winning software-based IP PBX that replaces traditional proprietary hardware PBX. It is entirely SIP-standard based, and therefore interoperates with most popular SIP phones, SIP VoIP Gateways and SIP VoIP providers. It frees businesses from the shackle of hardware-based proprietary phone systems and is very easy to manage by system administrators as it integrates well with Windows Network infrastructure.

3CX Phone System for Windows won a “Best of Show” Award at Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC®)’s INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West 2007, which took place in September 2007.

“We are excited to be participating as exhibitors at INTERNET TELEPHONY® Conference & EXPO as this is a great opportunity for us to promote our innovative product. We have just launched version 5 of 3CX Phone System for Windows with a set of features that help businesses give employees mobility, rids them of costly telephone tag and reduces administration and training time by IT staff. We look forward to meeting the key players in the industry who will attend the event and to promoting our product to them,” said Nick Galea, CEO 3CX.

Registration for the show is now open. Anyone interested may register by visiting www.itexpo.com.

About 3CX

3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. The company is focused on the Windows IP PBX market with its innovative 3CX Phone System for Windows, which has been developed specifically for the SMB market. For additional information on 3CX please visit www.3cx.com.

About TMC®

Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) publishes four print publications: Customer Interaction Solutions, INTERNET TELEPHONY, SIP Magazine and IMS Magazine. TMCnet, TMC's Web site, is the leading source of news and articles for the communications and technology industries. Ranked in the top 1,600 sites in the world by alexa.com*, TMCnet serves more than one million unique visitors each month. TMC is also the first publisher to test new products in its own on-site laboratories, TMC Labs. In addition, TMC produces INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO, Communications Developer Conference, VoIP Demo, IMS Expo and Call Center 2.0 Conference. TMCnet.com publishes more than 15 topical online newsletters. For more information about TMC, visit www.tmcnet.com. (*alexa.com is an Amazon.com company that ranks Web sites by their traffic levels. Neither alexa.com nor amazon.com is affiliated with TMCnet.)

3CX Proves That Soft Is Better Than Hard - When It Comes To Phone Systems

2007-12-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

3CX’s software-based phone system frees businesses from proprietary hardware with an easy to install, manage and use SIP-based IP PBX

London, UK - 05/12/07 – 3CX has announced the release of version 5 of 3CX Phone System for Windows; the newest version of their award-winning software-based VOIP PBX for Windows which helps businesses give employees mobility, rids them of costly phone tag and reduces administration and training time by IT staff.

3CX Phone System allows businesses to completely break free from the shackle of hardware-based, proprietary phone systems. Built on the open SIP standard, 3CX Phone System interoperates with all popular SIP phones, VOIP Gateways and VOIP providers.

Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX said, “We are excited to deliver version 5 of 3CX Phone System at a time when the market is realizing that proprietary, hardware-based PBXs are becoming obsolete. 3CX IP PBX is a modern software based PBX that evolves the communication of businesses to the 21st century, by delivering mobility, productivity and cost-saving advantages”.

Key advantages of adopting 3CX Phone System:

Increases mobility – allows remote workers and tele-workers to be seamlessly integrated to the company’s phone system
Eliminates expensive telephone tag using the inbuilt Presence feature
Easier phone system administration via a web-based configuration
Vendor independent – significant cost savings by choosing VOIP provider and SIP equipment of choice

“The feedback we have received from clients following the successful deployment of our previous versions in thousands of sites is very positive, and I feel confident that with all the great new features that we have incorporated in this new version, our product will help SMBs get even more advantages out of the migration to a software based PBX in a cost-effective and innovative way”, added Nick Galea.

Key new features of 3CX Phone System v5:

Call recording – easily record calls for monitoring purposes
Phone provisioning – set-up new extensions automatically
Firewall friendly VOIP client with included mini VPN – ideal for remote users
Integrated fax server
G729 codec support
3CX bridges for branch offices
SIP Trunking support

And many other features that make 3CX Phone System easy to install, configure, manage and use; allowing employees to increase mobility and productivity.

Four available editions: Small Business, Pro, Enterprise and Free
3CX Phone System for Windows is available in four editions, all supporting an unlimited number of extensions: The Small Business edition supports up to 8, the Pro edition up to 16 and the Enterprise edition up to 32 simultaneous calls. Pricing is very competitive: Small Business costs €375, the Pro runs at €795 and Enterprise costs €1150.

3CX Phone System Free edition
A Free edition, supporting an unlimited number of extensions, is also available. The main differences with the commercial editions are that it is not possible to buy a support package for the Free edition, it does not offer fax, call queuing, Exchange 2007 support, call pick up and call parking, MWI, presence (to check extension status of other users), remote configuration of extension options, G729 codec support, 3CX Bridges (to connect remote branch offices) and call recording. Not withstanding, the Free edition does more than most commercial PBXs do; it includes an auto attendant and Unified Messaging. The Free edition can be downloaded from http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/download-phone-system.html.

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, developed specifically for the SMB market, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in German (http://www.3cx.de), Swedish (http://www.3cx.se), Norwegian (http://www.3cx.no), Finnish (http://www.3cx.fi), Dutch (http://www.3cx.nl), Spanish (http://www.3cx.es), French (http://www.3cx.fr), Italian (http://www.3cx.it), Portuguese (http://www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (http://www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (http://www.3cx.cn) and many other languages. 3CX keeps a comprehensive IP PBX, SIP and VOIP FAQ on its website covering all the most common questions on the topic.

Useful Links:
3CX website: http://www.3cx.com
3CX Case Studies & Testimonials - http://www.3cx.com/clients/index.html
3CX Phone System Free, Small Business, Pro and Enterprise editions comparison table - http://www.3cx.com/phone-system/edition-comparison.html
IP PBX, SIP & VOIP FAQ - http://www.3cx.com/PBX/SIP-faq.html
Nick Galea’s blog – http://www.nickonit.com

VOIP to Be Used for Emergency Notifications

2007-11-13T00:59:00.000-08:00

Organizations look to unified communications for efficiency and emergency preparedness:

"It's just another way of trying to get a message out to students. When something bad happens like the Virginia Tech [shooting], you have to try to get to students any way you can," said Steve Stempien, director of information services at Adrian College.

The technology also has more prosaic, albeit important, uses. Admissions counselors at the college intend to use the new Mobile Call Manager as a way to "stay in communication with prospective students," said Stempien.

This and other functionalities are part of a package that ShoreTel is introducing Nov. 12 as it tries to jump on the unified communications bandwagon.
Read the article here.

3CX and InPhonex deliver a complete and reliable VOIP Solution by strategically joining forces

2007-11-08T06:34:00.000-08:00

The partnership offers businesses a fully tested, integrated and easy to use VOIP solution

Nicosia, Cyprus and Florida, USA – November 8, 2007 – 3CX, the international developer of telecommunications software, today announced they have teamed with InPhonex, a leading provider of high quality internet telephony services and infrastructure, for end-users and service providers worldwide. The companies together now supply a fully integrated and highly reliable end-to-end business grade solution using VOIP/ SIP technologies.

Businesses already using 3CX VOIP PBX for Windows can now benefit from InPhonex’s internet telephony services for voice calls as an integrated solution, confident that there are no inconsistencies between the products. "As IP Telephony gains momentum, it is essential for providers to be able to offer a VOIP solution that eliminates deployment challenges, such as reliability and interoperability," said Nick Galea, CEO at 3CX. “3CX’s partnership with InPhonex provides an excellent VOIP solution. Full interoperability testing has been executed, so customers can use our IP PBX with InPhonex internet telephony services knowing that the solution has been tested and that they have full support from both companies”.

"By working with 3CX, we are delivering a cost-effective solution to our customers that incorporates the best voice quality, seamless integration and interoperability into an existing IT environment”, said Todd Hirshorn, President, InPhonex, LLC. “The 3CX Phone System for Windows is a reliable product that is extremely easy to install and manage. The ease of technical configuration and features make the solution perfect for us and provide our business customers a fully integrated telephony solution, including SIP trunking, SIP server, VOIP phone, SIP Phone, VOIP gateway, SIP Proxy”.

The solution allows for a choice of calling plans to best fit each customer’s needs. Each plan includes free calls to other InPhonex subscribers worldwide, prepaid "out of plan" calling with low international rates, and unlimited calling to the destinations they call the most for one flat monthly fee. Every account includes over 20 free features such as voicemail, callerID, call waiting and International call forwarding. This is combined with an award-winning Windows based IP PBX with features that make it easy to install, configure and manage, increasing productivity andenabling businesses to reduce their telecommunication costs and boost their profit margins.

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in German (http://www.3cx.de/), Spanish (http://www.3cx.es), French (http://www.3cx.fr), Italian (http://www.3cx.it), Portuguese (http://www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (http://www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (http://www.3cx.cn) and many other languages.

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.

About InPhonex

Founded in 2003, InPhonex is a leading provider of proven, high quality Internet telephony services and infrastructure for business and consumer end-users and service providers worldwide. InPhonex offers solutions for virtual VoIP companies who want to become independent IP telephone service providers, through the VarPhonex Reseller Program, combing robust network infrastructure and leading edge services with the industry's most customizable private label package.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida USA, InPhonex is a privately held company with technical data centers in Florida and Virginia serving 150 countries. For more information, visit www.inphonex.com and the reseller program at www.varphonex.com.

Mobile and VoIP merge into one

2007-10-31T01:27:00.000-07:00

In a move sure to please many, mobile phone company 3 has released a phone that allows you to make free calls.

The 3 Skypephone, which can operate as a normal 3G phone, lets users also make free Skype calls and send free instant messages to other Skype users anywhere around the world.

"People like using Skype and enjoying free calls on their PC, so why not let Skype free on the mobile and in a way that's really easy to use," 3 CEO, Nigel Dews, said.

"This is simply giving people what they want, and challenging the traditional phone company view that dictates customers get charged for everything they do, with access to VoIP (voice over IP) on the mobile being essentially off limits."

The phone will appeal to those with an addiction to text messaging, allowing more than 10,000 free chat messages and 4,000 minutes of call time between Skype users.

3CX and Portland Europe Partner to Enter Benelux IP Telephony Market

2007-10-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

Headache-free calling with 3CX IP Telephone System

Zoetermeer and Nicosia, 15 October 2007 – Telephone communication happens smoothly, more efficiently and less expensively with 3CX Telephone System for Windows. 3CX Phone System replaces traditional proprietary telephone systems and implements a software-based PBX that supports the open SIP standard, PSTN phones lines and popular VOIP providers. Furthermore, purchase and maintenance of the system is less costly than a proprietary or Linux-based telephone system.

Step-by-step installation dialogs ensure quick installation and easy maintenance. The 3CX Phone System elmininates telephone cabling because it uses the existing computer network.

3CX Telephone System main features:

Complete telephone system, including call transfer, inbound routing and call queues
Much less expensive then a proprietary or Linux-based PBX
Scalable to any number of extensions or lines – without the need for expensive system modules
Adds and Moves of extensions are much easier – no need for patching network points
Web-based configuration and status monitor
Receive voice mails by email (Unified Messaging)
Vendor independent – use popular SIP phones from different vendors

Kim van Brugge, director of Portland Europe said, “With the 3CX solution, we can offer our resellers access to the booming VOIP telephone system market. They can expand their portfolio for existing customers and gain new ones. In the business market, lower costs, flexibility and higher customer satisfaction via a computer-based telephone system are important sales arguments. We expect that 3CX will play an important role in our portfolio.”

Nick Galea, CEO of 3CX Ltd added, “Portland Europe is a prominent Value Added distributor in the Benelux. Their extensive dealer network, as well as, their ability to proactively sell and support our products in the Benelux market make them a perfect distribution partner for 3CX.”

3CX Phone System for Windows is available in three versions: Small Business, Pro and Enterprise. For more information, pricing and downloads, resellers can visit www.portland.nl.

About Portland Europe
Portland Europe is known for quality, easy to use and no-nonsense software. The company was founded in 1997 and was the first software distributor to distribute software electronically in the Benelux. The company has more then 1000 resellers in the Benelux who buy and sell software via the internet. Portland Europe regularly expands its portfolio with well-priced solutions to help companies manage their networks, PC’s and communications. Ease of installation and management are key! Besides 3CX, Portland Europe distributes in the Benelux Alt-N, CA, Centennial, Kaseya, Proofprint, WebSPy and Qbik.

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in Dutch (http://www.3cx.nl/) German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Italian (www.3cx.it), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn) and many other languages.

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

Innovative 3CX IP PBX for Windows now available to Danish resellers via Inter-Data A/S

2007-10-15T02:42:00.000-07:00

3CX VoIP PBX for Windows is easy to install, configure and manage

Silkeborg, DK – 3CX today announced that a distribution agreement between 3CX and Inter-Data A/S has been signed for the Danish market.

“This enables us to bring new and innovative products to the channel. 3CX offers our resellers an excellent opportunity to move into the VoIP market – a market with rich business opportunities, not only on the hardware, but especially on software and service offerings” said Rene Rasmussen, CEO Inter-Data A/S.

Chris Martin, Sales Director 3CX, added, “Inter-Data are well poised to provide Danish resellers with a complete end-to-end solution by adding 3CX Phone System to their current server product range and VOIP products, and backed up by the Inter-Data A/S Business Team.”

Just last month, 3CX Phone System for Windows received a “Best of Show” Award at Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC®)’s INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO West 2007, in the United States.

Mr. Rasmussen confirmed, “Our ID Business team has tested several different soft VOIP PBX’s, and has without doubt found 3CX Phone System the easiest to work with, both in terms of initial installation, configuration and management – We are confident that our channel partners will benefit from the innovative 3CX IP PBX for Windows.”

About 3CX
3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software, headquartered in Europe with offices in Cyprus, USA, UK and Hong Kong. It is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007, all in recognition to the company’s commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in four countries and localized information available in Dutch (http://www.3cx.nl/) German (www.3cx.de), Spanish (www.3cx.es), French (www.3cx.fr), Italian (www.3cx.it), Portuguese (www.3cx.com.br), Japanese (www.3cx.jp), Simplified Chinese (www.3cx.cn) and many other languages.

3CX maintains a full fledged 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.

About Inter-Data A/S

Inter-Data A/S were founded in 1993, and are specialized in PC manufacturing and value-added distribution. Inter-Data A/S employ 60 highly motivated employees at both the head office in Silkeborg and branch office in Copenhagen. Inter-Data A/S Business department focusing on channel development on innovative products like 3CX, Supermicro, Thin Clients ect.

Inter-Data A/S is distributing a range of leading brands, like Supermicro, Samsung, Synology, Xerox, MSI, iGEL, Kingston, Microsoft, 3CX and many more.

Microsoft Offers Licenses For Fake Windows XP Copies

2007-10-03T05:15:00.000-07:00

In the latest sign that Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) expects to support its Windows XP operating system for the foreseeable future, the company on Tuesday introduced a new licensing program designed to let users of fake or pirated copies of the business version of the OS upgrade to fully licensed copies.

Under the plan, called Get Genuine Windows Agreement, software resellers can offer to their business customers a volume licensing contract that will allow them to replace fake or "mislicensed" copies of Windows XP Professional with legitimate versions.

To qualify, users of illegitimate versions of Windows XP Pro must pledge to use only genuine Microsoft software going forward and agree to have their software infrastructure audited. Once they bring undocumented copies of Windows XP Pro into compliance, program participants will have the option of enrolling the software into Microsoft's Software Assurance program -- which offers upgrades and support for an additional fee.

Read the whole article here.