System information

over time, limiting interruptions to the business and taking a more gradual approach
to training users.
Pure Asterisk, Nondistributed
The next step in our journey is the pure Asterisk system. In this system we’ve success-
fully migrated away from the existing PBX system and are now handling all functionality
through Asterisk. Our existing PRI has been attached to Asterisk, and we’ve expanded
our capacity by integrating an Internet Telephony Service Provider (ITSP) into our
system. All agents are now using SIP phones, and we’ve even added several remote
employees. This topology is illustrated in Figure 22-3.
Figure 22-3. Nondistributed Asterisk
Remote employees can be a great advantage for a company. Not only can letting your
work from remote locations increase employee morale by alleviating the burden of a
potentially long commute, but it allows employees to work in an environment they are
comfortable in, which can make them more productive. Furthermore, the call center
manager does not have any less control over statistics from employees; their calls can
still be monitored for training purposes, and the statistical data gathered look no dif-
ferent to the manager than they do for employees residing at the facility.
A measurable advantage for the company is the reduction in the amount of hardware
required to be purchased for each employee. If agents can utilize their existing computer
492 | Chapter 22: Clustering