Interactive Intelligence Middle East, a provider of unified IP communications solutions, has released the Interaction SIP Station, an endpoint device designed as an affordable and simple alternative to IP desk phones.

'While IP desk phones increasingly offer sophisticated functionality, their complexity and cost are barriers for adoption among many organizations,' said Drew Kraus, research vice president with Gartner, which delivers research and insight to technology leaders.

'Though the use of USB headsets with softphones offers an alternative, reliability issues often preclude their use. We've been telling clients for awhile now to lower their infrastructure costs by deploying low-cost phones, while supporting advanced telephony features via PC-based call control applications.”

“By further distilling that endpoint device down to its core functionality, organizations can realize even more savings while still maintaining a clear voice signal and advanced features, Kraus added.

With a dedicated chip-set delivering high quality audio, the Interaction SIP Station has no hand set, display, or dial pad.

Instead, the device is designed to work in conjunction with a headset and the Interactive Intelligence Interaction Client, a PC-based call control software application that features call recording, call rules, conferencing, presence management, company directory look-up, queue monitoring and call history, among others.

'By providing a dedicated audio path for reliability, and using our client application for rich functionality, the Interaction SIP Station provides all the features a company needs in an endpoint device -- and none that they don't,' said Shaheen Haque, territory manager, Turkey and Middle East for Interactive Intelligence Middle East.

'What makes this device a market-first, however, is that we're offering this reliability and simplicity at a price point that's roughly half that of a basic IP phone, and a fraction of what high-end multimedia phones cost,” he added.

Measuring  4.5 in x 4.5 in x 1.5 in (11.4 cm x 11.4 cm x 3.8 cm), the Interaction SIP Station also consumes less desk space than a traditional phone. The device's physical buttons include pick-up/disconnect, mute, volume control, emergency speed dial, and a multi-function status LED.

The Interaction SIP Station uses power over Ethernet (PoE), thus further enhancing reliability by making it easier and more efficient to supply back-up power, a statement said.

The Interaction SIP Station is targeted at mid-size to large contact centres and enterprises, and will be sold as an optional device with the Interactive Intelligence all-in-one IP communications software suite, customer interaction center (CIC), the statement added. – TradeArabia News Service