ABSTRACT
Digital technology, built into voice switching and access fabrics, gives them the same kind of sky-is-the-limit versatility that it gives to data networks. A voice network serving an enterprise and owned by it can be thought of as similar in structure to a data network, consisting of five basic elements: Servers, Clients, Local network fabric, Wide area network (WAN) fabric, and Network management. The heart of an enterprise private voice network is the switching system. This is normally a key system for smaller organizations or a private branch exchanges (PBXs) for larger ones. The primary tasks of the PBX or key system are to: Route incoming calls to the desired extension—or increasingly to the desired party anywhere on or off the premises; Convey calls made by employees either within the system or out onto the enterprise private network or the PSTN; and Provide features that enable employees to handle calls effectively and efficiently.
