Advantage Asterisk?

The advantages of the Asterisk technology, according to Ciminelli, are that American Fiber was able to overlay its old dialing plan with its new dialing plan, enabling users to start using either one. In addition, the networked solution enables American Fiber's telecommunications systems at two locations to work independently of each other if necessary.

Though Cisco's system boasts similar features, there is some loss of functionality if the connections between the offices are severed, according to Ciminelli. If that happens, the Asterisk system includes a backup via Time Division Multiplexing to the second office. The user wouldn't realize the connection had been severed, he says. Cisco could only provide that type of backup with duplicate equipment at each office.

This feature, plus others, such as the ability for each user to set up conference bridges (rather than having to go through a central administrator), as well as price, factored in the decision to pick an open-source system over Cisco and similar competitors, Ciminelli says.

"Sometimes you have to move outside of your comfort zone," Ciminelli explains of his decision to listen to the open-source proposal. "Sometimes you just have to put your prejudices aside and look at competing systems."