Peer to peer PBXing and other IP phone tricks

WHILE SKYPE, the application, gets gushing headlines such as the "iPod for VoIP" in the residential/single-user world, Nimcat Networks (www.nimcatnetworks.com) has developed a really cool peer-to-peer embedded phone application for the SMB world. Nimcat's nimX software is embedded in Aastra's (www.aastra.com) VentureIP� IP phone system and will most likely turn up in some other devices Real Soon Now.

Normally, setting up a phone system for a small to medium-sized business with voice mail, call forward, extensions, and all sorts of other bells and whistles requires a dedicated phone tech, dedicated wiring, and some real teeth pulling every time you want to add another user on the system. First-generation IP phone system improved life a little bit by building portable phones configured via web site and able to be toted anywhere in the building. Just plug in the phone into any available Ethernet jack and you get phone service; no dedicated wiring or wiring closets to futz with, but you still need a phone wonk to initialise phones and poke commands into a central PBX/key-system/server every time a new phone is added to the network.