atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Other TDM Phone Systems Iwatsu Telephones & Systems Which system should I buy?

I am not sure which system I should buy. The first system is a new Samsung 7100 with the SVMI-4E voicemail with 17 digital 28 button speakerphones. It comes with a 5 years parts/labor warranty at no additional cost. The other system is a used 3 year old Iwatsu Enterprise 3.0 phone system with an 8 port TOL Voicemail/Auto Attendant. It has 15 digital Platinium 18 button series phones and 7 Voip 18 button phones. It also has 25 Unified Communications client licenses, plus a remote maintenance modem. Both systems are priced within $500 dollars of each other before adding the warranty cost of $4000.00 for a 5 year parts/labor warranty for the Iwatsu system. Which system would you choose and why? Thanks for any insight that you can provide, as I am just a network guy, with no phone system experience.

I'm an Iwatsu guy, so I'm a little biased towards the ECS. That being said, both systems are fine products and will serve you well. The real difference between them at this point is the servicing vendor- who can you depend on to treat you right, take care of your system and help you get the most out of it? Do your homework and ask around. Get references for the two (I'm assuming) vendors you're dealing with. Since price is almost a draw, relatively speaking, you'll be best served by having the best possible service you can get for the system you choose.

I can answer specific questions about the Iwatsu if you care to PM me. About the Samsung, not so much.

A quick note on the TOL... what version would you be running? I do not know the SVMI, but the TOL is not simply a voicemail/auto attendant. It is a full unified communications platform when coupled with your Exchange server. It allows synchronized integration of voicemail and email along with robust Find-Me-Follow-Me features. If you need further information on this product, I've installed and service many... ask away.

The system is an ECS 3.0, so I guess it would be version 3.0, unless the TOL has been around longer since it is made by ESNATECH, I believe. I just learned that the Voicemail on the Samsung 7100 is embedded on the processor and it has all the features of a SVMI-4E plus an Email gateway for voicemail to go to OUTLOOK. That was one of our desired features. We are not out of the office very often, so the advanced Find-Me-Follow-Me features wouldn't be utilized by us. We don't have an Exchange server, so I don't know how much that would hinder the functionality of the "full unified communications platform". Thank you JBean and Keighlar for your valuable input.

The TOL is indeed produced by Esnatech and comes in different version numbers than the ECS which is manufactured by Iwatsu. There is no doubt it will fit your needs. To reiterate JBean... the most important part of the decision is finding an installer that you can trust to service your system well and that will be around in the long run.

Good luck with your decision-making process.