Open Source VoIP Hitting Mainstream?

Small biz newsletter bMighty has a story today about open source VoIP -- a clear indication that the idea has percolated into the mainstream. But small businesses, which typically don't have extensive in-house technical resources, need to look carefully at open source solutions.

Asterisk, the first and best-known open source IP-PBX, is notoriously difficult to use and manage -- sending users looking for an interface to ease the pain. But too often the interface turns Asterisk PBX into another closed system with all the drawbacks of a proprietary PBX -- high cost and limited choice. In this scenario, the only party that benefits from the open source is the vendor who is able to jump start his development with free source code.