The Adtran 7100 is yet another addition to the company’s series of integrated NetVanta family of products. For those who may not be familiar with NetVanta products, they consists of single appliances that provide multiple network infrastructure functions. For example, the NetVanta 1335 WiFi PoE is a 24-port power-over-Ethernet switch, router, firewall, wireless access-point, VPN server, and DHCP server in one chassis with a single administration interface. What is particularly unique about Adtran, however, is that they provide these features at a very high level and compete directly with the likes of Cisco, Juniper, 3Com, Extreme, and others.
The NetVanta 7100 follows the same path. It is a single appliance that is an IP-PBX, Voicemail, 24-port Power-over-Ethernet switch, Router, Firewall, DHCP Server, and VPN Server. It is a SIP-based solution that interoperates with Polycom SIP phones, as well as Adtran’s own IP phones. The 7100 can support up to 50 SIP phones/users and can be stacked with other Adtran NetVanta switches, such as the 1224ST, via gigabit uplink ports. It can support both PRI and Analog trunks.
We recommend the 7100 to companies between 10 to 40 employees who are interested in a simple, yet robust, IT environment. The single appliance solution provides inherent integration and ease of administration using a single interface for everything having to do with your network and phone system.
Companies such as real estate firms, mortgage firms, title companies, retail stores, and other organizations that have many branch locations can gain significant value in deploying the 7100 to each of their branch locations. Any IT professional who has had to deal with branch offices can tell you what a nightmare it can be. The 7100 in each location, along with Adtran’s E-Command software, enables you to centrally manage all your Adtran gear.
Lastly, any new company who needs to deploy a complete solution for their new office should consider the 7100.
The Adtran product does not offer highly rich features such as recording, faxing, or call center ACDs. If your firm needs to have such applications, the Adtran is not for you. The true value of the system is in the network infrastructure capabilities. It is truly a LAN in a box.
The Adtran 7100 is also most cost-effective starting at 10 phones or more. With fewer than 10, the starting price can be somewhat high compared to other solutions. However, that is only considering the price as a telephone system. If one also considers what it would cost to purchase a switch, router, and firewall separately, the 7100 is a good value at any time.
