Patton Electronics: SIP to Lync
Interview with SmartNode VoIP Product Manager, Tyler Delin

October 29, 2012  |  by Jeff Owen  |  Listen to the podcast...

I had the opportunity to speak with Tyler Delin, SmartNode Product Manager, about this product and Patton.

TR: What do your products do for Microsoft Lync users?

Delin: Many SMBs want to install Lync but are prevented from doing so because of the costs of replacing their existing incompatible equipment with new Lync-certified equipment. While others are just not ready to leave their trusted PSTN lines behind. 

Patton offers a �gateway to Microsoft Lync.� Now Microsoft Lync Certified, the Patton SmartNode VoIP Gateways give businesses the ability to connect otherwise incompatible telephony equipment, telephones, fax machines, overhead paging speakers, etc., and PSTN lines to their Lync environment. Allowing customers to migrate to IP/VoIP at their own pace.

Traditionally in all-IP environments our SmartNode products are most commonly used as a PSTN Gateway. Businesses may have concerns with trusting a new unfamiliar VoIP service provider or the data connectivity necessary for VoIP calling. 

Our SmartNode Gateways, in conjunction with a Microsoft Lync Server, gives customers the ability to enjoy the benefits of Lync while continuing to use their trusted POTS lines and existing telephony service provider. 

In the same way, a SmartNode can also be used for survivability by providing a fallback line in case the Internet Telephony Service Provider or internet connection goes down. 

But what we have found to be the greatest need in the Lync community is a �SIP to Lync� gateway. After attending the Microsoft World Partner Conference in July, we saw that there was a major gap with non-certified, incompatible VoIP equipment.

With the rise of VoIP, many businesses have made a significant investment in new VoIP equipment that they now find is unable to work with Lync. In this case, the SmartNode can provide the �SIP to Lync� gateway between the noncertified (even H.323) equipment and Lync. This could be IP phones, IP PBX, SIP Trunks, etc.

TR: Does Patton bring anything new to the Lync community?

Delin: Yes. When we entered this space, we didn�t want to be �just another gateway,� we wanted to offer something new and exciting.

We have partnered with CyberData to offer the very first IP Paging solution for Microsoft Lync. As I mentioned, we have noticed a major pain point in the Lync community is connecting non-certified and incompatible IP equipment to Microsoft Lync. But at least with phones and trunks there was always another option, for example many vendors offer one special, Lync-certified phone. But at the time nobody was offering an IP Paging solution with Lync.

A Patton SmartNode Gateway provides the necessary gateway between the noncertified and incompatible CyberData IP Paging devices and Microsoft Lync and for any other existing analog paging equipment.

TR: As the newest player in the Lync space, why SmartNode Gateways?

Delin: Our customers aren�t quiet about why they chose Patton. There are other great gateways out there, but time and time again our customers rave about the quality of our SmartNode product and our customer support. Our customers will tell you they choose our US manufactured Gateways because they just work. Set it up. Forget about it. It just keeps working.

Our Support Team is absolutely phenomenal! They go above and beyond what they are expected to do. And by the way, customer support here at Patton is FREE for all of our channels, resellers and end users. 

We also feel we have hit a sweet spot in the Lync environment in terms of pricing. Our cost-effective Gateways combined with FREE support and upgrades positions us as a leader in value. And we also don�t nickel and dime you in terms of licenses. 

More at www.patton.com/gw2lync