Welcome to this book on the 3CX IP PBX software-based phone system. In this chapter, we'll take a look at what 3CX is and where 3CX fits in the big picture of modern phone systems. We'll do a couple of comparisons such as hardware-based phone systems versus software-based phone systems, Asterisk compared to Windows-based systems, and 3CX Free edition compared to 3CX Commercial edition. We will take a look at the major components of the 3CX Phone System and at what is not included in 3CX. We'll also discuss a bit about the company—3CX.
In this chapter, we will take a look at the following:
About the 3CX company
What the 3CX Phone System is
Comparing hardware-based and software-based phone systems
Asterisk versus Windows Phone System
Major components of the 3CX Phone System
Some characteristics of the 3CX Phone System
What the 3CX Phone System is not
3CX is relatively new to the telephony world being founded in 2005 by Nick Galea as compared to Asterisk in 1999, pbxnsip in 2001, and Objectworld's UC Server product in 2001. Nick is a seasoned software entrepreneur having started several other well-established companies including 2X (thin client software) and Acunetix (web security).
What does the name 3CX stand for? According to 3CX CEO, Nick Galea, 3CX stands for Connect, Communicate, and Collaborate.