Provider of communications products and applications for businesses, Aastra (News - Alert) has revealed the latest version of the Aastra BluStar Application Server (BAS). BAS is an integral part of the Aastra BluStar solution, delivering true HD video conferencing and collaboration capabilities, the Aastra BluStar solution enables lifelike video images to be delivered to the desktop. 

Technology hurdles such as complexity of implementation and achieving acceptable quality and deployment security have hindered the mainstream adoption of video conferencing by remote workers, noted Simon Beebe, vice president of product line management at Aastra.

“With this latest release of the BluStar Application Server, Aastra has eliminated these barriers to successful integration of remote workers into the new collaborative enterprise,” Beebe explained.

Harnessing Aastra BluStar endpoints, the BAS provides users with an ecosystem of BluStar enabled devices and clients, including the BluStar 8000i Desktop Media phone, BluStar for PC, BluStar for iPad and BluStar for iPhone (News - Alert).

In addition to supporting the Aastra BluStar Ecosystem of devices and clients, the new version – BAS 4.1 – offers forked account support, up to 5 devices or clients; built-in VPN server supporting remote users with automatic configuration; asymmetric channel support; Intelligent Bandwidth Management features; automatic channel adaptation; enhanced network performance alarms and real-time graphing of performance data.

For remote workers, the newest version offers new integrated VPN capability for creating a secure tunnel between the BAS and a remote BluStar 8000i phone. Moreover, version 4.1 has been enhanced with an Open Standards based SSL VPN capability that can be administered via the BAS Web user interface, ultimately eliminating the need for complicated end user configuration changes such as dealing with certificates or forwarding ports on a third party router, making remote deployments easy to manage. Additionally, release 4.1 comes with enhanced bandwidth management capabilities.

Company officials said that the Bandwidth Manager (BWM) built into the BAS application boasts sophisticated features that can automatically control the per call bandwidth. Furthermore, the BluStar 8000i and BAS 4.1 also supports the ability to have asymmetrical connections, where the transmit rate can be different from the received rate.

Earlier in March, Aastra launched the Aastra BluStar client, which enables collaboration with a consistent customer experience across a choice of devices such as PCs and laptops as well as iPads and iPhones.

In other related news, another big contender in the VoIP arena, Patton (News - Alert) Electronics, continues to provide best-of-breed products and solutions – ranging from VoIP routers to gateways to ruggedized Ethernet Extenders. Patton’s award-winning solutions have remained indispensable in today’s age to provide users with optimum efficiency, productivity and performance. The company also continues to enjoy its successful stride after revealing that its SmartNode Product line has been made certified with Microsoft (News - Alert) Lync.

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