Fidelus Console

[gb-fairchild]

Has anyone tried the Fidelus Console (operator attendant console)?  When I upgrade to CUCM 8.x I'm going to need an attendant console.  I think the ARC one that Cisco is pushing which requires a seperate server is overkill for what we need.  I would also be interested in hearing from anyone who uses any of the Fidelus products to learn about their support capabilities.

Thanks,

Bill

[derekdinehart]

I know this is an old post, but I have recently tried Fidelus, Bridge, iQ NetSolutions, and CUBAC.  Fidelus Console blows all of them away with its simplicity.  It's as close to a direct replacement for the old AC as you can get.  It does everything the old AC did, is super easy to set up, and best of all, it doesn't require an additional server!

[gb-fairchild]

Thanks for the feedback - we have not upgraded to cucm 8 yet so this is helpful.  What version of cucm did you test with?

Thanks,

Bill

[derekdinehart]

I am testing it with CUCM 7.1(5b)SU3.  I have talked to Fidelus and they say that it works 100% with 8.x and above with no loss of features.  My plan is to roll out Fidelus and then finally be able to upgrade CUCM to the latest and greatest.

[Rob Huffman]

Hey Derek,

As Bill nicely noted, thanks for updating this thread It's

great to hear first-hand how/why people like or dislike a specific

product +5

Cheers!

Rob

[derekdinehart]

No problem, Rob!  I just know how frustrating the whole AC thing has been for everybody and hadn't seen a whole lot on Fidelus myself.  It should be more widely known for how great a replacement it is for the old AC that was included with CallManager.

[d16lee]

Thank you Derek.  It's an old post, but I've been also hunting for an AC replacement.  ARC is so clunky and the other options do not look much better.  (People!  Most receptionists are NOT technical!  They need SIMPLE interface!) 

I watched the video for Fidelus and it looks good.  I only came across it from this great forum.

[derekdinehart]

d16lee: We have been running it since the beginning of the year without any issues.  Like I've said, it's almost identical to the old AC that was included with CUCM.  I love that it doesn't require another server to maintain.

It's a no-brainer.  Go with Fidelus...and no, they aren't paying me to say that!   I wish they were because the licenses aren't cheap!

[Amy Thacker]

Thanks for the feedback. I know this thread is on the old side, but thought many are still finding it when searching for an Attendant Console replacement. 

I wanted to note that the Fidelus Console is now the akkadian Console Operator by Akkadian Labs. 

www.akkadianlabs.com/aCO

[Russ Burchell]

I also love the Akkadian console for implementations. Something to consider though is how the application is polling the CUCM using AXL. If you have multiple consoles running for different sites, you'll need to ensure that they are balanced across your subscriber nodes and aren't taxing your Tomcat service. I've experienced issues where the Fidelus/Akkadian user taxes the heck out of Tomcat causing some nasty lag times in the Admin GUI. Just something to consider when you are having the client installed.

[HoustonJM · Accepted solution]

Fidelus may be an acceptable console IF you only need one operator.  It is a very simple install.

Their biggest problem is scalability.  I have over 150 consoles running. Bridge uses a central server for a reason.  When you go past one user, you need something to ensure they stay in step. For example,  shared custom address books.  Fidelus writes out the last accessed only.  One user can overwrite another. Many changes require everyone to exit the program in the proper order, to get them to save.

Second is their Features.  For approximately the same money, Bridge brings MANY more features to the table.  Perhaps the most important is their Park For functionality.  The operator can park a call FOR someone.  This is visible in the parking lot.  That person’s phone will display a message stating the call is holding.  They don’t have to dial the park position.  They can just pick up the handset to take the parked call.  Plus one to one phone messaging and whisper paging is included in the purchase price.  My operators can voice announce calls to people on the phone.

Third is simplicity.  While Fidelus may be easier to install because of no server component, the Bridge console is actually much easier for the operator to use and what is more important, ease of install for the IT guy, or ease of use for the operator.  Really, which is going to require more support over time.  Besides, Bridge support DID my install for me at no charge.  It was included in the purchase price.  They connected remotely and installed it while I watched.  They built the config file for me to deploy subsequent workstations.  Doesn’t get much easier then that IMO.

Fourth is support.  Included in their package is a remote support tool.  Any time I have a question, the support guys connect and work thru it with me.  Their time to resolution is phenomenal.

But don’t take my word for it.  I recommend you actually TRY them both in your environment.  That will help you pick the best for YOUR environment.

[Tracy Larson · Accepted solution]

Totally agree with your comments, John. I don't have any experience with Fidelus but we chose Bridge OC and it works great. The support is great as well, if I need help with it Bridge OC calls me immediately. They also take your comments on what you would like built in and actually do it if it makes sense! Very open minded company. We are very happy with it.

Tracy