Like so many of its compatriot corporations, Panasonic is an accomplished all rounder in the field of electronic goods manufacturing. One of the world’s top five producers of television sets, Panasonic controls the third largest share of Europe’s consumer electronics market.
But outside the high profile consumer goods field, the giant Japanese company generates just shy of 10 per cent of its global revenue from its systems and communications wing.
Panasonic is happy to use its credentials as one of the world’s most well known electronics companies to gain traction in the business telecommunications market. The product website for the KX-NS700, for example, states that it is a product “designed specifically for small or medium-sized businesses looking to take advantage of Panasonic's reputation for quality technology, without needing a huge budget.” So what is the KX-NS700? It is one of a range of four on-premises business telephone systems manufactured by Panasonic with an integrated UC software suite. The KX-NS700 is targeted at the SME market, with flexibility, cost effectiveness and easy scalability plugged as its main USPs.
In this review, we will assess how the KX-NS700 system stands up to those claims and look in depth at what it offers customers. Please remember that the views expressed in this review are the author’s opinion only. UC Today does not endorse, promote or market any particular brands or products, our reviews are completely independent and intended solely to provide information to our readers.
How Does It Look?
The KX-NS700 is a standard looking rack mountable server unit with a 19” black chassis, full dimensions 430mm x 88mm x 335mm. The front panel features two LED indicators, one for status and one to show present PBX mode, which display green, amber and red. There are 22 ports in total plus a USB hub. Each main server can be stacked with up to three expansion units.
What Can It Do?
The KS-NS700 supports single line, analogue, digital, DECT and IP telephones, which can all be deployed in any combination on the same hybrid system. This flexibility is really useful for small businesses which want to spread the costs of updating their business telephones over time, allowing them to continue using legacy endpoints as they go.
The server starts at a minimum of six extensions and can be scaled up to a maximum of 288 with all three expansion units. Support for SIP trunking means the server can connect to phones in remote offices via an IP connection, with no additional charges and no need to deploy another PBX.
The KX-NS700 can run a wide range of Panasonic desktop telephones, providing customers with a great deal of choice and flexibility in endpoint features. The compatible handsets include four IP phones in the KX-NT range, two digital phones in the KX-DT range, three DECT KX-TCA models plus Panasonic analogue and SLT phones.
The KX-NS700 offers a wide range of UC features in addition to standard business class PBX functions. Most of these are accessed via a licensing system, so you pay for a particular bundle of features your business needs. One standard feature included with the server is auto attendant, which offers voice guidance and call routing plus a basic voicemail service. Another is an inbuilt web server, which allows configuration and management of the PBX system to be carried out from any device and, with the softphone plug in, provides a platform for mobile connectivity.
Many of the additional UC features are available on license via the Communication Assistant (CA) application suite. The CA suite is a desktop based platform of communication, collaboration and productivity tools available in three flavours - CA Basic Express/CA Pro for personal productivity. CA Operator Console for operators and receptionists, and CA Supervisor for team monitoring and executive use.
On a Pro subscription, the CA suite includes a softphone, contacts directory, IM, presence and video conferencing. It also integrates with Microsoft Outlook, providing seamless access to Outlook contacts and one click calling.
A separate mobile integration license allows mobile phones to be used as part of the business network with the same number and call management options. There is also an additional CA Mobile app for Android and iOS, which also adds access to UC functions from a smartphone.
