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TECH SUPPORT The best part: vendors of virtual- ization software, including Microsoft, have recently changed their business models and now offer limited-function versions of their products for free. "It allows organizations to step into virtu- alization without any cost," he says. To get all the benefits, Whitelaw Twining will eventually have to invest in full ver- sions. "But the longer you hold onto that money," he points out, "the longer you have to evaluate where you're going to get best bang for your buck." Law firms, like all other businesses must tighten their belts. Most can prob- ably find some slack in IT. But beware of indiscriminate cost cutting, consultants warn. Small firms, in particular, may be tempted to cut IT staff — if they have any — or contractors. That can backfire if service levels plummet as a result, says Woyzbun. Gerry Blackwell is a London, Ont.-based freelance writer. He can be reached at gerryblackwell@rogers.com Hosted IP PBXs save money and help small fi rms level the playing fi eld by giving them the same kind of sophisticated phone system as big fi rms, with no capital investment. Another huge benefi t: the ability to use a softphone, a piece of software, to make and W take phone calls over the Internet from a headset-equipped computer. If somebody dials your regular offi ce number, it rings on your computer. If you call somebody, the person sees your offi ce number in call display — even if you're sitting on a beach somewhere. You can forward and transfer calls, and reach colleagues by dialing four-digit extensions. We had a chance recently to stress test the softphone feature of Primus Canada's Hosted PBX by using it while telecommuting from Europe. It required down- loading and installing a small program and logging into the account Primus provided. Set-up was simple. Voice and connection quality on calls made over a Telecom Italia high-speed DSL connection were acceptable to good. Using a dedicated IP phone or an adapter coupled with an analog phone delivers better voice quality, but this works fi ne. And it off ers two really nice features. You can easily import Outlook contacts and dial by searching for a contact and clicking "call." And you can record calls to your computer hard drive with the click of a mouse button. — GB SOFT IN THE PHONE e've written in this space about hosted IP PBXs, voice-over-Internet protocol (VoIP) phone systems that sit on a server at a provider's data centre, connected to your offi ce by a dedicated line or an Internet connection. www. mag.com APRIL 2009 23 Gadget Watch