D-LINK® switches provide ideal solution to the fulcrum group to deliver custom designed IP-PBX system for small businesses

By Integrating D-Link® Network Equipment, Partner Can Boost VoIP Phone System Performance While Lowering Costs to Customers
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — When The Fulcrum Group was looking to develop a complete IP-PBX phone system solution that would be unbeatable in terms of price and performance, it turned to partner D-Link for reliable network switching solutions that offered cost savings and enhanced functionality.

Based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, The Fulcrum Group provides a wide range of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) equipment to meet customer requirements, delivering a complete solution that includes IP-PBX equipment, handsets, switching components and all the labor necessary to implement the solution.

Typical customers of The Fulcrum Group are looking to lower their costs or they have a system that needs to be retired. “We’ll look at what they’re paying for a maintenance plan for their current PBX. And we’ll look at what they’re paying for their voice and Internet services, from AT&T or Verizon or whoever the carrier might be. We’ll consider all those costs, and then we’ll see if there are ways we can shave some money off of those expenses. If we can save enough, we can fund a complete, brand new IP-PBX network infrastructure,” said David Johnson, vice president of The Fulcrum Group.

In developing the phone system, Johnson and his team looked at several competitor network switch vendors before settling on D-Link. “By integrating the D-Link network equipment into our phone system, we can usually bid 50% less than we were bidding with the previous vendor, sometimes even less,” Johnson said. “We can’t compromise on quality of service (QoS) or latency, so with D-Link switches we are able to offer the customer a solution that has the right feature set, superior reliability, and ease of use.”

The Fulcrum Group installed D-Link® DGS-3100-48P Managed 48-Port Gigabit Stackable Switches with PoE, along with D-Link ®DWS-3227P 24-Port Gigabit Unified Wireless Switches with PoE plus 10 Gigabit Uplinks. (D-Link has since retired the 3227P, replacing it with the DWS-3024 Managed 24-Port Gigabit L2+ Unified Wireless PoE Switch in the product line.)

The Fulcrum Group’s customers are very satisfied with their solutions. “We always get really positive feedback,” said Johnson. “The installations go flawlessly, absolutely perfect - no problems whatsoever.”

Johnson and Steve Meek founded The Fulcrum Group in 2002 to provide networking, security and voice-enabled technology solutions for organizations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The company also services markets outside of Texas, to provide specialized and personal on-site support for remote branch offices. The Fulcrum team features seasoned technology professionals with a keen understanding of telecom and IT challenges.