3CX v15.5 SP3 Beta: updated conferences, improved hosting and new pricing policy

v15.5 SP3 Beta: Conferencing Update and Hosting Improvements

In the new 3CX SP3 Beta build, we implemented a lot of changes in the system core , which provided a noticeable increase in performance, reduced system resource consumption, IPv6 support, and TLS enabled by default.

Audio conferencing

We have introduced a number of improvements in the audio conferencing interface:

• Internal participants (employees of the organization) are now automatically called when the conference starts. This option is enabled on the server side in the parameters section.
  
• In the web client interface, you can invite participants to e-mail addresses.
  
• The management of conference participants from the web client has appeared.
  

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TLS support

Now 3CX can communicate with IP phones using TLS protocol. The protocol is enabled by default in the system. However, this requires the support of the manufacturer of the phone firmware.

Hosting system

Based on the experience gained in servicing thousands of virtual machines on the Google Cloud, we have significantly improved the security, stability and manageability of 3CX instances. The following features have appeared:

• New hosting administrator account . It provides ad-hoc access to the system for administrative tasks, restricting administrator access to the end-user data of 3CX.
  
• It is possible to completely disable logging to reduce the amount of log files on the cloud server's disk.
  
• Implemented disk overflow protection. The system reduces disk space usage when the free space limit is reached. This allows you to keep access to the PBX even when the disk is full.
  

Integration with CRM systems

• Added support for Zoho CRM .
  
• Released designer for server integration 3CX and your own CRM.
  

Download and Install v15.5 SP3 Beta

To update the installed system, in the 3CX interface, go to the Update interface section, highlight Update 15.5 SP3 Beta and click the Update button.
To install a new system:

• Windows
  
• Linux
  

The script should look like this:

wget -O- http://downloads.3cx.com/downloads/3cxpbx/public.key | apt-key add - echo "deb http://downloads.3cx.com/downloads/debian stretch-testing main" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/3cxpbx-testing.list apt-get -t testing install 3cxpbx 

Users who have not yet switched to Debian 9 should replace the second line of the script with:

 echo "deb http://downloads.3cx.com/downloads/debian jessie-testing main" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/3cxpbx-testing.list 

After that, see the Debian 8 to Debian 9 Stretch Migration Guide.

To see conference updates, install the latest desktop clients:

• 3CX Client for Windows
  
• 3CX Mac Client
  

Do not install the beta version in a working environment. Use it only to test new features. Backup copies made on beta versions will not work. In addition, it does not cover technical support.

Changes in pricing and 3CX editions

Starting from March 2018, we will present a new price list and changes in the licensing policy of 3CX Phone System.

First of all, we are in a hurry to inform you that now all users will be offered a completely unlimited system for 4 simultaneous calls to the Standard edition for free! In addition, Standard editions for 8 and 16 simultaneous calls will now also be free for the first year of use!

The cost of annual licenses 3CX (licenses with equal annual payment) is also reduced ! And now technical support with a one-time payment for handling will also be available for them. For perpetual licenses, it became possible to renew a subscription to updates not within 30, but within 90 days. And after that, if you wish, you can go to the annual license.

And now about less pleasant changes. First, the subscription price for maintenance (Maintenance) rises somewhat (up to 27.5% of the cost of a new, perpetual license).

Therefore, we recommend that users renew their subscription for updates at the old price until early March.

Perpetual licenses are also somewhat more expensive (an average of 15%). And the transition from a smaller edition to a larger one (Standard> Pro) or the expansion of license capacity will cost as the difference between the nominal value of licenses + 35% (i.e., it is more profitable to buy the necessary license 35% more than to switch to it later). In this regard, it is very important to immediately choose the right license - taking into account the expansion and additional features (for example, CRM support), so as not to overpay in the future.