Now that we’ve got our hands on v20 and the first beta update, it’s time to walk through some of the top features that 3CX has delivered. Security has been a key part of this release, and it’s clear that 3CX has used this version as an opportunity to reinforce its security and implement new layers of protection including 2FA, password hashing, and a new Windows softphone.
“3CX architecture has been fully re-designed from the ground up, delivering so much more than any typical new version release.”
Nicholas Galea, CEO of 3CX
In this review, I’m going to cover 5 key features:
- Merging of the Management Console and Web Client -> Admin Console.
- Introduction of Departments.
- 2FA
- VoIP Quality Monitor.
- New Windows Desktop app.
1. The Merging of the Management Console & Web Client Admin Console
Long-time 3CX users will be familiar with the Management Console for administering users, creating groups, etc. We’ve all gotten so accustomed to logging in again to the management console, that moving forward and consolidating the two actually seems like a step backwards! But, rest assured, this only continues to reduce the number of attack surfaces for cybercriminals and makes management one click easier.
2. Introduction of Departments
We touched on this in the previous section, but Departments are one of the marquee features for this release. Groups are gone and are replaced by Departments which are more powerful and are the foundation of v20 configuration. Each Department can be set up with unique Office Hours, breaks, holidays, and even languages. Existing Groups on v18 will automatically be converted to Departments upon upgrade completion. This is especially useful if you have different teams/offices with different work schedules and break timings!
Departments also allow you to set permissions more granularly. For each department you can set its’ own administrator to supervise user permissions and IVRs. You can even set system extensions and SIP Trunks at a Department level as well!
If that doesn’t work for you, you can always just have everyone in a single Department.
3. 2FA
One of our most requested features – 2FA is now live on v20. With security being at the forefront of this release, 2FA can be set globally or at the individual extension level in the “Users” menu bar. 2FA has become a global security standard, and we would encourage you to implement this for all your customers alongside a password management tool – if you need help with a tool for your customers reach out to us, we have great solutions. Upon login, users will then be prompted with the following message:
3CX supports the following authentication options:
- Google – for Android, for iOS.
- Microsoft – for Android, for Windows, and iOS.
4. VoIP Quality Monitor
Solving intermittent call quality issues is one of the toughest nuts to crack.
“It was working a few seconds ago…”
We’ve all been there before, and 3CX’s VoIP Quality Monitor is going to equip you with some great tools to help. Latency (RTT), packet loss, and jitter are some of the key metrics that can be easily tracked with the click of a button.
This can be set from the ’Team’ menu, or the ’Active Calls’ panel. Testing can be set to automatically end after 1, 3, 5, or 7 days. Or it can be manually switched off and the report retrieved from the Event Log.
5. New Windows App Downloadable from MS Store
For those of you who still have clients running on the legacy v16 app – there is respite! 3CX is bringing out an updated Windows app with full BLF and TAPI integration. Word on the street is that the much-loved drag and drop switchboard functionality will also be included 🙏
In summary, there’s a lot in the pipeline for v20, but our advice is to review the Upgrade Checklist and ensure you can access all the features you need before going forward. Keep in mind that once you’ve upgraded, there is no going back! Nevertheless, 3CX is laying a foundation for a more streamlined, and performant PBX solution.
A word from Nicholas Galea to finish:
“Of course AI is a game-changer for communication systems. In V20, we’ve laid the foundations for deep integration of AI. Starting with call transcription and reporting, we’ve created the ability to not just transcribe calls but also analyze and report on them too. It’s a space to watch over in the coming months ahead.”
Keep your eyes peeled as more features are unveiled 👀👀
If you’d like to know more, please reach out to us at ucsupport@bluechipit.co.nz and we’d be happy to assist you further.