Adding yet another layer to the open source ecosystem, Packet Island announced today that it will offer PacketSmart for Asterisk, a software-as-a-service [SaaS] Voice over IP [VoIP] managed service. Asterisk is an open source software VoIP PBX implementation. The PacketSmart solution uses what the company calls a micro-appliance, a four-inch by four-inch box that sit between the router and the broadband connecti Adding yet another layer to the open source ecosystem, Packet Island announced today that it will offer PacketSmart for Asterisk, a software-as-a-service [SaaS] Voice over IP [VoIP] managed service. Asterisk is an open source software VoIP PBX implementation. The PacketSmart solution uses what the company calls a micro-appliance, a four-inch by four-inch box that sit between the router and the broadband connection in order to monitor network traffic prior to installation of a VoIP system. The proliferation of VoIP solutions in all but the largest enterprises that can afford the high cost of support, has been slow. “Our solution is targeted at SMEs who don’t have an in-house network or in-house network expertise,” said Vince Khanna, a Packet Island vice president.At the same time, these smaller companies cannot afford the repeated visits of service providers and VARs that are usually required to support a VoIP network. Instead they are looking for a lights out or automated solution. Prior to installation of a VoIP PacketSmart works remotely to generate a varying amount of traffic to see how the network holds up as volume builds. Once a VoiP system is deployed the micro appliance is replaced by a software agent which captures all the VoIP traffic and sends the reports to the Packet Island backend server.The PacketSmart for Asterisk service is available now. Technology Industry