An interesting post over at VoIP lowdown yesterday asked what Skype needs to really win over small and medium sized business users.

Now, 8-Port Rack-mountable PBX Gateways may not exactly be dinner party conversation material, but Actiontec's announcement this week that they were shipping their new Skype-loving PBX gateway in the US goes a long way to answering this very question.

We've already asked our users earlier this year about what features would make Skype more business-friendly, and got some great responses. The launch of Skype for Business also provides a great focus for business users, and the ability to control Skype expenditure centrally.

In addition, phone manufacturers are really stepping up to the plate now with some real enterprise quality devices, such as the Polycom family of Skype-certified speakerphones.

But compatibility with the PBX networks found in most mid-sized companies is undoubtedly critical to serious business uptake. Actiontec's VoSKY Exchange 9040 and 9080 are designed to provide a hassle-free route to Skype over a PBX network, using existing kit, whilst allowing administrators to control all Skype user accounts from one screen on one PC.

Also, these new versions allow all 4 or 8 lines to be channelled through one USB connection rather than (as was the case with the 9000 model pictured above which has been out for a few months now) having to have a separate connection used for each line. It's these kinds of small changes which can make a huge difference for a time-pressed small business.

We've already seen some great Skype business success stories; hopefully these 2 little boxes from Actiontec will help create plenty more...!