If you ever needed confirmation that phones are now auditory computer devices, take a look at a modern "office-in-a-box" or "all-in-one" system for small businesses and remote offices. Phones are front and center, e-mail and Web servers come next, and, oh yes, file and print services are there, too. Such is the pattern for the EdgeBOX from Critical Links. The appliances powering typical file and print services now power the phones, Internet access, and security.

The name “EdgeBOX” seems a bit odd until you realize it sits at the edge of your company and links it to the world. If you choose, and I did, you can connect your broadband modem directly to the EdgeBOX and let it handle the job of router. In my case, I plugged it into a DSL line from AT&T, bypassing my SonicWall TZ 180. While the EdgeBOX doesn't have the security depth and manageability of the SonicWall, it does offer more than typical consumer routers many small companies use as their first company router. Think of the routing and security tools as semi-pro; up from amateur, but not quite to SonicWall levels in reputation and available add-ons.

I tested the EdgeBOX Office appliance, the smallest of the three units, rated for 10 to 40 users. Going upscale, you have EdgeBOX Business (up to 100 users) and EdgeBOX Enterprise, rated by Critical Links as able to support up to 300 users. If you need more users, you can just add a second EdgeBOX and keep going, according to the company. Prices start at $2,495 for Office, $5,295 for Business, and $10,995 for Enterprise, and go up depending on options. Add more user licenses as needed by small or large handfuls.

A 10 page quick-start guide for the Office appliance leans heavily on the phone functions, which seems to be the reason most customers buy into the EdgeBOX philosophy. Think of this as a phone system with extra stuff, rather than a file and print server with added phones.

The bundles delivered by EdgeBOX resellers include Polycom phones and a D-Link Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) switch to connect them to the EdgeBOX appliance. VoIP phones need power from somewhere, and PoE is the easiest way to juice them. The Polycom IP330 phone they sent includes a port for a computer, so the one existing Ethernet connection at every modern desk will be enough for the existing computer and the new IP phone.