Deployment options
The platform on your hardware
You can install CONTACT.WORK in your own server room. Conversations and their history then stay inside your company, and the platform can pull data from systems that have no internet access. Your existing Asterisk telephony stays as is – the platform connects to it. It takes two to seven days from order to go-live. There's no server rental to pay for: you pay only for installation and a support plan.
Telephonyserver 1runningApps and databaseserver 2runningService modules and reportsserver 3runningInternetexternal linknot needed insideCapabilities
What you get with on-premises
Use cases
When companies choose their own servers
Running it yourself makes sense when keeping data in-house and connecting internal systems matter more than a fast start.
Storage required by law
A bank, a clinic, or a government agency can't let call recordings and customer forms leave the building – by law or by security policy. We install the platform in your server room, and nothing goes outside it. Responsibility for the personal data stays with you. We hand over the platform architecture and a description of which data goes where for review before launch.
- Everything on-site
- You stay in control
- Documents up front
Architectureserver diagramdeliveredNetwork requirementsaddresses and portsdeliveredData flowsall inside the networkdocumentedEngineer accessvia your adminsin logAccounting, inventory, customer database
Agents need data from accounting, inventory, or the customer database, and those systems have no internet access. The platform and these systems sit on the same office network, so they exchange data directly. During a call, the agent sees the customer's orders, and the call outcome is written back right away. You don't have to expose internal systems to the internet.
- Data stays on the office network
- Orders in the customer record
- Outcome written back
CustomerSteven CarterfoundOrdersfrom accounting system3 openCall outcomedelivery rescheduledloggedOrder systemupdatedright awayPhone system, lines, numbers
Your company already runs Asterisk with carrier lines and numbers connected. The platform joins this setup without breaking anything. For high-volume outbound calling we put FreeSWITCH in front of Asterisk, and Kamailio balances load across several phone servers. Agents can call right from the platform window, with no separate app, or from the SIP desk phones they're used to.
- Same numbers
- FreeSWITCH for outbound
- Kamailio for load
SIP trunks2 carriersyoursFreeSWITCHin front of AsteriskoutboundKamailiorouting2 PBXsAsteriskPBXsrunningSteady load for years
Hundreds of agents and steady volume year after year. Cloud hosting costs more with every server you add, while your own hardware is a one-time purchase. Four servers handle 200 agents, each one covering its own part of the work. Compare options by total cost over three to five years, not just the first bill. We'll run the numbers for you during a demo.
- 4 servers for 200 seats
- Hardware bought once
- Multi-year math
Servers4 serversone-time purchaseHostingnot needed$0Licensesnone$0Supportper planmonthlyIf some of your data can live in the cloud, take a look at hybrid deployment.
Architecture
How the installation is set up
Servers
How many servers you need
A small team needs just one server: a 4-core CPU, a 240 GB SSD, and 16 GB of RAM. With more agents, platform components are split up: telephony, applications with the database, service modules, and reports each get their own server. Both physical and virtual Linux servers work.
- 1 to 4 servers
- Linux
- Physical or virtual
Telephonyserver 1dedicated serverApps and databaseserver 2dedicated serverService modulesserver 3dedicated serverReports and metricsserver 4dedicated serverRecordings
Where calls are stored
Call recordings get a dedicated hard drive – 1,000 hours of calls take up about 90 GB. Along with the combined recording, the platform puts each speaker's voice on a separate track; without that, speech analytics doesn't work. You decide how long to keep recordings.
- SATA drive
- Two tracks
- Your retention period
Mixed recordingSATA disksavedAgent trackseparatelysavedCustomer trackseparatelysaved1,000 hours≈90 GBon diskRedundancy
Cluster and monitoring
If downtime is expensive, we add standby servers to the main ones and combine them into a cluster: if one fails, another takes over the load. Monitoring warns you in advance when disk space is running out, memory is low, or a connection drops. We also handle backups, and they're stored on your side.
- Cluster
- Backups on your side
- Early warnings
Recordings disk72% usednormalMemoryserver 2normalCarrier lines2 linksnormalBackup serversone per primaryreadyInstallation
How we install the platform
- 01AssessmentWe review your network, telephony, and internal systems, and estimate the number of agents and disk space you'll need for the years ahead.
- 02RequirementsWe give your IT team a server list and network parameters, and your security team a description of the platform and how data flows.
- 03PreparationYour IT team or ours prepares the servers: we install Linux and set up the network, users, and access.
- 04InstallationWe install the platform and telephony, move your numbers to the new setup, and connect your CRM and business systems.
- 05TestingWe test calls, call recording, and reports with a few agents, and turn on server monitoring and alerts.
- 06Go-liveWe roll the platform out to all agents, train supervisors, and support the platform under a support contract.
Comparison
Licensed software vs. CONTACT.WORK
| CONTACT.WORK | Licensed software | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat fees | None | A license for every agent |
| Modules | All included | Bought separately |
| New agents | Free while your servers have capacity | New licenses |
| Updates | Included in support | Often paid |
| Customization | Paid from support hours | Waits in the vendor's queue |
| Support | One team | Vendor plus integrator |
Requirements
What you'll need
- Small team
- One server
- Up to 200 agents
- Four servers
- Operating system
- Linux: Rocky Linux
- Recordings
- A dedicated recording drive
- On-site AI
- A GPU
- Price
- $0 for the platform, work billed in plan hours
Before you start
What to decide up front
Q&A
Frequently asked questions
How long does installation take?
Two to seven days. A single server is faster; a redundant cluster takes longer.
What servers will we need?
One for 10 agents, two for 30, three for 60, and four for 200. The specs for one server are listed above; we size the exact configuration for your project.
How much does on-premises cost?
The platform is free, and there's no server rental. You pay for a support plan (the simplest is $180 a month), installation work from plan hours, and your own hardware – servers and drives. You pay your carrier for call minutes.
Do we need internet access?
If the hardware is in your office, the platform works on the office network without internet. Internet is needed for messaging channels and cloud AI models, if you use them. External calls keep working too, as long as your phone line doesn't come from the same provider as your internet.
Where can we put the servers?
Wherever suits you: an office server room, your own data center, or any colocation facility you choose.
How do remote agents work?
They connect to the company network through the office VPN, and from there it's just like working at an office desk.
Who makes backups?
We do. Backups are kept on your infrastructure, and our support covers configuring and verifying them.
Can we migrate from our old system?
You can. We load your existing data into the platform ourselves – import and export are included in support plans from Standard up.
Who is responsible for the personal data?
Your company. The data is on your side, and you decide who has access to it.
How do your engineers get to our servers?
Through access your admins grant. Every connection is recorded in the audit log.
Who updates the platform?
We do, on a schedule we agree on with you. Updates are included in every support plan.
Will AI agents work without the cloud?
They will if your server room has a GPU. It goes into the least loaded reporting server. There are no per-minute fees then, and agent setup and training come out of your support hours.
Can we run speech analytics on-site?
You can. The platform records the agent's and the customer's speech on separate tracks, and transcription runs on your side, on a server with a GPU.
Will we keep our telephony?
You will. Asterisk and your carrier lines keep working; the platform simply connects to them. Your numbers stay the same.
Do you monitor the servers?
We do: we combine servers into a cluster so work continues on another server if one fails, and set up monitoring with alerts so engineers know about an outage right away.
Do virtual servers work?
They do. The platform runs on both physical and virtual Linux servers.
Can we start in the cloud and move in-house later?
You can. The platform moves with its call flows, integrations, and settings, and we switch your numbers over at a scheduled time.
Glossary
Terms on this page
- Server cluster
- A group of machines that share the load and back each other up. Learn more →
- Cloud deployment (cloud)
- The platform runs on the vendor's servers, and agents connect over the internet. Learn more →
- Call recording
- Calls are saved so they can be replayed and disputes settled. Learn more →
- Backup
- Data is regularly copied to a separate place so it can be restored if something goes wrong. Learn more →
- Customer record
- The screen of customer data an agent sees during a conversation. Learn more →
- Hosting
- You rent a server from a provider instead of buying one. Learn more →
- Speech analytics
- The system analyzes recorded calls automatically: topics, script adherence, customer emotions. Learn more →
- On-premises deployment
- The system runs on the company's own servers, not in the vendor's cloud. Learn more →
- Personal data
- Anything that points to a specific person: a name, a number, a voice. Learn more →
- SIP (Session Initiation Protocol)
- The protocol that sets up calls in IP telephony. Learn more →
- Hybrid deployment
- Part of the system runs on the company's servers, part in the vendor's cloud. Learn more →
- CRM – customer relationship management
- Where a company keeps its customers, deals, and full communication history. Learn more →
- Supervisor
- Leads a team of agents: watches the queue and quality, helps and coaches. Learn more →
- Data center
- A building with servers, backup power, cooling, and network links. Learn more →
- VPN
- An encrypted tunnel from the internet into an internal network. Learn more →
- Dual-channel recording
- Each speaker is recorded on a separate track. Learn more →
- Virtual server
- A software-defined machine that shares hardware with others. Learn more →
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