Digium: Asterisk Accelerates As Economy Crumbles

As the economy went off a cliff from September to December 2008, Digium says Asterisk downloads rose by 32 percent compared to the same period in 2007. But that’s not all. Digium — which promotes Asterisk, the open source IP PBX — has about 550 channel partners and resellers, up from about 170 in December 2007, The VAR Guy has learned. Here’s the scoop.

According to Digium, Asterisk was downloaded 1.5 million times in 2008, up a startling 50 percent from 2007. 50 percent higher than last year.

Digium’s partner program is growing even faster than Asterisk’s download rate. Channel partners generate roughly 80 percent of Digium’s revenue, and the company’s partner ranks have more than tripled since 2007. Some of that partner success can be traced back to SwitchVox, a channel-friendly company that Digium acquired in 2007.

Officially, Digium says it has roughly 400 reseller partners. But if you lump in OEMs (original equipment makers), ISVs (independent software vendors) and other types of partners, the figure is about 550 partners, according to The VAR Guy’s Open Source 50, a survey that examines open source partner programs. (Complete survey results will be published in January 2009).

In the meantime, here’s another Digium data point: The company has shipped more than four million ports for connecting telephony systems to Asterisk.

Still, Digium is privately held so it’s difficult to truly measure the company’s performance. Is the company profitable or nearing profitability? Hmmm. The VAR Guy needs to seek more answers.

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