HUNTSVILLE, Ala., March 30, 2011Digium®, Inc., the Asterisk® Company, today introduced Asterisk Essentials, an online training curriculum for Asterisk users. This virtual training class includes more than six hours of interactive content focusing on the fundamentals required to install and configure a basic Asterisk system. Step-by-step technical examples, best-practice recommendations and Asterisk tips help application developers and systems administrators gain expertise to build communications systems for their companies or customers.

"Over the last 10 years, Asterisk has been adopted by developers worldwide to create reliable, feature-rich, custom communications solutions for millions of small and medium businesses, enterprises and service providers, at a fraction of the cost of proprietary offerings," said Steve Sokol, director of Asterisk marketing at Digium. "During this time, Digium and our global network of training partners have held a range of live, instructor-led courses and have certified attendees who master the use of Asterisk. These courses will continue to be offered, in addition to this convenient online option for users who can't readily travel or need to learn on their own schedules."

Asterisk Essentials provides numerous examples and teaches developers how to implement their own Asterisk solutions using the core interfaces-configuration files, dial plan scripts and the command line interface (CLI). Students will learn to install Asterisk; configure IP phones and VoIP services; create automated attendants; configure voicemail and company directories; set up call queues; and debug Asterisk systems.

Created by the Digium training department, users can be confident that the information and best-practice examples come from the foremost experts on Asterisk. This course prepares students to take the Digium Certified Asterisk Associate (dCAA) exam and other more advanced Asterisk courses.

Asterisk Essentials is available now from the Digium online store for a discounted introductory price of USD $299.00 through July 1, 2011. The course will regularly list for $349.00. Students can access the online curriculum for up to six months from the date of purchase. For more information on Asterisk Essentials and other Digium courses, visit www.digium.com/training.