Deciding between Cisco and Alcatel IP telephony

Both systems will serve your needs just fine. Things you will want to consider include ease of maintenance, moves, adds and changes, knowledge transfer for both admin and end users, scalability and local support. One advantage that you will likely see with Cisco over Alcatel is the ability to have resources that are versed on the switches allowing you to hire remote contractors for set up and training at the site.

Another area to consider is the interoperability of other phones. It may not be a bad idea to take an inventory of what is out there to see if there is a potential money savings in the headsets.