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Generally speaking, a Hosted PBX refers to a voice solution where the call
control equipment resides in a service providers location, which business
customers connect to via voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP).
More plainly, a business customer can choose to pay a service provider to
provide all of the necessary equipment to run a telephone system. End users
connect to the service via the internet (usually). VoIP phones can be used from
the office, at home, or any where there is a reliable internet
connection. The end-user does not have to pay a large one-time price for all of
the processing equipment, but must pay a never ending monthly charge and
generally must purchase all of the phones.
Here are some pros and cons of a Hosted PBX:
|
Pro |
Con |
| Low startup cost |
Monthly recurring costs |
| Constant maintenance by professionals |
You’re limited to the changes you can make yourself and may have to
wait longer than desired for changes from your service provider. |
| You don’t have to deal with the local telco very much. Your lines
appear at the service providers data center. You just need to have a
reliable internet connection |
If your internet connection goes down, you loose all of your phones. |
| A service provider has more resources than end users allowing for new
features to be added. |
New features may not be added if only needed by one customer. |
| |
|
One big thing to consider when going with a hosted solution is the company
behind the product. You need to be sure that they will be around for the long
haul and have the finances to succeed. There have been several cases where
service providers have gone out of business, seemingly overnight, leaving there
customers stranded. In 2007 SunRocket suddenly closed shop leaving 200,000
customers scrambling to find service.
VoIP has many forms and is here to stay. It can be made to work right and to
save your company a lot of money. If you think a hosted solution may be right
for your business,
contact me and let me help!
Larry Nazworth