Hosted PBX, or Hosted VoIP (Voice over IP), represents the latest wave in phone system technology. With Hosted PBX, the phone system server resides in the provider's data center instead of your office. Voice and data traffic is routed over the public switched telephone network, or PSTN, to the hosted system. Since the system itself is offsite, Hosted PBXs offer Web-based access to configure the system, define how you want calls to flow, view call detail records and billing information, listen to and delete voice mail, and more.
Pros:
Cost-effective way for smaller businesses to get rich VoIP functionality
Minimal IT involvement needed to install solution
Easy, online access to administer features, manage the system, and add/delete users
Scales easily in small businesses (Service-Only/Bundled) or larger businesses
Things to Consider:
System improvements and upgrades are performed on the provider's schedule and may not be available when you want or need them
Upfront costs can be substantial depending on level of VoIP infrastructure needed and phones that need to be purchased
Many providers are start ups, so you'll need to decide if you have concerns about whether they'll go out of business or consolidate with another vendor
About Telecoworks
- Valerie Brauckman Burgess
- I was recruited by Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) almost twenty years ago as General Manager of its Video Dial Tone rollout. VDT deployment was the forerunner of Verizon's FiOS and delivered television programming over fiber via the public switched network. Since that time, I have become a local voice and data expert specializing in VOIP, SIP and switched Ethernet deployments. After leaving Verizon, I was hired as AT&T's East Coast Global Business Development Manager responsible for selling and deploying local voice services to AT&T's long distance and data Enterprise customers. After leaving AT&T,I managed several CLEC's indirect sales channel before launching my business in 2001. TelecoWorks is an independent telecom consulting firm representing all of the major telecom carriers in the marketplace today. Geared to successfully support businesses navigating new voice and data technologies, TelecoWorks' goal is to improve a company's connectivity, enhance their business processes, and ultimately save them money.