by Scott Kinka, Senior Vice President of Network Services, Evolve IP
Driven by promises of increased productivity, greater mobility and enhanced disaster recovery and continuity, small and medium-sized businesses are flocking to adopt VoIP. The key is to have a basic understanding of the different types of systems available before selecting a provider. That way you can be sure whatever you choose is the best to accommodate your needs.
Purchased IP-PBX
In this traditional scenario, the customer purchases or leases the IP phone system and handsets from a PBX vendor. However, voice and Internet services are not included and must be purchased from a separate vendor or vendors. The greatest advantage is that this is safe. It has been tried and tested and customers know what they’re getting.
Though purchasing this system up front, there are still additional costs down the road including maintenance fees, software patches and MACs. For example, the cost of adding or deleting a line, setting up a new user or feature or moving someone is on average $125 each. For many businesses, these fees can add up quickly.
Vendors have begun to bundle these services into prepaid managed services fees in order to keep costs more predictable but the premise remains the same—you are paying someone to maintain a depreciating resource that you own.
Further, because the system is located on-site, a purchased IP-PBX offers little in terms of enhanced disaster recovery or business continuity. Mobility options also are limited and rely on users connecting to the host site to access service.
Hosted IPT/PBX
In this fully-centralized and managed option, a provider sells or supplies handsets directly to the customer without need for a local PBX. Features, administration, management, local and long-distance usage and possibly even network and Internet services are supplied, eliminating the need to negotiate with different vendors. Costs are bundled into a per user price or may be broken down by phone, features and usage.
Services such as voicemail and mobility are located on the provider’s network and allow for continuity regardless of availability and connectivity at customer locations. Therefore communications can continue uninterrupted even in event of an on-site disaster.
One disadvantage of hosted systems is that they typically make the most financial sense in installations of less than 1,000 users per location. Also, some providers dedicate access and ensure quality, but others rely on existing broadband Internet connections and this can’t be assured.
While each option has distinct advantages and disadvantages, research shows that hosted PBX services seem to be increasing at a dramatic rate. Ultimately, however, the best choice will depend on the unique characteristics of your company as well as the features and benefits you hope to obtain.
More at evolveip.net.
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