The first step in considering a hosted phone system is understanding what hosted telephony is. Simply put, a Hosted PBX is a telephone exchange system that uses IP (Internet Protocol) telephony that is built, managed and delivered by a specialist provider. Instead of using traditional PBX equipment such as switches, calls are delivered using the internet.
As this is an internet based technology, it is imperative that you have a reliable connection that supports the system. It is estimated that one call requires a maximum of 100kbps of download and upload. You should therefore ensure that you have enough bandwidth to handle the amount of concurrent calls that are required. Due to the increased roll out and implementation of Fibre Optic internet in recent years, bandwidth speeds have increased, meaning that there is ‘spare’ bandwidth on the cheaper broadband connections. This has enabled Hosted PBX and IP telephony available to increased numbers.
One significant advantage to hosted phone systems is that they’re scalable to the size of your business. A good hosted system can support anything from 2 users right the way through to 1,000+ users.
Hosted IP telephony presents the opportunity to incorporate flexibility benefits. The greatest of these benefits is that the phone system works everywhere. No longer are you confined to the office for business calls, you can use your handset to login from anywhere (as long as there’s an internet connection) or simply redirect the calls to your mobile.
As a hosted PBX requires no onsite premises, you no longer need to maintain or support a physical PBX. The maintenance costs of a hosted PBX will be handled by the provider, and can significantly reduce your OPEX costs. For the environmentally conscious, the less electricity you are using, the smaller your carbon footprint!
Your business will also be more flexible in terms of scalability. The ability to quickly respond and adapt to changes on demand, such as the addition of new users, can be handled on web portals instead of needing the assistance of IT support.
There can be great cost savings in terms of call charges, and you don’t need to invest in any physical infrastructure.
So there you have it, the hosted PBX explained. If you have any questions, or would like to find about what Stream Networks can offer, please contact one of the team on 01635 884170 or click here