Few people truly understand how complex it can be to manage a phone system for a medium to large business. Full-fledged private branch exchange (PBX) systems are intricate and costly pieces of hardware, and they generally require either significant in-house knowledge to operate or expensive contract support. While these systems still have many advantages and they remain competitive in the market today, cloud-based Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems are growing in popularity and offer many potential advantages. If your business is considering a new PBX system or an upgrade to an existing one, there are compelling reasons to consider an externally hosted VoIP system instead.
Flexibility and Scalability
As with most cloud-based systems, hosted VoIP offers significant elements of flexibility and scalability when compared to solutions that are managed and operated on-site. Since the physical hardware (along with most of the software) is located off-site, it's easy to add and remove features as needed. Many cloud providers specifically allow for this kind of on-demand switching, allowing you to quickly spin up features that may only be needed at certain times of the year.
This flexibility translates into superior scalability as well. The infrastructure required to bring new extensions into service already exists at the host's data center, which means that scaling up is simply a matter of renting that capacity for your own use. Likewise, scaling down doesn't mean returning any physical hardware or being stuck with more capacity than you need. If fewer extensions are needed, you can easily retire the unused ones to save on operating costs.
Easier Management
With your entire business telephony system hosted off-site, there is no longer a need to keep a dedicated staff to run on-site infrastructure. This frees up your IT department to handle more important business-related tasks, and it can be especially helpful if your employees are already stretched thin with multiple duties. And since the hosting company keeps experts on staff, you're also getting access to a team that is more familiar with these systems than your on-site IT staff is likely to be.
You Aren't Tied to One Location
Do you have access to an internet connection? Then you have access to your cloud-based system. This allows your staff to continue to use the same system no matter where they are located. It also provides an oft-overlooked benefit: the same system can consistently be used between multiple locations. Not only does this provide you with consistency across multiple offices (even if they're located in multiple states or countries!), but it also provides continuity if you pack up and move. This level of consistency is a great way to minimize business disruptions no matter the situation.
While a traditional PBX system may make sense if you already have the expertise and infrastructure, in many cases, cloud-based VoIP systems will save you money and provide benefits that are impossible to achieve otherwise. For more information and resources, visit a site such as www.atsolutionsaz.com.
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