Hosted PBX vs Virtual PBX

Are hosted and virtual PBX systems the same?

19:52 11 September 2017

Hosted and virtual PBX systems are the main options that businesses have when they want to retire their on premise equipment. Although both provide lower cost services than traditional on premise PBX system, they are not entirely the same.

 

In its simplest terms, Virtual PBX is a service that answers calls and provides routing options. The calls are forwarded on to employees or locations anywhere in the world. Because of this, every employee requires a phone, be it cell phone or landline. Due to the limitation of the service, it is well suited for micro-businesses of less than five employees or for those businesses where the majority of their employees are on the road. If the business grows, it becomes necessary to replace a Virtual PBX service.

 

Hosted PBX is a complete, enterprise-level business phone system that routes calls to VoIP extensions, landlines or cell phones that can provide outbound calls in addition to inbound routing. Businesses that are using hosted PBX provider are given IP phones by their provider and all voice communications go through a route that is connected to a broadband internet connection. Standard features included in the system are call holding, conference calls, voicemail to email messaging, auto attendants and call forwarding.

 

What is the difference between hosted cloud VoIP and private cloud telephony systems?

 

Organisations and businesses that are considering using VoIP technology have two options to choose from: public or private cloud telephony systems. But which one is best for you?

 

A public cloud telephony system is hosted by your service provider using their own infrastructure. With this type of cloud VoIP system, you are renting ports on someone else’s platform. This option is ideal for businesses that are unwilling to invest significant amount of money on upfront costs and cannot be bothered with security concerns. The service provider is the one responsible for ensuring that the service is secure and protected against fraud.

 

A private cloud telephone system, on the other hand, is one in which you host your own cloud telephone system using your own infrastructure. It is the ideal choice if you already have an existing MPLS network which is voice ready with capacity and VM Ware or Hyper V environment which has capacity to run VoIP. It is also the best option if you want to own your own systems and have choice and flexibility about which service provider you use for your external VoIP connections.

 

Also known as a virtual PBX, it is recognised for the many benefits it offers including zero installation, operation and maintenance costs because the VoIP service provider hosts the PBX for its customers. It also allows companies to take complete advantage of their phone system’s feature set that include automated greetings, faxing, voicemail and conference, among others.

 

There are three ways that a hosted PBX works; either over the Internet (hosted IP PBX via Internet Telephony or Voice Over IP, VoIP), over the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or with a combination of the two.

 

Hosted PBX solution’s main benefits include:

 

·       Allows businesses to add or remove lines and extensions as they grow

 

·       Eliminates the need for a large investment as well as the maintenance cost of phone systems

 

·       Eliminates office boundaries by allowing employees to work from anywhere with a virtual office phone system

 

·       Boost of corporate image. The use of a hosted phone system allows businesses, including the small ones, to give the impression of being a large organisation who are constantly on the move.

 

·       Easy to use – Since there is no end-user management involved with a virtual PBX, it is easier to use than a traditional phone system.