VoIP Service

VoIP 

The most cost- effective VoIP solution for SMB’s can often be a Hosted VoIP, Hosted PBX solution – especially when existing IP PBX (on premise) is end of life and a new IP PBX is on the table for purchase.

Advantages of Hosted PBX

  • Little or zero capex expense
  • Turnkey deployment
  • Unbeatable flexibility and deployment speed
  • Resilience/DR (your phone calls lives in the cloud, not on a piece of hardware)
  • Included support and maintenance

Typically, low or no cost usage built into the design (metered services can be available and should be looked at to determine cost effectiveness compared to unlimited).

“Over The Top” vs. Guaranteed/QoS vs. SD-WAN

Hosted PBX can be delivered over an existing internet connection or as part of a managed internet service (ex: Dedicated Fiber, Copper, Coax etc.). The right solution for you will depend exclusively on the topology of your network, expectations from users and management as well as budget.  VoIP solutions provisioned over a provided internet connection will be designed with QoS / MPLS which allows for the voice packets to be prioritized and/or stay 100% off the internet and on net to the carriers network – from handset all the way through the carrier switches and out to the PSTN.

While a dedicated / QoS connection offers great performance upsides, many SMB’s and enterprises choose to use an “over the top” design, whereas the voice packets traverse the open internet.  This typically is less expensive design, allows for a broadband solution to carry the voice and the most flexibility as you won’t be tied to both an internet and phone provider for your voice and connectivity.  While performance varies, most of the major providers have optimized their VoIP network to work extremely well over any internet connection.  Some simple testing in advance can be all that is needed to know if this solution will work well for you.

And today – with the explosion of SD-WAN technology, many businesses are choosing a hybrid approach of the internet and advanced technology to get MPLS like performance over any or multiple internet connections.

Hosted PBX Pricing Models

  • 1:1 Unlimited: Hosted PBX can be designed as a 1:1 call path model (most common) which essentially includes a line, DID and usage for every user.
  • Call Path:  For mid and upmarket companies with many users, some hosted providers can deliver hosted over a call path model charging you based on the number of peak simultaneous calls (similar to a premise based SIP trunk environment) –  making the pricing very attractive for deployments where not all users are on the phones at the same time.
  • Metered:  For low volume businesses, paying per minute may be the most cost-effective way to bring your voice to the cloud.

It’s important to note that depending on the number of VoIP users and data requirements, many businesses end up needing to increase bandwidth to accommodate the migration to VoIP or the addition of VoIP phones on your network.  Phones are typically leased w/ $1 buyouts after term (and we can often negotiate free phones) as part of the VoIP service so no capital outlay is required – making the switch to VoIP even easier for the small and medium size business.  In a nutshell, Hosted VoIP is not only cost effective, but it’s also highly scalable, flexible and simple.  Three magical words when it comes to IT and Telecom!

What features to think about when choosing a provider

  • Instant Message / Presence (IM&P)
  • Unified Messaging
  • CRM Integration
  • Skype/O365, Gsuite & Other Integrations
  • Web Collaboration
  • Conferencing (Audio/Web)
  • File & Desktop Share/Team Collaboration
  • Call/Contact Center ACD
  • Mobility Apps
  • Soft Phone
  • Security Requirements
  • QoS Requirements