Monthly Archives: May 2012
Hosted, Managed or Premise-Based: Which Phone System is Best for my Business?
Chris Aldred, Expert Technology Associates
With the overload of information and options out there, figuring out what kind of phone system is right for your business can be difficult and even frustrating. And of course, you can’t count on providers that only offer one type of solution to deliver objective advice, either.
Below is a comparison of the three models of phone systems: Hosted, Premise-Based and Managed.
Hosted PBX (Hosted VoIP) Systems
Hosted PBX, or Hosted VoIP (Voice over IP), represents the latest wave in phone system technology. With Hosted PBX, the phone system server resides in the provider’s data center instead of your office. Voice and data traffic is routed over the public switched telephone network, or PSTN, to the hosted system. Since the system itself is offsite, Hosted PBXs offer Web-based access to configure the system, define how you want calls to flow, view call detail records and billing information, listen to and delete voice mail, and more.
Clarity on Cloud Options – Tips on choosing the best cloud strategy for your business
If you are considering a cloud strategy for your network, you are probably already weighing the different cloud models out there today. Understanding that the cloud jargon is less complicated than it sounds should help clear up what the cloud is and isn’t, and make weighing the benefits of the different options for your business easier. Simply put, cloud computing is a style of computing in which massively scalable IT-related capabilities are provided “as a service” using Internet technologies to multiple external customers. And the different cloud models – Public (Far) Cloud, Private (Here) Cloud and Hybrid (Near) Cloud – are simply the major different service models available.
Self-evaluate first
The most important thing to keep in mind when thinking about the cloud is to let your business strategy guide your approach. While making the decision to move to the cloud you should take a hard look at the specific needs of your organization, including individual usage requirements, budgetary considerations, the sensitive nature of data that will be stored in the cloud environment, as well as any applicable industry or financial regulations.
