Communication technology has dramatically changed over the last 5 to 10 years. In fact, in a Google search for “business phone systems”, it’s interesting to note that not one phone system manufacturer comes up.
As one of the leaders in advanced communications, Unified Technologies is on the forefront of delivering paradigm shifting features and functionality. Today we’re taking a look at hosted solutions, whether delivered over the public internet or a direct data connection to the service provider. We’ll look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of deploying them.
Pros and Cons of a hosted phone system:
Pros:
- Low upfront capital expense (often given the entry level handset at little or no upfront cost)
- Introduce new exciting features with modern technology including mobility, unified messaging and presence
- Scalability – The ability to grow or possibly downsize depending on the contract
- Network convergence; voice and data merge onto one network (however, this could fall below under Con’s depending on VoIP network readiness)
Cons:
- Voice service depends on IP connection to the service provider
- Direct connection is expensive
- Connecting over the public internet lacks QoS and can introduce voice quality concerns.
- Service partner is typically 100% remote
- Customer often buys/owns the phones and becomes tied to that hardware
- Hosted solutions tend to have a high turnover rate (we’ve heard reports of turnover every 1 – 3 years. In fact, in the hosted model, ShoreTel is very proud of a 7 year lifecycle of their hosted platform.)
At Unified Technologies, we work with a variety of telecommunication partners to give you the best services possible for all your business communication needs. Business success is driven by the right infrastructure in place to get things done right, with a communication highway that travels fast. Want to learn more about hosted or cloud-based systems? Reach out to us at Unified Technologies. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have.
