VoIP Internet Phone Systems

By Charron Conley
Updated: April 01, 2011

Voice over IP (VoIP) is a type of phone system that utilizes internet connection, rather than a conventional analog line, to transfer voice traffic. Painlessly implementing a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) solution into a business environment necessitates the immersion of a business grade VoIP service provider that will afford all options. The VoIP system provider market has gotten very competitive. Many providers claim to have top service and the cheapest local, long distance or international VoIP phone rates which makes it hard to know what to choose. The strategy is to be educated about options and merge to what seems most cost-effective and efficient. There are really two major possibilities to look at depending on company size; Hosted and On-premise.

Hosted VoIP Solutions:

For smaller businesses a simple business VoIP service might be adequate. If there are 15 people, a hosted VOIP is a good choice. This cloud based solution, allows smaller business to have the features of an expensive phone system without all the equipment and management. An advantage of VoIP service is that there is no PBX equipment to buy or lease. Thus, there is also no maintenance contracts or fees for account changes. Basically, what is needed is a router and a computer with broadband internet.

On-Premise VoIP Solutions:

For companies larger than 30 people an on-premise system will offer the best ROI. Besides economic reasons for premise based VoIP solution, for companies that have other specific integrations such as CRM solutions, this is also a good option. Business owners can lease provider owned equipment but then have it maintained by them as well. This arrangement can help the business to lease or rent an on-premise system, giving some amount of regulations and control over the structure without the expense of the hardware itself.

A second option is to purchase the on-premise equipment. On-premise VoIP systems currently give their owners a much more flexibility over their telephone arrangement. These systems were designed as an advances step above a customary PBX system. This is different from the hosted system in that this allows lines to be subtracted, network changes, and feature additions without having to go through a service provider.

VoIP technology is fast becoming a growing business and providers are always adapting the new needs of customers. There are constantly developments in ways on-premise and hosted systems are provided. It’s important to keep up with trends even after purchasing a system by leveraging the power and reliability of a high performance global network a system can build opportunities for any size business.

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