Hosted PBX

Hosted PBX delivers PBX (News - Alert) functionality as a service, available over telephone and/or the internet. The first hosted PBX was introduced in late 1997. Users contract for PBX services from a hosted PBX provider. Today, it is possible to get hosted PBX service with more features than were available from the first systems of this class, or to contract with companies that provide less functionality for more simple needs.

 

The hardest mainstream features to get in a hosted system are real Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) instead of simple hunt groups, flexible company directories, call transfers between extensions (or to an operator or an ACD queue), and real-time system monitoring. There are many other advanced functions that only a few providers have been able to make available.

 

One function that is not part of most hosted PBX services is sharing incoming lines among multiple users. CPE systems typically have a smaller number of incoming lines than user extensions. When traffic is high, these PBX systems can ring busy. A hosted PBX usually can handle a higher number of calls. In addition, hardware PBX buyers are on usually a tight budget and buy small systems that can't grow. But there is no capital outlay for hosted PBX services, and extensions can be changed as needs change. Hosted PBX customers pay only for what they need.

 

There are other advantages that a hosted system has. The most important is the ability to route calls to any phone, rather than just phones wired to the PBX inside the office. Other major advantages of hosted PBX include lower entry cost, support costs, greater ease of management, flexibility, and improved scalability.