Virtual PBX Revolutionizing Telecommunications Industry

PBX is defined as premises-based equipment that has been created to switch and route telephone calls, while a virtual PBX refers to a system that lives in the cloud. Just as rain is brought in by clouds, the cloud is helping virtual PBXs to become increasingly popular.

In fact, BMI-TechKnowledge recently authored a market report that stated cloud solution models including PBXs are continuing to be used on a wider scale, with CBX solutions beginning to leave their mark. CBX solutions are converged PBX solutions that, according to published reports, are beginning to claim the market, with unit shipment approaching digital shipments. Also, when looking at medium-sized companies with 32 to 128 ports, CBX was the only division to continue to see growth alongside a decrease of digital PBX sales.

As the CBX becomes more widely accepted, there are a couple of different options including hosted solutions which are broken down into public and private segments. At the high end of the CBX market, Cisco leads the pack at 69 percent in 2010 ranking ahead of Mitel, LG/Marconi Ericsson, Siemens, Alcatel Lucent and 3Com. In the medium-sized segment, Mitel and NEC-Philips ranked at the top of the list.

Hosted CBX solutions can allow an organization to see many benefits including reduced costs, a wider array of system components, managed service levels, and increased scalability. This has completely changed the industry as in previous years the PBX market was divided by number of ports, but due to increased flexibility provided by cloud solutions this is no longer the case.

Moreover, according to a recent article, “the tradition of excluding PBX spend from total market spend in telecoms will also fall by the wayside, as PBX/CBXs are an integral part of telecoms spend.’

As the PBX/CBX market continues to gain traction in the New Year, these solutions will continue to evolve allowing for more functionality and powering a broader set of capabilities.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.

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Jamie Epstein is a virtual-pbx Web Editor. Previously she interned at News 12 Long Island as a reporter's assistant. After working as an administrative assistant for a year, she joined TMC as a Web editor for virtual-pbx. Jamie grew up on the North Shore of Long Island and holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication with a concentration in broadcasting from Five Towns College. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Carrie Schmelkin