The telecommunications space is an interesting one that has seen considerable change over the last few years. The movement away from the traditional landline toward voice over IP (VoIP) has been significant for both residents and businesses. Users in both segments of the market recognize the cost savings and increased capabilities afforded with an all IP environment. Now, the demand is shifting toward hosted VoIP as users want unified communications.
Business owners want access to low-cost methods for streamlining communications, which is the reason VoIP gained attention in the first place. Hosted VoIP provides a whole new approach to the platform, enabling businesses to shift the responsibility of equipment, software, upgrades and maintenance to a third party vendor, paying only for what they use. Plus, setup is easy and the flexibility to add or remove users is a key selling point.
There are a number of third party providers operating in this space. While this is a good thing to ensure pricing is kept at a competitive level, it can also make selecting the right vendor a more complicated process. If the wrong selection is made, frustration, cost and potential disputes can mount. Selecting the right vendor and whether or not to deploy a private or public hosted solution are both essential steps.
A private hosted VoIP option is generally more accessible for the larger corporation, as its existing network infrastructure and capabilities in place are already able to support such systems. Plus, the requisite security measures are already in place, and control is more easily maintained. The public hosted option, on the other hand, puts more users on the same system and takes away some of the control the private option offers. For the smaller operation, however, it’s also far more cost effective.
Regardless, the real advantages come with hosted VoIP’s heightened levels of feature control and customization that isn’t available with previous deployment options. And, with the elimination of IT managers to setup and maintain the system, a costly bottleneck is removed. At the same time, the company gains access to increased capability and flexibility in communications. If mobile is an important element in the business environment, the same capabilities are easily extended in the field.
It’s clear in the market that the demand for VoIP is solid. As companies continue to realize the benefits afforded by hosted services, the push in this direction continues to intensify. To truly take advantage of hosted VoIP, companies have to recognize the available options, identify a proven provider and optimize the environment according to their needs. The key to selection is in customization and support, demanding the provider to deliver on expectations
Edited by Blaise McNamee