Why the Virtual PBX Makes Sense

While every one of us likes to think a disaster will never happen, we still have to plan for one in our professional lives. The likelihood of losing power in a violent storm may be more common than flooding that can bring down the whole building. Planning for the worst is really the only way to ensure continuity of the business. This is where the virtual PBX is a vital asset.

It’s not uncommon for the business owner to turn to the virtual PBX as a viable means to reduce the cost of communications. The fair assumption is the business will pay less per month for virtual communications than they will for implementing an in-house system they must purchase and then support. The other fair assumption is to consider the benefits associated with putting a sound disaster recovery strategy in place.

A Virtual PBX blog recently highlighted a staggering statistic: North American businesses currently lose more than $26.5 billion in revenue each year as a result of IT downtime. If all business communications rely on the landline, what happens if the phone system fails in the wake of a disaster?

The virtual PBX is maintained and supported offsite, with more redundancy and back-up than the typical small business can afford. What this means is that if there is a disaster that threatens the virtual PBX, it will failover immediately to another location without ever being felt by the end customer.

Softphone apps generally accompany the virtual PBX implementation, allowing you to maintain connectivity even if handsets are unavailable. So, if the next Hurricane Sandy hits or something that simply prevents you or your staff from reaching the office, every user can connect with a laptop, smartphone, tablet or any other connectivity device, as long as an Internet connection is still available. With hosted VoIP, you stay connected even during times of evacuation or after a disaster strikes.

It’s important to keep in mind that a disaster that could render your phone system useless may not necessarily be a major disaster. Even minor occurrences can halt day-to-day business operations if you’re not prepared. When deploying a VoIP connection with the virtual PBX, you employ a third layer that mimics the behavior of any other IP-based application. As a result, no user has to be onsite to receive an email, fax or call. It enables the optimal virtual office experience whether you have the brick and mortar location or not.

Regardless of the reasons for examining the virtual options, the reality is there are clear benefits to securing a hosted PBX. Before the next disaster or minor occurrence strikes, it may be time to make a change.