What is Cloud PBX?
What is Cloud PBX?
The popularity of Cloud PBX systems has skyrocketed in recent years, and with good reason. Traditional phone systems have truly not changed much in the last few decades, and the technology has remained mostly stagnant compared to the ever evolving technology you find in the office nowadays. PBX systems are the jump in technology that businesses have needed over the past few years, but Cloud PBX technology is the true leap for businesses.
What is a PBX?
A PBX, or Private Branch Exchange, is a business phone system designed for use within a business network. PBX systems allow for a far larger amount of lines to be connected over a physical phone line system, and offers a range of added features such as:
- Voicemail
- Transfers
- Call Parking & Queues
- Interactive Menus
- Call Recording
While a PBX system is the obvious upgrade for any business, the hardware associated with the system still needs to be housed somewhere. This allows for an on-premises PBX system, where the hardware is owned by the business and kept on site, versus a Cloud-based system where the hardware is kept by a service provider and the business accesses it via the internet.
Why Cloud PBX?
The functionalities of Cloud PBX and on-premise PBX remains largely the same, but the cost differences and maintenance responsibilities make Cloud PBX a much more appealing avenue for most businesses. This means no up front costs for hardware, and no liability in maintaining it should issues arise. Cloud PBX is reliable, since essentially your phone lines are as strong as your internet. This system also allows for easy expansion and addition of lines to your system.
How does Cloud PBX work?
The PBX functions by routing incoming calls, by enabling transfers and redirecting the call to your respective extensions. At the very base level, a PBX will simply redirect calls to their proper targets, but the introduction of call flow will create a much more complex system.
A call flow acts as the guideline for how calls are routed and redirected when somebody calls your main number. The main advantage of the PBX is the deep customization you gain access to for your phone system, where you gain total control over your call flow: you see who is calling, set times when your business accepts calls or simply redirects to a voice messaging system, or create a call flow system as complex as you would like.
Hosted PBX vs Cloud PBX
At first, Hosted PBX and Cloud PBX look essentially identical, but there are several small but key differences in how they operate. The main idea remains the same, neither requires hardware on-site and both are provided via access to a service provider. A Hosted PBX solution has limited to no scalability, and consistent features without much variation. A Cloud PBX solution has much more flexibility and potential to change, with much more scalability for your business. A Hosted PBX also operates by connecting to your service provider through an IP, while a Cloud solution connects via the internet.
For modern businesses, Cloud PBX provides a cost effective, low stress and high functionality upgrade to old, outdated phone systems. Gain all the benefits without the initial cost and repeated upkeep associated with an on-premises PBX, and allow a service provider to handle all of the maintenance and headache that may come with an on-prem PBX.
A call flow acts as the guideline for how calls are routed and redirected when somebody calls your main number. The main advantage of the PBX is the deep customization you gain access to for your phone system, where you gain total control over your call flow: you see who is calling, set times when your business accepts calls or simply redirects to a voice messaging system, or create a call flow system as complex as you would like.
Voiswitch is a leading VoIP and high-speed internet provider delivering end-to-end solutions that meet customers’ unique needs.