4 Reasons to Replace your Premises-based Phone System

Business communications are changing dramatically. The steady adoption of the cloud and the delivery of these services are shortening the lifespan of current on-premises phone systems. According to Gartner, there has been a 6.6% decline in premises-based revenue over the last 5 years.

So, why the steady decline of the premises-based phone system?

1. Cost - With premises-based systems, upgrading an entire system is no longer a financially attractive option, with many systems requiring a longer commitment and the inability to scale. UCaaS models offer greater flexibility, with financing options and the ability to add and remove services and users whenever needed, providing businesses with the assurance that they can scale at any time with ease.

2. Advanced Features - UCaaS systems integrate traditional telephony solutions with other communication and productivity applications, enabling a myriad of capabilities, including audio, web and video conferencing, company-wide chat, presence, email, file sharing and integrations with leading CRM solutions. The enhanced capabilities that UCaaS solutions are able to deliver are much more equipped to meet the growing demands of the modern workforce.

3. Maintenance - Premises-based switched telephony systems, typically a PBX or IP-PBX system, can be time-consuming, complex and costly to maintain, requiring dedicated IT staff to manage the systems and servers for even the most basic of changes. Unlike equipment that just depreciates, the cloud continues to update automatically and often for no cost. UCaaS systems are easy for both employees and administrators to manage the features of the system without IT support, provide the ability to save even more time and money while improving operations.

4. Security - Premises-based systems don't offer much in the area of security, with equipment and critical data all stored on site. UCaaS systems are hosted on the provider's servers and accessible through an encrypted web browser, ensuring that nothing is left on-site where it could be vulnerable to hacking, theft, or damage. Most UCaaS providers guarantee calls using the public internet are encrypted from the handset into a secure network, ensuring call data remains protected and confidential.

If your business is looking to ditch your old cluegy PBX and move to the cloud or upgrade to a more secure UCaaS solution, we can help!

Contact us today.

Help Voice Play Nice on the Network

UCaaS is the next step in the voice evolution, but voice is tricky. It is not just another app on the network. When users experience issues they are not as forgiving as when email is "slow." VXSuite analyzes all aspects of cloud communications, marrying the phone call records, video sessions, network traffic, etc. with their effects on the voice, in real-time. 

Let us help you correlate and unify disparate data sets, enabling you to handle issues regardless of where they may occur.

VXPulse offers: 

• Universal reporting for any IP address, regardless of manufacturer 

• Simulated calls across the network to test voice and video success 

• Reports to determine average as well as high and low MOS scores 

• Enable multiple teams to have real-time visibility 

Learn more about how VXSuite can help you understand your environment, optimize the network, and deliver great call-quality to your end-users.

Give us a call or shoot us a email . . . Contact Us

Multiple Sites? This Managed PBX Is For You.

I attended the launch of business phone and Internet service provider, Integra Telecom's Managed IP-PBX service yesterday. It's a gem, especially for businesses with multiple locations and IT managers spread thin.

Classic Integra, it is late to the market with this service. XO Communications, MegaPath (via Speakeasy), Qwest, and many others have offered managed PBX for months. Still, Integra's service is industry leading. Here's why.

With managed PBX, you don't have to buy or manage a phone system. Integra's service one-ups that basic benefit with the added value of terrific engineering.

Specifically:

Every Integra managed PBX customer has his own separate PBX box. There's no sharing. No big database platform. It's like putting your PBX in a datacenter. This is unique in the market. Most providers have one server that holds the entire hosted PBX platform. Thus, all customers are on the same platform. Any virus or security threats are system-wide, as are software updates.

Also, everything is Integra (the hardware and it’s maintenance, the phone service, the Internet connection and the PSTN handoff). That means customers avoid the infuriating finger pointing that goes on when multiple providers deliver the service (think Comcast connection, plus third party PBX vendor, plus out of state contractor).

Two caveats:

1. Integra’s managed PBX service is not cheap. At first glance, it appears more expensive than just going out and buying a system. But that is not accurate when you take into account the total cost of owning a phone system over time, including the cost to buy it, manage it and fix it when it’s broken. With that in mind, the managed PBX service more than pays for itself.

2. Integra managed PBX customers must have at least 24 phones, although they can be at different locations.

All in all, I’m excited. Integra’s service is reliable, beneficial and innovative. If you have any questions or want specific pricing give us a call today for more details: (206) 420-0140.

Visit us at caissontechnologies.com.