Moving Your Phone System to the Cloud - Part One
Why migrate to the Cloud?
Even with the convenience of automation and virtual support solutions, many organizations still want regular human touch points as part of their experience. That’s one major reason phone services still play a large role in the success of a modern business. But knowing you need a phone is just the beginning. You have choices to make, and questions to ask -- most importantly, what’s the right system for you? You need a phone network that’s cost-effective and that streamlines communication, all while maintaining a high degree of flexibility and security. One potential solution is to shift from an on-site phone system to a cloud-based solution, but you first need to determine whether the switch is right for your needs. Here are some key factors to consider.
Advantages of a Cloud-based Phone System
Significantly Reduce On-Site Data Infrastructure
Traditionally, office phone systems have been located on-site in the dreaded phone closet. Housing that on-site phone system can be a complicated, costly and – for many offices – outdated practice. An on-site system requires local staff for daily maintenance, requires significant data infrastructure overhead, and presents physical and logistical security concerns. These costs add up and can significantly drain resources.
A Cloud-Based Phone System Saves Money
Switching from an on-site phone system to a cloud-based system offers a host of economic benefits. By making the change, a business can transform its telecom budget from a large capital expense to a predictable fixed operating expense. Anyone working in IT or office management knows how costly and time consuming it can be when an old phone system becomes obsolete, requiring hardware and system upgrades. A cloud-based system removes the risk of technology obsolescence.
The sheer size of cloud providers offers a distinct cost advantage: They have invested at scale and can pass these savings along. Redundancy and survivability are built into the architecture of cloud providers. It’s simply cost-prohibitive for businesses to realize this level of reliability and performance on their own.
With a cloud-based system, businesses will no longer need to pay to keep phone systems up to date. Web-based clients have little to no software on users’ devices to keep updated. That means they don’t need IT staff to roll out a local, manual software update. With a cloud-based system, all upgrades are made centrally, requiring little to no action by your company.
A Cloud-Based Phone System Offers Increased Flexibility
With a shift to cloud-based telecommunications, work is no longer tied to a physical location. Improvements in technology enable you to use raw internet connections from anywhere in the world to host a centralized environment, replicating the productive hive of a physical office and extending those benefits to team members anywhere in the world.
Businesses and employees now all have an internet connection — which essentially offers “free” infrastructure. It’s smart business to take advantage of this near-universal resource to cut phone system costs.
Summary: Why Make the Change?
The benefits of Cloud-based phone systems:
You can take telecommunications largely off your plate and cut costs by putting this function in a shared environment where dedicated experts can take care of them for you.
Cloud-based phone system operators are experts with the advantages of scale and expertise.
You will eliminate the phone closet. Your days of maintaining on-site telecom equipment are over.
