Premise-based or cloud-hosted VoIP?

Posted on Friday February 22, 2019

Business owners are turning to the cloud because of its numerous advantages. However, others prefer premise-based infrastructures. When it comes to VoIP phone systems, which is better for your business?

Installation and maintenance On-premises VoIP phone systems are installed in your office and typically managed and maintained by your own personnel. While you can hire a third party to do this, you can't avoid the hardware costs of setting up your VoIP phones. Cloud-based VoIP, on the other hand, means all the software and hardware are hosted and maintained by a VoIP provider. Other than the physical phones, everything else is provided virtually, which means you won't be bothered with expensive hardware costs nor will you need an in-house staff to manage the system. But since all support requests must be addressed by your VoIP provider, service responsiveness and flexibility are crucial, as they can directly impact your daily operations. Security You might think having on-premises VoIP is the obvious choice when it comes to security, and in one specific case, that's true. If you have vast IT resources, deploying VoIP on premises gives you better security control since you will know your system's capabilities. But for small to medium-sized businesses, cloud-hosted VoIP remains a favorable option because every aspect of security is taken care of by a provider whose reputation rests on maintaining the most stringent security measures. That entity is well-versed in identifying vulnerabilities, reducing the area of attacks, and protecting all entry points. Control On-premises solutions give you better control of your VoIP phones since you can design systems suited to your needs without relying on a third party. This makes it a popular choice for larger enterprises with dedicated IT technicians who are needed to customize and manage the system. With cloud-hosted VoIP, you relinquish a certain amount of control to your service provider, which is the price you pay for the convenience of professional deployment and maintenance. This, however, doesn't give your provider the right to monitor your calls or conduct any activity that breaches your business's confidentiality. Scalability With on-premises VoIP systems, you rely on your in-house personnel to add or remove features to accommodate your changing needs. There are various backend processes involved and every expansion often increases the complexity you have to manage yourself. With a cloud-hosted solution, you'll have an entire team of technicians at your beck and call, so features can be added or removed as needed. If you're anticipating future changes, cloud-hosted VoIP will be more effective in the long run. Whether you're looking to host your VoIP phone systems on-premises or in the cloud, we can help make the process quick and painless. Give us a call today, and we'll help you decide.