choosing cloud or on-premise pbxPBX in the Cloud

With Cloud solutions, the PBX software resides outside the company and is hosted at a data center or hosting provider. The PBX is thus installed in a remote location and communicates with VoIP phones within the Company and with the public phone network via Internet. In this case every call to the public phone network normally goes through the company's Internet connectivity. The data connectivity in the company is therefore a key factor in the choice.

Advantages:

  • Higher available bandwidth for connection to VoIP providers and to cloud services linked to the PBX such as cloud CRM applications.
  • Company’s remote workers (or smart workers), secondary corporate locations and employees using smartphone clients connect directly to the cloud PBX, leveraging data bandwidth available through the hosting provider. Therefore all "remote users" do not stress the company's XDSL line with their bandwidth consumption.
  • Greater ease of maintenance as it can be outsourced to an expert.
  • Fewer critical issues related to the choice of enterprise router / firewall devices if an SBC such as 3CX session border controller is adopted.
  • When using an SBC within the corporate network, voice RTP data flow for internal calls (including internal calls physically located in the company) doesn’t go to the Cloud PBX but is directly exchanged between phones, remaining within the local network.
  • Easy to use backup XDSL lines to reach the PBX in the cloud.
  • The Cloud PBX comes usually as a service and the offer may also include routine maintenance services.
  • Lower investment in infrastructures such as server / appliance and zero risk of their obsolescence.

Possible critical aspects related to a Cloud solution are:

  • The data connectivity used in the company must be chosen very carefully as it is the fundamental means with which the functioning of the PBX is based. It’s important to pay attention to the MGB (minimum guaranteed bandwidth) provided by the ISP.
  • In the event of ADSL connectivity issues or faults, phones remain isolated and cannot communicate with the cloud PBX. It’s recommended, in this case, to always provide a backup XDSL connection.
  • The choice of the data center and hosting provider for your PBX is critical and should be carefully assessed.
  • The cloud solution perfectly fits with full VoIP systems where the connection to the public telephone network is via a VoIP provider. The connection of local PSTN telephone lines is possible but only recommended in case of a limited number of them.

Find out more in Part 1.

In Part 3 of the article we will try to draw conclusions and provide indications on the choice between on-premise and Cloud PBX solutions.