THE BEST PHONE SYSTEMS FOR STARTUPS

Transcription

1 THE BEST PHONE SYSTEMS FOR STARTUPS By

2 Starting a business can be an expensive affair. Depending on what your company offers, you re going to have to invest in technology, phone systems, office furnishings and often much more. Many new businesses begin in the home these days, but company communications need to be kept separate from personal so this often means having an expensive new line put in. Business calls need to be secure too. So whilst VoIP softphone systems such as Skype can be used as an alternative, many business owners rightly worry about the security of a consumer-based product. The good news is that as a startup, you have much more choice now than you ve ever had in the past. Faster internet services have enabled better-quality VoIP, and the cloud has meant that you can access hosted telephony services at a fraction of the cost of traditional PBX. Hosted VoIP versus onsite systems Whether you re working from home with a fragmented workforce, you re in an office of your own, or if you have several offices, you ll need a reliable and powerful phone system. As discussed, traditional onsite PBX systems tend to be expensive both in terms of capital expenditure and ongoing maintenance. However, one advantage of having such a system installed is that your business owns the infrastructure. This means that if you want changes made on the network, then it s the responsibility of you and IT to make them. Some business owners prefer this kind of setup, as it gives them complete ownership and governance. Others might feel that this is their only option if they have to comply with regulatory rules such as PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard). What phone system is best for your business? Our buyers guide offers a step-by-step approach to finding the best solution for your needs. You can download it at phone-system-buyers-guide

3 Owned infrastructure? Choosing to install your own infrastructure, though, does have its disadvantages. Having to make any changes yourself also means that you have to pay for these changes. Further to this, when things go wrong it s up to you to put it right and this often means waiting around for a technician to be called out. This results in downtime which can very quickly escalate in terms of costs. Hosted VoIP systems are hugely less costly. As it s a system that s hosted in the cloud, the service provider is the one that builds and maintains the infrastructure, all of its software and ongoing upgrades. Hosted VoIP like the majority of cloud services also uses a monthly payment model, so there s nothing to pay out to get the system set up. The cloud and security The disadvantages to hosted VoIP are that you don t own the infrastructure, so are at the mercy of the provider. Many businesses also worry about the security of cloud services, but these are often unfounded. Cloud-based services rely on their uptime and security as a central part of their business. This means that the average data centre in which cloud equipment is stored is generally hugely more secure than the average onsite setup. Data centres use layered security and the centre itself is often physically manned. They have disaster recovery plans set out in order to protect themselves and customers and use more powerful hardware than is seen in office networks. A report from NTT Group in 2013, which studied three million business networks that had suffered a security attack in the previous year, found that 77% of those businesses didn t have a disaster recovery plan. And in fact, many of the businesses also didn t have even the most basic security software and network maintenance in place. With this in mind, it seems odd that many business owners don t trust in the security of the cloud.

4 Service Level Agreements A cloud, however, is only as secure as its provider and these do vary in terms of what they offer and the size, location and power of their data centre. For businesses looking to invest in hosted VoIP then, it s all about choosing a service provider with a good reputation, who also offer a good SLA (Service Level Agreement). The SLA dictates the level of service and outlines the responsibilities of the customer and the provider. It should indicate the level of security offered as well as the uptime that the data centre enjoys. Going mobile A hosted VoIP system also allows you and your staff to have calls routed to mobile devices without the need for the caller to enter a different number. This means that your business can be reached at any time, on the same number, no matter where you are. Hosted VoIP contains all of the features that you would expect on a traditional system, with further features available. Onsite VoIP You can also choose to have a VoIP system installed at the premises and again, this will cost a little more than choosing a hosted solution. It s also worth considering, if you re thinking of going with any onsite solution, how a system installed at the premises will scale. As a startup, you re going to be concerned with early growth and facilitating it as much as possible. With this in mind, consider if going forward you re going to be able to afford to scale the telephone system you choose upwards. Adding to any onsite infrastructure can be costly, whereas with hosted VoIP it s quite literally possible to add and remove users with a click of the mouse, or with a phone call to your service provider. Cloud services, due to the data centre equipment that powers them, tend to be highly scalable, so that they can easily grow and shrink with your business, and you only ever pay for what you need and not a penny more. This is ideal for fledgling businesses that won t have the cash flow to pay for services that are not used.

5 Hosted VoIP for startups THE QUICK AND SIMPLE GUIDE TO VOIP By If you d like to find out more about VoIP specifically, our Quick and Simple Guide to VoIP can be found at Bearing all of the above in mind, hosted VoIP is the best choice for the budding startup. Setup costs are low, as are ongoing maintenance costs, it s possible to add and remove users with ease, meaning that it can grow with your business and all the company will have to purchase (depending on the provider) is VoIP handsets. All of the power of an onsite telephony solution is accessible, and the system can be added to or upgraded in the future to include solutions such as unified communications which allow you to consolidate all communications IM, voic , voice and data into one platform. voip-guide-download

6 About Nomis Connections Nomis Connections is an independent provider of telecoms services and solutions to businesses across the UK. We provide our customers with a single point of contact for all their telecommunications needs. Why not give us a call to discuss your requirements? Found this guide useful? That s great to hear. If you have any further questions, or you d like to discuss telecoms for your startup, please don t hesitate to get in touch! Web Tel sales@nomisconnections.co.uk gold reseller