There are many advantages to choosing a cloud-based phone systems for your business. Whether you are a small, medium or large business we can help.your with a hosted VoIP system. Today’s cloud IP based technologies offer big advantages to today’s businesses. Here are just some of the advantages of a cloud-based system:
Cost
Price is something that all businesses must consider when choosing a communications solution. Startups and smaller businesses do not have the same budgets that larger enterprises do, and therefore need to do a price comparison before settling on a specific provider. And when comparing cloud-based solutions versus traditional on-premise options or standard telephone lines, the cloud comes out on top. Most cloud phone systems are priced on a per-user basis and offer unlimited local and long-distance calling. Additionally, select providers offer metered or pay-as-you-go plans that let businesses only pay for the minutes they use. Plus, cloud phone systems also offer cheap international calling and free in-network calling, thus helping to subsidize costs. Small businesses that switch to VoIP reduce the cost of their local calls by up to 40%. Those same small businesses reduce the cost of their international calls by up to 90%.
VoIP typically charges less per minute than leading landline phone services. No matter what your call volume and usage, it’s almost guaranteed that a cloud-based phone system will cost you less each month than a landline service. Unlimited minutes packages are economical for call centers with high traffic, while Pay-As-You-Go pricing models can accommodate those businesses who use minutes sparingly. And hosted platforms don’t require you to purchase expensive hardware that needs maintenance and installation, saving you quite a bit, as judging from the example above.
Mobility
Cloud-based phone systems offer geographic flexibility that allows you to work remotely. You don’t have to be next to your desk phone to make calls on a cloud-based phone system. Cloud phone systems allow you to work anywhere with a working Internet connection. You can set up an IP phone, plug in your laptop, or use a softphone on your smartphone to make phone calls from your cloud phone system. This means you can work from home, on the go, or as a full-time remote employee.
When choosing a cloud solution, you have more freedom as to where and how you work. The cloud offers the advantage of mobility: workers can access the cloud phone network from any device. This, in turn, also means that employees can access their office cloud communication solution from remote locations like a home office or when traveling on a business trip. A majority (if not all) cloud phone service and UC providers also offer mobile applications for smartphone and tablet devices that come with all of the phone system’s features and capabilities, allowing employees to get access to real-time information from any device they choose.
Geographic flexibility is also a great tool for connecting your offices to one phone system. If you have offices in multiple locations, a cloud-based phone system can connect your entire company to the same phone service, and have it managed by a single administrator from any location.
Reliability
A reliable network that promises the best uptime is critical for businesses that depend on their communication system in addition to any other cloud or real-time applications. Most cloud providers offer a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with their services that usually details the quality and reliability of service that the customer can expect from the service provider. Oftentimes, if a customer experiences service delays or extended downtime, a service provider will compensate them with a credit on their bill. Furthermore, cloud service providers also utilize the latest in technology and equipment to ensure continuity, implementing additional measures like disaster recovery and failsafe methods for connectivity in all environments.
Cloud-Based Phone Systems have servers in multiple locations to because of this typically avoid downtime. Since the components of a cloud-based phone system are not all housed in the same location, most providers have a low amount of service downtime and very few disruptions. ‘Geographic redundancy’ is the industry buzzword used for this decentralized setup. The word redundant is used to signify that all the different servers are a mirror replica of the others.
For example, if a service provider hosts servers in New York and San Diego, either of those servers can act as backups should an extraordinary event knock one of the servers out of commission. If the server in San Diego experiences a major power malfunction, the traffic will be routed through the server in New York. Cloud systems usually have very small amounts of downtime due to geographic redundancy. If you’re in the market for a cloud phone system, ask the provider what the downtime of their service is to get a sense of how much these disruptions affect service. If they have good redundancy, the figure should be close to zero.
Scalability
With traditional phone services that operate on copper wiring or on-premise equipment, scaling the phone system up or down is not an easy task. But with cloud technologies, adding phone lines, extensions, features and more is entirely simple. Administrators can simply use their admin panel or dashboard in order to configure their phone system. Plus, if your business is on the rise or depends on seasonality, you can easily scale the number of lines or phone numbers at will so that you are not paying for more than you need at any given time. And usually, if administrators cannot configure something on their end, the service provider can lend a hand in configuration or deployment of new lines and/or features.
Security
It’s important to be aware of any potential security risks ahead of time, and know how you can prevent them. Phishing, fraud, intercepted calls, spoofing and more are all typical security threats but can be easily prevented with the right security in place. Choosing a cloud solution gives you and your business more security than a traditional phone system can. Typically, traditional on-site phone equipment is kept and locked in a storage closet in the office, allowing the business to put only typical security measures into place. The cloud, on the other hand, offers much more. Cloud phone services utilize a number of security measures like data encryption, network security, secure voice and video, HIPAA-compliance measures, and more are put in place so that users and their data are kept safe. Additionally, cloud communications host all of their servers and associated equipment in secure facilities behind lock and key.
Cloud-Based Phone Systems Overview
Cloud phone systems are becoming very popular for small, medium and large businesses. Solutions for businesses, along with enterprise-grade options, give customers flexibility and reliability when it comes to phone systems. If you think you might benefit from these platforms, it’s never too late to make the switch. Click here for more information about our Cloud-Based Phone Systems You can also call us directly in Tulsa at (918) 982-6840 or OKC at (405) 973-8897