On-premise, VoIP or Hybrid?

Purchasing a new business phone system can seem complicated. It can be hard to predict how your business is going to grow and adapt. You do need to make sure your phone system performs for you now and in the future too. 

The good news is, we can help you decide. We would recommend getting in touch with us so that we can talk you through the options in more detail but here's a quick and simple guide to on-premise, hosted VoIP and hybrid combinations.

On-Premise

A true on-premise phone system is the traditional one.  Phones you own that are on your own network

Pros

• Tailored feature set
• You don’t rely on the internet to make calls
• All phone data on your infrastructure

Cons

• Higher support costs – no remote external access
• Features more difficult to add unless you have internal expertise

Hosted VoIP (Cloud)

In its purest sense, you have no physical handsets.  The phone system is rented to you on a monthly basis.  Limited upfront investment (unless you need handsets).  In the long term, it may cost more due to ongoing monthly payments.

Pros

• Low initial investment (very low if you don’t require handsets)
• You pay for what you have
• No long-term commitment (beyond any initial contract)
• Easy to scale
• No internal expertise needed

Cons

• High total cost of ownership
• Less features available to you
• Calls dependent on your internet connection
• All calls (if recorded), chats etc kept in the cloud

Hybrid

Arguably the best phone system currently available using the feature-rich premise offer along with all that a cloud solution can offer.

Pros

• Gives you the most extensive feature set
• Easy to support
• No monthly fees for your PBX System
• Unlimited extensions
• All call data stored on your infrastructure
• No need for internal expertise

Cons

• Initial costs higher than hosted

We hope this is helpful for you. Talk to us today if you would like to have a chat about your business and how we can help.