Understanding the pros and cons of VoIP

Organisations considering making the switch to digital telephony need to understand the pros and cons before making any purchases.

That's according to VoIP and PBX solutions firm My Business VoIP, who says it is vital companies consider what venturing into new technologies can mean for their business, particularly when it is a significant change to the way the business is operated.

My Business VoIP says organisations considering switching to VoIP are no exception.

"If you do not have in-house IT support you need to do your homework, talk to others who have already made the move and get recommendations for providers," the company explains.

It says security is an issue which cannot be ignored for most business and must be thoroughly assessed with providers, particularly if they are considering hosted PBX.

"There are options to ensure the security of your data that can reside in-house, in the cloud and in both places," the company says. "As VoIP runs over the same network as all your other data, and VoIP can be your weakest link, make sure from the outset that it isn't.

My Business VoIP suggests organisations do not be put off by negative comments about unreliability or bad voice quality in regard to VoIP solutions.

"Unless you live in the back of beyond and 4G hasn't got to you yet, the service is reliable and is of high quality," the company explains.

"Of course this does depend on the equipment, broadband speed and network you have in place but these are things which can be upgraded and should not hold you back.

It continues, "VoIP being over the internet can be subject to internet traffic, which if heavy, can affect the quality of calls. Again, this is something to be taken into consideration and planned for with enough resources to cater for peak times.

"Cloud options also play a part here and your provider should be able to advise the optimum option for your business.

The company says a major benefit of VoIP is the lower running costs, not only in the daily operation of a business but with regard to equipment, upgrades and maintenance.

"More available features, ones which you may not have been able to consider in the past due to your legacy system and the cost, are now achievable and many come as part of a subscription," it explains.

"Over all the case for switching to VoIP is positive and can place your business in the same league as the top end of town," it surmises.