Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CONTENTS
Summary .. ................................................................................... 3
Whats The Buzz About?......................................................................................................... 3
What It Means For Businesses.............................................................................................. 3
What It Means For Employees.............................................................................................. 3
Introduction................................................................................ 4
Hosted VOIP On-Premise PBX Comparison................................................................. 4
Main Technological Differences............................................................................................................ 4
Specialized Applications........................................................................................................ 5
PBX End-Of-Life (EOL)............................................................................................................ 5
Conclusion . . ............................................................................... 12
About Epik Networks...........................................................................................................................12
SUMMARY
Summary
Whats The Buzz About?
Hosted Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP), also known as IP PBX, Virtual PBX or
Cloud VOIP, is the next big thing in business telecommunications. It is changing the
limitations of voice systems and bringing those changes to businesses of all sizes
and industries. In the last few years alone, advanced VOIP systems have gone from
an enterprise-only technology to an everyday reality for businesses across North
America. And, amazingly, of the millions of VOIP end-users, many are working on
comprehensive phone systems that arent even located in the same building as their
offices.
After decades of PBX systems, what has changed? The answer is at the root of the
technology, in the transition from traditional telephony to cloud technology, and the
new possibilities that come with it.
INTRODUC TION
Introduction
In less than 15 years, Information Technology has gone from a costly, raw potential
to a widely accessible and refined toolkit. From software applications to mobile
devices to the sophisticated networks they inhabit, the private sector has undergone a
transformation driven by new technology.
This is perhaps nowhere more visible than in business telephony, where legacy
phone networks are quickly giving way to the IP and Cloud Revolution. As the
telecommunications industry introduces more mobile and multi-media capabilities
while streamlining operations and expenses, PBX networks become increasingly
outdated and limited.
PBX TECHNOLOGY
PBX Technology
A Private Branch Exchange (PBX) is designed to provide phone service to a group
of people without purchasing independent lines and features for each user from a
telephone service provider. It acts like a Public Switched Phone Network (PSTN) on a
small scale, allowing organizations to use extensions and share a common connection
to the PSTN. When calls are made, they are interpreted and rerouted by the PBX to
another internal number via an extension or to an external number via the PSTN.
Many standard office phone features were developed on traditional PBX systems,
such as call routing, auto-attendants, user shortcuts, voicemail, fax-integration and
countless others. PBX are capable of connecting complex applications, like call centre
systems that enable large scale call management or Integrated Service for Digital
Network (ISDN) systems that enable digital data to travel over traditional landline
networks.
Major PBX Components
Telephone Trunk Line Multiple shared phone lines for each user
Maintenance Console
Specialized Applications
In order to add new features to a PBX, additional hardware and software systems
have to be installed. A call centre application, for instance, has to be purchased from
a vendor and integrated with the PBX by the office IT staff. Any specialized function
requires a system addition, followed by ongoing updates and upgrades for
continual use.
Cloud Computing
Cloud Computing is a general term for a number of different services and applications
that can be delivered over the Internet instead of developed at the location of the user.
Many things today use cloud technology to offer software subscriptions, server space
or virtual networks. Cloud-based services rely on centralized servers that perform a
particular set of functions and then broadband network infrastructure that deliver it to
customer locations as a simplified service.
Broadband Networks
Broadband refers to high-speed and high-capacity data networks and data-handling
techniques. The development and proliferation of broadband has allowed residential
and commercial users to use increasingly complicated and data-laden services at
sustainable costs. Broadband connections, including cable, DSL and fiber optics,
allow Internet Service Providers to stream high-bandwidth voice data with fewer
quality issues. Hosted VOIP services combined with a fiber optic connection can offer
applications like video-conferencing for entire offices without sacrificing the quality of
service.
Softswitch Technology
An advanced software platform, known as the softswitch, functions like a remote PBX
system. As the brains of the Hosted VOIP network, it handles call routing, switching,
advanced applications and enhanced features for the providers entire network.
Through various built-in or add-on capabilities, the provider can offer on-demand and
customizable service.
The complexity of the softswitch will largely determine the capabilities of the Hosted
VOIP service provider. Some providers opt for a basic softswitch that provides
fundamental phone services that a traditional PBX would, without the hassle of
managing it internally. Providers with advanced softswitches have many more
features to offer clients, including upcoming technologies in the telecom market.
Bandwidth Requirements
Packet Classification
Queuing
Traffic Shaping
Data Compression
Frame Relay
Uptime Guarantee
COST COMPARISON
Figure 1
COST COMPARISON
In this case, the savings result from bundling the phone service with enterprise
Internet services from the same provider, and monthly VOIP long distance fees. There
would be a similar pattern with other voice applications, like conferencing or enhanced
features that would be more cost-effective and easier to manage with the Hosted VOIP
system (Figure 1.1).
Figure 1.1
The monthly savings would actually be significantly more as maintenance and update
costs are not always known in advance (an estimated 15-20%) but are includes in
Hosted VOIP services since the system is managed offsite (Figure 1.2).
Figure 1.2
COST COMPARISON
Figure 2
In this example, it is clear how a specific voice applications (in this case conferencing),
long distance and maintenance add up to significant savings. Each of these is
inherently more cost-effective than the PBX equivalent because of the underlying
technology.
Figure 3
COST COMPARISON
Conclusion
Comparing traditional PBX systems to Hosted VOIP technology is becoming more
and more of an Old vs. New story. The core technological differences and the dropoff in future potential put them in practically different categories altogether. Heavily
invested in PBX systems and general office complacency make it difficult to transition
out of traditional telephony, even as employees continue to adopt and develop work
behaviours in relation to high-tech personal and consumer technologies.
The proliferation of VOIP, cloud computing and broadband networks have made
advanced IP telephony widely available and affordable, even more so than standard
PBX networks. Businesses looking for a new system should reconsider what comes to
mind when they think business phone system, because for many companies it is the
last barrier between their operation and todays telecommunications.
epiknetworks.com
sales@epiknetworks.com