A deeper look into hosted managed VoIP providers and what you need to know
Businesses need telephones to operate effectively. In the modern era, business telephone systems are digital Voice over IP (VoIP) systems that use the internet to make and take phone calls. But not all VoIP systems are created equal, so there is quite a bit of nuance that business owners need to wrap their heads around to be sure they get a cost-effective VoIP solution that properly meets their needs.
To simplify your life, we’ve compared hosted and managed VoIP options available to businesses today. It is critical for any organization to make the right decision when adopting a VoIP solution, so we’ve attempted to clarify and make the options easier to understand.
Hosted vs Unhosted vs Managed VoIP providers
The two most common options when deploying a VoIP system are hosted or managed. While both approaches ultimately deliver VoIP functionality and allow businesses to make and take calls, the way they are set up and how much they cost is different.
At a fundamental level, all VoIP solutions must connect to a physical server to work. This server enables calling, voicemail, hold, call routing, auto-attendant, and other advanced features of a modern VoIP system. Where that server is located is important, as it impacts the overall cost of the system.
An unhosted VoIP system requires a physical server to be set up on your business premises to drive your telephony. While this is certainly not impossible, it’s more expensive as you’ll need to pay for the server hardware and someone to look after it.
Hosted is by far the more affordable option because your VoIP server lives in the cloud — that is, inside someone else’s data center. The cloud offers the kind of redundancy, backup, and resiliency that a physical server inside your business simply isn’t capable of.
A managed VoIP solution is deployed, managed, and maintained by a third-party company specializing in cloud-based telephony solutions. This gives you streamlined business communication with a hosted VoIP provider. The subscription fee for this service is much lower than what the hardware would cost you if you did it yourself.
The Benefits of a Managed VoIP Service
The biggest appeal of using a managed VoIP solution is that the servicing, maintenance, and feature management is the responsibility of that third-party company. In other words, you get professional VoIP support and maintenance included in your monthly subscription!
Among the advanced features of a managed VoIP system, Quality of Service (QoS) in hosted VoIP stands out. This means you get excellent voice quality and guaranteed performance backed by your provider.
If you have a problem, simply pick up the phone and call your managed VoIP service provider. They are contractually obligated to solve your problem as quickly as possible. You also have the option to choose the features you want for your phone system, as they can be activated and deactivated by your managed service provider with the click of a few buttons.
The costs involved in having a managed VoIP solution are also much lower than doing everything yourself. There is no upfront outlay on equipment, no need to install new cabling, and no requirement to host, maintain, support, or cool your server hardware. All of which translates to major monthly savings.
Get the best of both worlds with 101VOICE
For the true first prize when it comes to VoIP solutions, you’ll want a hosted managed service provider… A one-stop shop for all your VoIP needs.
Hosted managed service providers typically have the internal expertise to develop and deploy hosted managed VoIP solutions tailored to your exact needs. They can deploy these in the cloud on your behalf and then do all the work to keep the system up and working without breaking the bank.
Did you know that 101VOICE is a hosted managed service provider? We have been serving various industries since 2009, specializing in managed cloud VoIP communications and Unified Communications as a Service (UcaaS) solutions. Our headquarters in Santa Clara, California, along with international offices, enables us to cater to organizations of any size in education, government, healthcare, and the commercial private sector.
While those are our focus areas, we cater to any industry and organizations of any size. If you want to engage us about any of our services, please get in touch.
