When it comes to business VoIP, there are two options to choose from: an on-premises solution or a hosted softswitch solution. For SMBs and SMBs, without a doubt, starting with a hosted softswitch solution is the obvious choice. However, many companies prefer to stick to the hosted softswitch solution instead of setting up their own on-premises softswitch. There are quite a few reasons why a hosted softswitch service is better than local solutions.
Maintenance
Let’s look at the most important part: administration and maintenance. For the hosted softswitch, maintenance is not an issue as it is hosted and managed on a third party server. The hosting provider takes care of all the nuances and support, while companies can focus on their core business and offload all the headaches related to their softswitch infrastructure.
Bills
Instead of the capital expense that comes with investing in an on-premises solution, businesses can consider a hosted solution in lieu of some opex, which again isn’t a huge sum. In addition to the investments you must make in an on-premises solution, there are other expenses related to upgrades and maintenance. However, with a softswitch solution, such expenses will never appear.
Gets better
Again, for a hosted softswitch service, you can always take advantage of the latest technology and security. However, it is only possible to upgrade your softswitch on-premises periodically, as you need to focus on the most important aspects of your business.
Scalability
Scalability is another advantage of the hosted softswitch since, unlike expanding an existing infrastructure, you can change your budget and opt for a more elaborate plan.
Redundancy
Last but not least, companies have more reason to go for a hosted softswitch solution due to the redundancy factor. For an on-premises solution, a hardware failure causes many communication problems resulting in poor customer service. However, for a hosted solution, there is almost no chance of technological hiccups since the solution is cloud-based.
All said and done, what about security in a third-party managed solution?
Security is a top concern for companies considering a hosted solution but walking back with some serious questions. Admittedly, companies handling sensitive customer information are not entirely convinced whether communication data hosted by a third party would be secure. The solution is to ensure that the provider follows all security measures, be it encryption (for example, SRTP) or VPN tunnels to protect data sent over the Internet. The customer is also legally protected from toll fraud attempts in a hosted solution since the provider has full responsibility for the IP PBX.
