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Multi-Site Companies are Turning to the Cloud
9 Mar, 2018
When a company spans across multiple locations, the cost and complexity of maintaining a traditional on-premise phone system can pose significant challenges. Businesses find themselves making large investments in PBX (public branch exchange) telephone systems at each new location and take on the burden of maintaining these systems. A company is often left with a hodgepodge of various types of hardware across different locations, together with a motley assortment of local vendors and IT middlemen servicing the various systems. Costs can be difficult to control or predict, and expansion requires additional capital outlays. Whether it is the result of acquisitions or organic growth, the end result is a patchwork of disparate hardware and providers that is frustrating for internal IT staff to manage, and a communications system that isn’t unified or integrated, or lacks certain features. To address these and other challenges, more and more multi-site companies are turning to cloud-based phone systems. Unlike the traditional approach which depends on PBX hardware and dedicated telco connectivity at each site, a cloud communications solution serves all locations – large, small, home offices, mobile workers – via the internet using VoIP. Not only do all of the workers sit on the same platform as part of a single, unified communications ecosystem, but even remote employees and mobile workers enjoy all of the functionality of a traditional PBX because the phone system now sits in the cloud, not on site. Here are three of the biggest drivers of this trend:
Network & Carrier Savings Because they operate over the internet, cloud-based phone systems eliminate the need for local telco connectivity at each site, typically in the form of analog trunk lines, PRIs, or bonded T1s. Not only to companies no longer need to pay for dedicated voice lines, but local and long-distance charges usually disappear too. In addition, more and more businesses are
dropping their expensive MPLS networks in favor of SD-WAN based tools and technologies. Cloud communications enable companies to reap significant savings across their sites, and in many instances getting a brand new cloud based VoIP system can be paid for with these savings.
Simple to Manage Perhaps an even a more important driver of adoption for multi-site companies is the simplification and streamlining of their communications strategy. Internal IT teams know there is a single vendor who handles their VoIP service, regardless of whether they are dealing with a location in California, Maryland, or Canada. Modern cloud-based systems also have easy-to-use online portals for administrator and end user system management. There is no PBX hardware to maintain or software to update, and adding new users or sites is dramatically simplified. This frees up IT resources to focus on higher-value projects and offloads service requests to the VoIP provider.
Single Platform Cloud-based phone systems provide the synergies of a truly unified communications platform. All of the employees, regardless of their location or means of connecting to the platform (desk phone, mobile device, laptop softphone, etc.) can transfer calls or extension dial and enjoy the latest features of the phone system. Calls can be automatically redirected from one site to another, and employees and customers can use advanced collaboration capabilities like chat, video, and web meetings, all through the same platform that powers their voice communications. For multi-location businesses, this means their employees can operate more effectively as part of the same team and be less siloed than ever before. If your multi location organization is struggling with an assortment of incompatible on-site PBX systems or looking for a way to simplify your business, think hard about whether it is time to move your communications to the cloud. You won’t be disappointed.
About Altus Altus is the premier choice for cloud-based business communications, providing companies with flexible and secure technologies that help employees and customers stay connected more easily. Whether looking for basic voice service, comprehensive unified communications, contact center, or network services, business executives trust Altus to deliver the latest features and functionality at affordable prices. Start communicating better with Altus. For more information, visit www.altustechnology.com or call toll free 866.922.4001.
