All voice and data traffic is integrated into one physical network, that can be shared with other computers and software phones, bypassing the need for separate equipment and cabling. This can bring significant savings when moving into a new office or renovating. These phone systems are less expensive to change or expand, and changes can be made by most semi-knowledgable users or remotely by our technicians at reduced costs. VoIP trunks also reduces the charge of subscription or usage, especially for long distance and international calls. These systems also come with a rich feature set, including auto attendant, voice mail, call queuing and more, options that are normally very expensive in proprietary systems.

A legacy phone system assigns a phone number with a dedicated line, so generally you cannot move your phone to another location if you want to use the same phone number. However, a VoIP PBX system provides mobility. You can use the same number anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. Many business people today bring their hardware or softphones when travelling and use the same numbers everywhere. Wherever the phone goes, the same services are available, including call features, voicemail access, call logs, security features, service policy, and so on.

Scalability is a large concern for all businesses that are hoping to expand and legacy phone systems are easy to outgrow. Adding more phone lines or extensions often requires expensive hardware upgrades, in some cases you need an entirely new phone system. In contrast, VoIP phones systems can be instantly changed with the click of a mouse button, to add or remove phones or lines at any time.

Normally, the phone system hardware, also called a private branch exchange or PBX, is located on the premises of the business. The key difference in the case of hosted or cloud VoIP PBX is this hardware is hosted or positioned elsewhere. Since the call platform as well as the PBX hardware is away, the cost of maintaining the PBX equipment is transferred to the host. Hosted IP PBX systems offer all the same features and benefits that on-premise systems do but are less expensive, less complex, and require less maintenance.