Hosted VoIP solutions (sometimes known as IP Centrex) are the fastest growing part of the communications market with analysts estimating that 1 in 4 of all extensions will used Hosted Technology by 2012. It frees busineses from worrying about the ownership and support of its telephone network. There is no capital expenditure; services are billed on a 'usage' and pay-as-you-go basis. Services can be switched on or off as and when required, giving great flexibility in today’s uncertain economic climate.

There are many suppliers in the market using a variety of approaches; asterix based servers, data centre based IP PBXs or carrier grade switches. Whilst each offer the opportunity for customers to move to IP, there can be significant differences in the scalability, redundancy, call quality and availability of business features and applications.

The benefits of hosted VOIP include:

• Calls are free between sites; other calls and line rentals are reduced
• Existing telephone numbers can be kept, whilst building common dial plans
• There are no maintenance and support charges
• Employees can work from anywhere as the phone and all its features follow you
• Web based management tools give total real time control over all extensions
• Fully scalable – add or remove lines and features as needed
• Built in Business Continuity
• Inbuilt future proofing means new updates are available without expensive upgrades

Equinox can help you identify if Hosted VOIP is right for your organisation and identify the best solution. Call us on 020 8912 0845 to find out more.