When choosing the right PBX telephone system for your business, there is a choice of two options:

1. Cloud-based (hosted)

2. On-premise PBX.

But what is the difference between the two and how do you choose?

What’s the difference between hosted and on-site PBX systems?

On-premise PBX systems is located on the company premises, and all calls and software operate through physical hardware (PBX) that is maintained on-site.

Cloud-hosted PBX systems is located in a Data Centre (Cloud) and accessed through the internet and maintained by your VoIP service provider.

The pros and cons

While on-premise PBX systems give you full control of your telephony, setup costs and ongoing management of the system can be costly – especially for small-to-medium businesses. Due to the amount of hardware needed to run on-premise PBX systems. Ongoing maintenance is the responsibility of the company, and as your business grows, the hardware might need to be upgraded to allow for additional users.

A hosted PBX system costs less to set up and implementation of new features is in the hands of the VoIP service providers. Adding or removing users can be done in a matter of seconds, and in a time when remote working is extremely common, cloud-hosted PBX systems gives mobility and scalability, even when staff works from home.

And the winner is?

Cloud-hosted PBX system

It requires less hardware, as there is no physical PBX needed. A choice of devices can easily be used to make calls via the cloud-based PBX – including a soft-phone on your laptop, mobile devices (enabled by an app) or IP Desk Phones like Yealink or FANVIL.

In a world that is connecting more from various locations, a hosted PBX system is a standout choice that is more affordable, more scalable and provides full mobility that supports working from anywhere