A Virtual PBX Phone System provides the functionality of a conventional PBX without the need for installing any equipment. This service is provided by an Application Service Provider (ASP). A client need not purchase or install any PBX equipments. Instead it is given access to the PBX system maintained at service provider’s site. The service provider can add new features, which are instantly made available to all the clients. Some of the advanced features that one can identify a Virtual PBX system are fault tolerance and scalability.
A PBX system forms a critical component for a company’s communication and customer care services. Any failure in this system can have catastrophic results in the company’s operations. A PBX system should therefore be fault tolerant to the maximum extent. A Virtual or Hosted PBX system operates through a service provider. A Virtual PBX service provider caters to a number of companies. To provide the necessary quality of service and fault tolerance, the service provider utilizes multiple PBX systems and redundant components. These systems come with automatic fail-over feature to enforce maximum fault tolerance.
One of the greatest limitations when it comes to a conventional PBX system is its limited size. Companies usually outgrow their system’s capacity. More employees mean more phone connections. A typical growing company has to upgrade its PBX system every two years. Some companies install large expensive systems without utilizing their full capacity. Large amounts are thus spent on systems whose full capacity would be utilized in the future. However, many systems tend to get outdated by the time their full capacity should be utilized.
The relative scalability of a hosted PBX phone system solves the problems related to over and under capacity. The service is provided according to the number of users, and not on the size of system. The number of lines and extension numbers are allotted according to the current requirement of the company. A company therefore needs to pay only according to its usage. Moreover, since the system is operated by a service provider, there is no problems related to under or over utilization of the system capacity.
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