By Rosemary Grace Brooks

VoIP phone systems have opened many doors for business owners. No longer wanting to rely on outdated PSTN lines linked through a PBX system for communication needs, fast moving companies have changed to VoIP. The use of a piece of software called a softphone combined with VoIP has reaped big returns from a relatively small investment on PBX phone replacement systems.

The PBX system has been trusted by businesses for almost half a century. However, with the arrival of VoIP has brought an advancement in business communication and many benefits to those using the technology.

Firm believers in PBX systems for business communication will remain adamant that their device has better call quality and allows greater control over their communication. Yet with the right VoIP phone systems, business users are left with more control than any PBX can offer and sound quality equal to that of PSTN lines.

Affordable replacements to traditional PBX systems
A softphone is software which allows a VoIP user to make calls through an internet connected system such as a computer. The softphone uses an icon with buttons for various necessary functions and appears on a computer screen. The user clicks on the virtual buttons to make VoIP calls or can use hardware such as an IP phone or headset. An IP phone appears almost identical to normal telephone handsets, but uses a USB attachment to a computer to allow callers to communicate over a VoIP connection.

Using VoIP phone systems as a PBX phone replacement system delivers sizeable benefits for users.

A softphone allows free calls between branches, multiple calls and user discretion over who can contact them and at what time and where. Costs incurred through a VoIP phone system amount to much less than traditional PBX.

Softphones are also fully programmable so that VoIP phone systems can be used anytime. Voicemail and fax is sent to a personalised inbox and converted into digital files. Online tools allow personal customisation in real-time and are very user friendly, not requiring any training.

What VoIP and VoIP softphones can do for businesses
The majority of businesses using PBX replacement systems list their most noticeable benefits as lowered costs, time-saving functions and greater usability and control through a more user-friendly interface.

Call costs are drastically reduced because line rental and PSTN calling costs are not accumulated with VoIP. PBX phone replacement systems use high-speed broadband internet to carry voice signals as data, thus not requiring phone lines. Previously VoIP delivered lesser sound quality than PSTN lines, but with the advancement of internet speed, this is no longer a compromise VoIP users need to make.

The interface is incredibly user friendly, allowing those with softphones to change their setup and controls as they please without needing training and saving valuable time. Many VoIP phone systems have system management tools which allow IT managers or an administrator to control user features and functions if required.

For those businesses still reluctant to use a PBX replacement system, the option of a SIP trunking solution is available. A SIP trunking solution involves a PBX system functioning on a hosted VoIP platform. The system is basically Hosted VoIP connected with a PBX.

PBX replacement systems and softphones are a welcome technology for businesses because of the many features and benefits of using hosted VoIP technology. The use of softphones and VoIP are a necessary requirement to any company competing on world class levels that needs to stay at the head of their game.
About the Author

Inclarity are a provider of VoIP phone systems based in the UK and offer telephony solutions to clients with their PBX phone replacement systems .

By Armstrong C

As good communicators are the masters of the world no one can deny the relevance of an effective communication system. Proper communication is always essential for better service and outcome. This is more relevant in business setups where there is a steady inflow of customer calls. PBX telephone system for small businesses makes both internal and external communications easy and effective without the business owner having to install any expensive hardware or software.

PBX Telephone System - Enhances Business Efficiency

Private Branch Exchange or PBX system is a business based telephone system. This telephone system incorporates several beneficial options for small business enterprises. The PBX system facilitates receiving multiple calls simultaneously and therefore your phone never becomes engaged. The system provides several other facilities such as delivery of e-mail messages, music on hold, voice to email service, fax, caller ID, call screening and more. Besides enhancing business efficiency, the PBX phone system projects a big business image even for your small home based business.

Benefit from Auto Attendant and Virtual Receptionist Services

The PBX system comprises an auto attendant facility that is of great help in handling all incoming calls. The callers are welcomed with recorded greetings. Therefore they come to know that your company is a reliable and solid one. Calls are effectively routed to the right extensions. The system provides a number of menu options including dial by directory and dial by name. If a call is left unattended, the callers will be provided with a voicemail option and they can leave messages in the voicemail box. Virtual receptionist provides the facility of answering calls from a place outside the office. With the auto attendant and virtual receptionist features, businesses need not set apart money for maintaining live receptionists in the office.

The major advantage of a PBX telephone system is that it makes small businesses systematic and smooth-functioning through high-quality communication facilities. With the advent of advanced technologies the PBX system is now affordable for small and medium sized businesses as well.

About the Author

PBX Telephone System - We are AccessDirect, a leading provider of virtual PBX / hosted PBX phone systems. Small business telephone system that we provide can be customized to meet the growing needs of your business

By Armstrong C

Installation of IP PBX business phone system in small business enterprises with multiple departments and extensions will facilitate communication. This phone system that functions with the support of the internet can be connected to any of the extension phone lines, irrespective of location. Since the entire communication is handled by the dedicated connections of the PBX phone system , you need not install or maintain extra hardware in your premises as in the case of conventional phone systems.

Unifying Communications within the Workplace

With an IP PBX business phone system in your workplace, you can communicate effectively with your associates, customers and employees as if you were in the office. There are lots of advanced features integrated in this system which may include voice mail, fax mail, find me follow me call forwarding, auto attendant and much more that will let the caller convey his message to the user even when he is busy or unavailable. The calls can be connected to the user’s extension phone lines with the help of web interface.

IP PBX Phone Systems with Reduced Calling Plans

IP phone systems for your small business enterprise will be beneficial for you to save on costs and establish effective telecommunication. If you are an international traveler, you can simply reduce the international calling charges with an IP PBX business phone system. For the callers, the companies can make available toll free numbers or local numbers offered by certain PBX phone service providers that will help them to make international calls at local rates.

Partner with Professional Service Providers

When you decide to purchase a telephone system for your office, consider the one that best meets your needs. There are many telecommunication companies offering business phone systems at reduced costs and meets the demands of the customers. An IP PBX business phone system will be of great help for small and medium-sized business enterprises to enhance your business productivity and to improve customer traffic.

About the Author

AccessDirect, being a virtual PBX system provider offers Hosted IP PBX as part of our PBX phone service. Our business phone systems provide a range of sophisticated options to the callers.

By Armstrong C

Virtual PBX phone systems integrated with superior call answering features enable you to present an image of a large corporation among your business clients.

For every business organization an excellent telecommunication system is essential to achieve the set goals. By implementing a virtual PBX phone system integrated with fully automated call answering and routing features it is possible to control your business from any location of your preference. This advanced phone system is provided with innovative features such as auto attendant, call transferring, find me follow me call forwarding, caller ID, voicemail, fax, fax to email, call screening, music on hold and many more.

Smart Choice for Your Business Firm

The auto attendant integrated in the system answers the calls with professionally sounding greeting messages. These messages can be customized for business and non-business hours. Options such as dial by name, dial by extension and call forwarding are provided for efficient routing of the calls. This system can even be programmed to provide the callers with sufficient details about your business, products and services. With the help of the call forwarding facility, incoming calls can be directed to the other numbers provided by the employees including their cell phone numbers. Therefore the chances of missing important business calls can be further reduced.

If the call remains unanswered, the callers are directed to the voicemail box of the employee where they can leave their messages. By using hosted PBX phone system multiple calls can be answered at the same time and transferring of calls carried out without giving busy signals to the caller. All these facilities give the callers the impression that they are dealing with a highly professional company.

Implement Affordable PBX Service in Your Business Firm

In order to utilize the PBX phone services, it is not required to purchase or mount expensive PBX equipment on your office. The required equipment is maintained at the service provider’s site. The PBX services are offered through a hosted server with the support of high speed Internet or telephone network. Since these services are shared among several users, small businesses can avail of premium services at an affordable monthly rate.

About the Author

Virtual PBX - AccessDirect can support your business with a world-class virtual PBX system that can meet all of your communication needs. Advanced call answering services can be provided through our virtual phone system.

By Peter Nisbet

VoIP security has been called in question recently, though there is little evidence to indicate that VoIP security is any less than conventional telephony systems.

VoIP voice data is transmitted via a packet-switched data network using IP. VoIP systems can carry a significant higher number of calls, and very much faster, than traditional PSTN networks due to compression of the voice packets, modern broadband technology and a number of other gateway developments which have reduced the previous packet delivery problems to an extent that the protocol is now a viable mainstream telephony solution to most business needs.

VoIP security should therefore be shown to be at least as effective as that of traditional telephone systems.

There is actually very little difference between VoIP security and that required for any other type of data transmission system. Look on it the same as you do your email system. The same as your office LAN if you have one. You probably have a system in operation whereby only authorized personnel can use certain aspects of the network. VoIP security can, and do, use the same techniques.

However, having said that, let’s have a look at potential weak points in VoIP security that budding hackers may see as good points of attack.

IP PBX CALL MANAGEMENT BOXES

PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange, and is piece of software running on a server. It’s function is to deal with all the switches and connections involved in the telephone system. These can be attacked by hackers or viruses which could compromise sensitive data. VoIP security systems are designed with this risk in mind.

PBX equipment should be placed behind firewalls, locked down and regularly monitored for unwarranted intrusions using intrusion-detection software. It is also possible to put the server in a different domain from the rest of the system, making it much more difficult for intruders to reach. PBX security is a basic aspect of VoIP security systems

GATEWAYS AND DATA PACKETS

The gateway’s job is to convert voice to data packets, transmit them then receive and convert the packets back into voice. These are a potential VoIP security risk in that thy can be hacked into unless there is an access-control system in place to prevent unauthorized people from accessing the system. VoIP calls should only be permitted to specific people, and most good VoIP security systems allow only authorized user to operate VoIP systems under password control.

The data packets themselves can be hacked into using data-sniffing techniques. This can be a serious VoIP security risk and packet sniffers, as they are often called, capture binary data passing through your network and can reroute it to a computer on another network for decoding into a readable form. In order to do this, the ‘sniffers’ has to be on the same network wire as the packet is using to reach its destination. The problem in installing an effective VoIP security system is that there is usually a lot of information passing at any one time, and the hacker has a higher probability of getting useful information than from a conventional telephone system.

Encrypting VoIP traffic and routing it through a virtual private network would reduce the VoIP security risk, and most corporate systems have multiple encryption layers for external messages. Internal security could be improved by running internal VoIP messages through this corporate network. Small businesses should seek the advice of their supplier, or of a security expert if they feel that they may be subject to such attacks.

However, VoIP security advisors can point small to medium companies in the right direction. Corporate VoIP security is generally not so much problem in that it is normally contracted out to expert advisers.

In the final analysis, however, there are no real differences between VoIP security and the normal security concerns associated with any data network service, such as normal office internet and email LANs. The security firewalls and restricted access to use, common on these systems, should suffice to deal with VoIP security