Top 4 reasons to choose cloud telephony over a PBX solution

More and more companies are using as-a-service software models to give themselves flexibility in an environment requiring a high level of adaptability.

Cloud telephony-as-a-service (CTaaS) has become a viable option for businesses wanting a flexible and scalable phone solution.

Atlas Gentech has been the New Zealand distributor for Ericsson-LG Enterprise for over 20 years.

It recently launched Cloud Factory, a hosted PBX telephony solution powered by Ericsson-LG Enterprise's iPECS-Cloud platform, and is exclusively provided to the market via their network of key partners nationwide.

These partners get the benefit of providing a high quality 'built for business' cloud telephony without giving up the customer relationship.

Cloud Factory's dealer partners are assisted throughout the sales and deployment process, as well as provided ongoing support once the solution is installed.

"We have a real desire to be far more than just a distributor to our partners, we see it almost as our duty to provide the latest solutions and advice to the New Zealand market," Atlas Gentech central and south general manager Andy Brown says.

No two cloud solutions are the same so selecting a solid, well-supported partner is a vital decision when thinking about a cloud product or partnership.

There are a number of reasons why businesses might opt to move their telephony service to a cloud solution, such as fostering a more efficient workforce, a flexible working environment, and a future-proofed growth strategy.

Here are the top four reasons why CTaaS can be a better solution for businesses:

1. Security

Cloud Factory's solution functions on proprietary Ericsson-LG phones, which encrypt voice calls on a secure connection, ideal for protecting sensitive business information.

The solution also operates from a local data centre hosted in New Zealand.

It's reassuring knowing that you have 24/7 support on hand throughout New Zealand and that your information isn't stored in data centers subject to changes in foreign laws.

A cloud-based solution also ensures the software is updated automatically on a regular basis with minimal effort on the part of the end user.

2. Reliability

Having a cloud-hosted telephone service means businesses have disaster recovery options on-premise services are unable to offer.

In the event of natural disasters like the Kaikoura earthquakes or Edgecumbe floods, businesses are able to arrange for affected telephone lines to be re-routed automatically to pre-configured telephone numbers.

You can still effortlessly keep in contact with their customers come hell or high water, maintaining the trust in that relationship.

3. Scalability

A CTaaS solution is scalable in a way that traditional on-premise telephone services aren't due to infrastructure constraints.

"Cloud telephony is about future-proofing, so that business owners don't need to crystal ball-gaze and guess what their company might need down the road," Brown says.

Similar to other as-a-service solutions, CTaaS allows you to choose the number of extensions and features that cater to the size and the needs of your organisation, rather than having to commit capital expenditure to resources your business doesn't yet need.

Cloud Factory clients can easily add any number of extensions as their organisation expands.

Conversely, if they decide to scale back, there are often no associated penalties.

This flexibility on infrastructure spending can deliver up to 50% cost savings to your business.

4. Flexibility

The Cloud Factory comes with a handy unified communications client iPECS UCE for both mobile and desktop.

Using the client, you can have the utility and connectivity of having a landline or physical phone number right from their desktop or mobile phone.

This is convenient for remote workers, or for businesses like real estate where agents are on the go often in the course of their job.

The UCE client also supports seamless Skype for Business integration through Ericsson-LG's RCCV application, so you don't need to mess around with multiple different clients.

The basic Cloud Factory voice solution gives users a reasonable package with an IP Deskphone, PBX functionality, competitive calling rates, and a business-grade telephony service manageable via an online portal.

Cloud Factory gives you the flexibility of digital solutions without having to compromise the sophistication of features found in on premise telephony solutions.

If you are an ICT business that wants to build your own cloud voice business, get in touch with Cloud Factory to see how their channel-only and channel-owned delivery model can work best for you.