Lots of companies talk about VoIP but exactly what does it mean? Well, the truth is, VoIP means a lot of different things depending on who you talk to. There needs to be another word in front of VoIP to accurately explain a service”peer-to-peer VoIP, Virtual PBX VoIP, hosted VoIP, managed business VoIP, etc. Heres a quick look at each niche:
Peer-to-Peer What it is: Two people who have downloaded the same software can chat directly for free. Example: Skype What you should know: It is free but works best for individuals (when you want to chat with your kids or spouse from a business trip, for instance), not businesses.
Residential VoIP. This means that you use your analog phone to chat with other people except in this case the call is going over the Internet instead of a phone line. An example of this is Vonage. An important thing to keep in mind is you get what you pay for. The price is better than a regular phone but service is often spotty.
Virtual PBX . The benefit of virtual PBX is that it makes a small company look bigger. If you have a one-person firm, this is a good option. By setting up a virtual PBX you can have callers press one for sales, two for marketing and three for technology. Then you can have all calls routed to your cell phone. An example of virtual PBX is GotVMail. Keep in mind however that while this is inexpensive, its functionality is limited.
Hosted. This basically means that there are phones but no central piece of equipment (i.e. server) at your office. This central technology is hosted by the provider. An example is Packet 8. The benefit of this service is that you get more functionality than with a virtual PBX, yet you don’t have to spend as much as you would on a managed business VoIP.
Managed Business. This service is nearly identical to hosted VoIP, except everything runs on private lines, instead of the public Internet. This is ideal for a very large company that will be in trouble if its phone system goes down, even on a very rare occasion and even if only for a few minutes. Example: M5, CBeyond, Cisco. What you should know: Better quality control but most expensive of all VoIP options.