Cloud-based telephony built on a carrier grade platform that simplifies voice? What does that even mean, and how can businesses find the right solution, asks Natalie van der Merwe, Head of Telephony at Vox

The cloud PBX market is expected to reach $71.75 billion by 2031 with a compound annual growth rate of 18.52%. This growth is driven by the accessibility and reliability of the technology that sits at its heart. Flexible, agile, and capable of providing communication and collaboration tools to companies wanting to operate effectively on the global stage, cloud PBX – a core component of the move towards Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solutions – is cost-effective and easy to integrate within the business. However, companies don’t have visibility into the technology that powers these solutions or how this will evolve to meet their changing business needs.

The technology behind digital closed doors can often have a serious impact on the business if it isn’t the right fit, or fit for purpose. For example, is it capable of meeting an organisation’s call volumes? Is it capable of providing high quality of service (QoS)? What service provision has been put in place to ensure last mile call quality? Have factors such as network congestion, latency and packet loss been taken into consideration as these can have a significant impact on call volumes and customer service.

Cracking those doors open means asking questions about redundancy, self-service manageability, on-premises versus cloud-based equipment, and last-mile service delivery. If you need a self-reliant solution that requires minimal intervention or complexity, then you need to consider investing in a managed service option that will provide your business with all the PBX functionality needed while ensuring ongoing security, optimised redundancy and prioritising 24/7/365 support against agreed service level agreements. As a starting point, companies should consider flexible contract terms that allow them to test the digital waters before making a long-term commitment to a specific PBX platform.

The challenge for many companies is understanding whether the technology they have chosen can meet these essential prerequisites to ensure optimal business operations. Wedded to this is the need to ensure that any cloud-based PBX platform provides robust security and reliability. In an era where cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated and downtime can lead to significant financial losses, having a secure and reliable communication system is important for maintaining business continuity and protecting sensitive information.

The third consideration is perhaps the one that most decision-making comes down to – cost. How does the technology provide balance against the costs expected for the initial investment? Some solutions limit the amount of on-site hardware investment you’re required to make in order to benefit from the solution. You need only ensure employees have access to the right handsets and the system runs perfectly. Others may require a heftier on-site cost but this will depend on your company’s unique needs. However, in most cases, using a smart solution that relies on a stable connectivity architecture and a limited on-site hardware cost is enough to ensure your business enjoys reliable uptime and communication capabilities.

You also need visibility into the data network and connectivity capabilities of your cloud-based PBX service provider. Hosted within a datacentre as part of your UCaaS strategy means you want optimised bandwidth, reduced latency and cost-effective data transfer so you’re not stung by unexpected costs, and you can run seamless video conferencing, texting, calling and collaborative communications.

Selecting the right solution often comes down to the right service provider. An all-in-one offering with trusted connectivity, service and technology makes it a lot easier to pin down the SLA and ensure the solution meets your business needs. At the same time, it’s important to pick the provider capable of answering your technology questions. Find out what platform they are using, what technology underpins its back-end service delivery, how they guarantee bandwidth and exceptional latency, and how they are evolving their tech to meet changing market needs.

Before you sign on any dotted line, rip off the blindfold and find out what technology is being used to keep your business connected to the outside world. Understanding whether the platform for your essential communications is a one-of-a-kind, home-grown solution or a globally recognised system can transform your decision-making, and change the narrative around the perceived complexity of PBX systems and UCaaS functionality.