While selecting the network infrastructure of enterprise companies and institutions, IT managers are always faced with a question: Whether to go with the traditional EPABX (Analog, which are still popular) or whether to invest in an IP PBX (VOIP – over Ethernet).

While analog PBX had its advantages of reliability and cost effectiveness (especially with the analog phones), IP PBX is catching up fast. Even in the non IT segments. Here are the reasons why:

Separate Network For Telephones and Networking

There is no need to have a separate network for telephones and networking. Your Cat6 cables to the computer can be used to connect IP Telephones. While this reduces the cost of set up, it also reduces the cost of maintenance and repairs.

Integrate IP PBX

It is much easier to integrate IP PBX with long distance VOIP/SIP trunks to make international calls cheaper, if your business has a lot of calls going abroad.

Totally Free of Cost

When all the IP PBX are trunked over IP, the inter office communications are totally free of cost (As you already pay a fixed amount of cost for your bandwidth).

Business Process Integration

Business Process Integration: IP PBX can integrate into your business processes like an CRM package. So, before you lift the phone, you can know who is calling, what has been the previous interactions and what is the current status of the order/complaint.

Applications

Enabling applications like Unified Communications (Adding Email, Chatting, SMS etc), integration with outlook, call monitoring and recording on the fly, ability to retrieve the voice mail as an mp3 attachment directly sent to your mail are some of the key applications that can be enabled in an IP PBX platform easily.

The inhibiting factors for the IP PBX include the high entry cost of the IP Phones and the cost of full featured IP PBX. But on the long run, the cost is more than just recovered.

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