What is hosted PBX?

Hosted PBX is a cloud-based service that moves an organization’s telephone infrastructure off premises to a data center where it is managed by a third party. Telephone connections are enabled over the Internet using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).

PBX is short for Private Branch Exchange, the internal telephone network that allows users within an organization to connect with callers inside and outside the company.

Hosted PBX systems have become more common in recent years as organizations seek ways to minimize the cost and staff resources required to manage enterprise telephony. But what is hosted PBX, and what benefits does it provide the enterprise over non-hosted options? Here’s a short primer on “What is hosted PBX?” that offers some detail.

Hosted PBX is a managed service that moves a company’s Private Branch Exchange from an on-premises location to an off-site data center, where the responsibility for installing, managing, monitoring, troubleshooting and upgrading the PBX falls to a third-party provider rather than an in-house IT team. The hosted PBX is connected to telephone lines and endpoints within the organization over the Internet via VoIP.

What is hosted PBX vs. non-hosted PBX?

Non-hosted PBX simply refers to telephone infrastructure that remains on premises and is managed by in-house staff resources.

What is hosted PBX vs. Unified Communications?

Unified Communications (UC) is a set of integrated communication technologies that enable and improve productivity, communication and collaboration. These may include desktop video conferencing, telepresence, chat, text messaging, web conferencing, virtual meeting spaces, interactive whiteboards, voicemail, audio conferencing and more. A hosted PBX system will often include Unified Communications as a Service.

What is hosted PBX’s most significant advantage?

Hosted PBX provides far greater scalability than a traditional PBX system. As telephony needs evolve, enterprises can quickly and easily add or remove resources without capital investment, and without the risk of provisioning equipment that may be unnecessary or obsolete within a year or two.

What is hosted PBX’s biggest disadvantage?

While it relieves an in-house IT team of responsibility for managing telephony infrastructure, a hosted PBX may also mean that IT administrators have less control and less ability to customize aspects of the PBX.

What is hosted PBX’s cost, compared to other options?

A hosted PBX requires little to no upfront costs, helping enterprises to avoid unnecessary capital investments and the potential for overprovisioning. The cost of a hosted PBX is a predictable monthly expense, which enables companies to pay only for the services they require.

What is hosted PBX with Spectrum Enterprise?

Spectrum Enterprise provides hosted PBX as part of a comprehensive suite of fiber solutions for voice, video, Internet and cloud services. Spectrum Enterprise Hosted Voice is a fully managed cloud-based solution with Unified Communications that can be customized to meet the needs of any enterprise. As telephony technology advances, new features are seamlessly integrated and automatically upgraded, eliminating the cost and complexity of managing premise-based PBX systems.