Going completely wireless? Professional VoIP service is also available as an app on your computer or smartphone. VoIP's flexibility is a big win for entrepreneurs and enterprises alike. Direct costs also come in the form of the cost of calling. A large part of this has to do with the drastic fall in data carriage costs.
Initially, data was priced out of the reach of most small businesses. Even for large organizations, users had to contend with capping on enterprise internet bandwidth and broadband. Today, however, internet speeds have improved while data costs have correspondingly taken a nosedive. Traditional phone service costs approximately twice as much as compared to VoIP.
VoIP offers a significant benefit for businesses that operate globally. A VoIP service also enables businesses to cut other ongoing expenses such as taxes, repair and maintenance fees.
Below are some of the most common areas where organizations save money long-term. Switching to VoIP lets employees stay connected to the corporate phone system while working remotely. This is thanks to the long list of VoIP phone features like call waiting, auto-attendant, instant video calling, conference calling, and others not provided by traditional phones.
Studies show that this not only can increase employee productivity, but it can also cut down on utilities and office space.
You probably might be quick to point out that even traditional PBX supports remote working through functionalities like call transfer, group ringing, call queuing, and so on.
In essence, these features are not inherent in a standard PBX system. Rather, they are add-on features that you have to pay for separately. By comparison, VoIP phone services include many of these features at no additional cost.
No need to pay extra for whatever feature you think could be useful for your business. If your business relies on a secretary to handle phone calls and take messages, the auto attendant feature lets you repurpose that role at no additional cost. Of course, a secretary does make sense for companies taking a large number of walk-ins or large corporations with sizeable budgets.
However, smaller businesses may find it difficult to justify this kind of salary. Cost efficiency aside, accessibility is one of the biggest benefits of VoIP for business. One distinct advantage cloud-based VoIP service offers is the ability to make calls from anywhere. If you have a decent data connection, you can make and receive calls for your business. And when you're unable to answer the call, you can direct calls to another person or get voicemails emailed to you.
A noted benefit of VoIP is the ability to take your business phone with you with nothing more than a softphone app. In an increasingly mobile workforce, remote accessibility allows your business to be flexible. Mobile employees can stay productive regardless of their location. They can work on their smartphones and tablets from anywhere.
A VoIP number, also known as a virtual number , is completely portable. This means you can use the same number wherever you go. For people who travel a lot, this should be more than welcome news. Better yet, in the event your business changes address, you can retain the same VoIP number. Scalability is another of the many VoIP advantages that make it an attractive proposition for growing businesses.
While this is an often-talked-about aspect of VoIP, what does it mean exactly? Given the option, every business owner would prefer a phone system that grows in step with their business. A VoIP solution does away with having to purchase expensive hardware or dedicated line as you grow. No matter what the scenario, toggle your preferences instantly without having to purchase additional lines or dedicated hardware.
With advanced features like auto attendant and call transferring, VoIP allows even a one-person operation to project the image of a larger company. On the other hand, it can make a large enterprise feel more approachable. This makes customers perceive you as a local, even though you are not.
Similarly, the auto attendant feature can make you look larger than you are. Run regular security checks Conduct regular security checks to test your system and see how it responds and how your security measures perform.
Look for backdoors, vulnerabilities, or traces of past hacks. It, therefore, acts as a wall between your system and the internet, making it difficult for outsiders to view your IP address. Close Port 80 With a Firewall VoIP devices — especially phones — on a local access network need ports to connect to the internet. A port is an active channel located on a router. HTTP traffic is the kind that is used on most websites. This is why port 80 is prone to easy hacking.
You may even consider using an intrusion prevention system or VoIP firewall to add additional layers of security. Avoid international calling, unless needed Unless your company works in international business and calling internationally is crucial to its operations, it is a good practice to disable international calling. However, if your business needs to call internationally, then make sure to check call records and history often to ensure there are no irregularities.
Consider remote device management Remote device management enables remote access to a device which can then be wiped if the employee quits or is fired, or if the device is stolen.
Whether your business issues laptops or implements a remote device management policy, ensure you activate remote device management on devices used by employees. Educate users about VoIP security It is important that all users of your VoIP phone system understand how the system works and how to keep it secure.
Take time out to educate your employees about VoIP security and best practices. See something, say something By educating employees about VoIP security, you can train them to observe and notice irregularities or suspicious activity which they can then report to you. Such suspicious activity should then be brought to the notice of your VoIP provider. SIP vulnerability occurs when a hacker invades the SIP process and uses it to eavesdrop on the call, collect sensitive information, and more.
Here are some VoIP encryption methods to consider:. TLS keeps your VoIP secure by authenticating a security certificate and encrypting the information transmitted between two or more parties. Typically, this type of security is used for high bandwidth VoIP usage. For example, you can use SRTP to secure voice calls and avoid bad or low call quality. Some VoIP service providers offer services that can be used wherever a high speed Internet connection available.
Using a VoIP service from a new location may impact your ability to connect directly to emergency services through Only if your service requires you to make calls using your computer. All VoIP services require your broadband Internet connection to be active.
If you have a special VoIP phone or a regular telephone connected to a VoIP adapter, the phone will ring like a traditional telephone. If your VoIP service requires you to make calls using your computer, the software supplied by your service provider will alert you when you have an incoming call.
In June the FCC imposed obligations on providers of interconnected VoIP services VoIP services that allow users generally to make calls to and receive calls from the regular telephone network. You should know, however, that calls using VoIP are handled differently than calls using your regular telephone service. Please see our consumer fact sheet on VoIP and services for complete information on these differences.
Aspects of these considerations may change with new developments in internet technology. You should always check with the VoIP service provider you choose to confirm any advantages and limitations to their service. For more information about VoIP see our factsheet pdf file. Order: Word Acrobat. Public Notice: Word Acrobat.
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