There is a Prevalent Surge in VoIP Technology

By Joe Rizzo
Contributing Writer

Every year corporate budgets get tighter and businesses look for ways to cut costs and save on operating expenses. One of the best ways that organizations have found to accomplish this is by using hosted and cloud-based services. In many cases, not only do these services save money, they have the added benefit of providing scalability and flexibility that in-house services cannot provide.

One of the more expensive operations for any company is maintaining an in-house PBX (News - Alert) system. This method of communication has various aspects that not only make it expensive, but also difficult to maintain. In addition to needing the necessary space to house the equipment, when changes need to be made, the provider has to send a technician.

Unified communications (UC) have taken a prominent role in various aspects of the business model. Over the past few years, we have seen Voice over IP (VoIP) mature and continue to evolve. The combination of scalability, flexibility and a cloud-based system has made VoIP a perfect solution for most companies.

As we see more satellite offices and people working from home becoming the normal way for businesses to operate, it is easy to see the interest in VoIP solutions. In August of last year, market research firm Infonetics Research (News - Alert) released excerpts from its new Business Cloud VoIP and UC Services market size and forecasts report, which tracks hosted PBX and unified communications revenue and seats. The results show that these services are a growth market.

As the market continues to steadily grow, it stands to reason that demand for hardware and software designed to facilitate UC is at an all-time high. One aspect that will always be of major concern is security. While companies are trying to live within their restricted budgets and save costs, that cannot come at the cost of data breaches.

The role of IT departments is definitely changing. Today, IT administrators can take advantage of what cloud-based solutions can offer. The need for hybrid solutions, particularly for businesses that operate at multiple sites, is driving the market toward SIP trunking and VoIP solutions at an increasing pace.

The flexibility that can be achieved by these solutions goes far beyond simple cost savings. Being able to maintain a cloud-based system that allows for immediate changes to numbers and accounts, while maintaining a high level of security, is something that every IT department needs to keep up-to-date in this environment of fast-paced changes.