Small and medium-sized businesses need to be adaptable in order to stay competitive and grow. The ability to change and adapt due to economic or market changes is a characteristic of a smart business, which allows for economic growth and new opportunities. A fast- growing trend is enabling organizations to move their server infrastructure and telecommunication services to a hosted environment. The rate at which SMB is adapting new voice and data technologies is growing at a phenomenal rate. The trend is to move data and voice into a data center environment, most recently into a cloud or virtual server, commonly referred as cloud computing or VPS.
VPS and Cloud Service
VPS is a virtual server that is located on a larger physical server. The machine can have several separate virtual systems; each one with its own allocated, non-guaranteed resources. On the flip side, cloud servers are provisioned in a large distributed chain of physical servers and computing nodes, making it easy to scale up and provide dedicated resources. Both solutions are multi-tenant and can be ideal for unique requirements. The end result is the consumer’s ability to leverage their data with a hosted solution, which can be very affordable!
A VPS or cloud-based business phone service is a revolutionary technology that allows companies to outsource their communication system while expanding the capability to stay in touch with clients and employees.
Flexibility
With a Cloud or VPS system, a company has all of their data in one central location, which makes it easily accessible. If a business has several offices or a mobile workforce, each location can access, upload and download data from the hosted server.
Similarly cloud-based phone systems offers the same flexibility. A call to one phone number can ring simultaneously on three different phones in three different offices. The same system can also be best utilized to collaborate with remote employees or clients.
Scalability
A cloud-based or virtual solution can enable infinite scaling with a hosted solution. As your business continues to grow, so does your data and voice capabilities. Best of all, the new technology does not require a whole lot of up-front capital, and you only pay for what you use!
Cost
A hosted phone system can help save businesses money, and it costs less money to install and operate a hosted phone system than traditional business phone systems, including enterprise mobile solutions. They have the added benefit of having multiple users accessing one phone number with multiple routing options.
Utilizing hosted systems for voice and data allows companies to use one central location for their data storage and communication. The voice and data applications can be accessed simultaneously from multiple locations, and changes to data can occur in real time. These systems are often more cost-effective for small businesses, especially cloud-based phone systems. Hosted phone systems also provide businesses the option to upgrade their plans when their company is ready to grow.
Uptime, Accessibility and Security
Hosting data and voice in a secure data center facility with multiple redundant connections to the Internet and backup UPS and generators enables 100% uptime and accessibility 24/7/365. It is important for all of the company’s sensitive data to remain secure and for stakeholders to be able to access the information when needed. If organizations opt to continue to keep their data at their office premises, thoughtful planning and consideration is expected to secure the premises from fire, natural disasters or theft. By taking advantage of the external hosting facility, vital business information can be secured to ensure that the business can survive and thrive.
Small businesses should stay flexible so that they can adapt to the needs of their market. Cloud-based phone and data systems offer this flexibility while allowing businesses to offer services that customers want. Explore different hosting options that are available for voice and data to see which option may suit the needs of your organization.
Kevin Lee is with CallRingTalk.com, which provides VOIP services to SMB.