What Exactly Is Hosted VoIP?
Hosted VoIP is one of the different ways to get secure and affordable Internet-based communication for your business. It's known as Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP). Essentially, it's a way to leverage your existing Internet into a telecommunication service that is sufficient for any growing business. They make for one of the best solutions for smaller and medium-sized businesses because they are scalable. A Hosted VoIP can completely replace a traditional landline and bring the same features and functionality to the cloud. With VoIP, a call is converted into digital data packets and routed through the Internet. Because of this, it needs a server that can not only handle the information, but that can remain up securely.
When you subscribe to a VoIP provider, you are effectively outsourcing your equipment and infrastructure without needing to sacrifice anything. Instead, you get to leverage the Internet which you are already paying for. This helps you minimise your costs as a business. All you need to do is connect your business to the hosted provider and you can get all of the telephone communication features and functionality you need. It can be an easy and effective way to save money too. It offers you an inexpensive solution compared to having to install a hardwired solution to replace the virtual counterpart.
How Does It Even Work?
A hosted VoIP relies on using similar infrastructure and methods as other data that are transmitted through the Internet. If you place a call through your VoIP technology, you would be connecting to the Internet through your router which is responsible for redirecting the packets to a hosted server. The server is responsible for doing the rest of the work including processing the packets and maintaining a connection. When you receive a call with a VoIP solution, it's the same process but it has an additional process that has you using a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) for the connection. For additional resources on VOIP checkout Simplifi.
Because this type of VoIP needs a steady connection to function properly, you need to have a secure IP network in place for your business. Another thing you need is a lot of bandwidth. You also want to try to connect through a wired network and not wireless because it could be unstable. The packets cannot transmit as stable when using wireless router solutions that can have interference.
Some Features Of A Hosted VoIP
When it comes to hosted VoIP, you get a lot of features that make it an excellent option for businesses. Not only do you get the majority of the standard phone features you're likely using such as conference calls, but you also get even more. There are a lot of features that you get solely because it's using the Internet. However, the features you get with your provider and solution will differ greatly based on how much you are willing to pay.
All of the features make it an incredible solution for any business. A lot of the providers will even offer different plans and services that can be tailored to your individual needs. That way you don't have to pay for a lot of features that you'll never use.
You will find hosted VoIP features to include:
- Better call management including call screening
- Unlimited calling
- Auto-attendant
- Change numbers
- Send out messages in real-time
- Visual voice mail
- Fax services
Safe and Secure
Another thing to love about VoIP technology is how secure the technology is. All of the calls are routed through an advanced encryption method. This ensures that all of your conversations and messages are only reaching the intended participant. Once you've had the hosted VoIP solution installed, you can start using it and taking advantage of all of the incredible features without having to do anything else.