At Jade Telecom, we install and support telephone systems on-site, as well as hosted telephony solutions. Which approach is right for your business?

On-site phone systems

Great for larger businesses who require advanced telephony features, on-site systems require the installation of one (or multiple) central processor units on-premise.

The primary advantages of an on-site system:

  • There are no ongoing per-user license fees, as there are with hosted solutions.

  • It's quick and easy to add additional users; just plug-in additional handsets and you're ready to go.

  • On-site phone systems are usually more feature-rich, with manufacturers developing the most advanced handset and processing units for larger enterprise usage.

  • With the central processor located on-site, less bandwidth is required for data transfer.

Hosted phone systems

With hosted phone systems, the call processing units are located off-site and extensions to them rented from a telecoms partner. With no installation of technical equipment required, hosted services are the quickest and easiest solution to get up and running.

The primary advantages of hosted systems are:

  • Technical updates, diagnostics and system, maintenance are all handled off-site by your provider, so site visits aren't required to keep your phone system running smoothly.

  • Cost-effective for small companies that are just getting started.

  • Great for larger companies with multiple sites or teams who move between different offices or desks often.

  • Additional users and extensions are quick and easy to add or amend through online management platforms.

  • Desktop handsets are plug and play, often using Power over Ethernet (PoE) to function.

    Other factors to consider

While an on-going user subscription model may not be the most cost-effective in the long term, hosted solutions are often preferable due to their ease of use and manageability. Another factor to bear in mind is that hosted systems can often require more bandwidth, as even internal calls are processed over the internet. However, with increasingly capable high-speed internet solutions becoming standard, this is often only a concern for the largest of organisations.

Still unsure which approach to use? Contact us and we’ll offer you some guidance.