What Are the Different Types of Business PBX Systems?

Choose the Business PBX System That Best Suits Your Needs

Business PBX systems have evolved significantly in recent years. This being on the back of the ever improving broadband infrastructure and the general shift away from traditional telephone lines.

There are essentially 3 types of office phone systems available to SME businesses:

ON-PREMISE OFFICE PHONE SYSTEM

On-premise systems include Key Systems, PBXs and Hybrid Systems, all of which have one thing in common, they need to be installed and maintained at the business premises. They also usually require separate telephone wiring and need to be maintained by a qualified PBX technician.

On-premise phone systems use PSTN lines (copper telephone lines) and ISDN lines (digital telephone lines) to provide access to the telephone network. In recent times, new PBXs were manufactured to allow for a variety of access technologies including SIP Trunks.

IP PBX SYSTEMS

IP PBXs use internet protocol to deliver PBX functionality. They can either be physical hardware which would sit in the business’ data cabinet, or as a software that would be installed on a server. In both cases, it requires the purchase of the hardware or the software, and ongoing maintenance costs by a qualified technician. IP PBXs use SIP Trunks (Business VoIP) to provide access to the telephone network.

HOSTED PBX

Hosted PBX systems provide telephone system functionality via the internet on a pay per service basis. And that means there is no need to buy or install PBX equipment or software. The software that drives the PBX functionality is housed at the carrier’s data centre and is accessed via the internet. They also don't require any ongoing maintenance and are offered on a pay per service basis. Hosted PBX systems use SIP Trunks (Business VoIP) to provide access to the telephone network.