Cloud PBX vs On Premise PBX

[SherWat]

I am reaching out to this community to get a feel for PBX alternatives. We are an emergency service organization. Our 911 answering positions will be using a separate NG911 solution for call answering but we are looking for a replacement for our administrative users. We currently use an on premise CS1000 PBX. It is pretty much end of life. There seem to be so many cloud PBX solutions out there it is hard to know where to start. We have approximately 340 users, some with cell phones some without company provide cell phones. We need auto attendant services and voice mail for our users. We need the ability to transfer calls.

I just don't know where to start!

 

[allworxguy]

Make sure who ever you decide on has the following:

Redundant servers in different locations and make sure your ISP has redundant services to your premise.

Marv ccna

 

[LoPath]

Keep in mind the features that your end users expect. In my company, they were dead set on migrating to a cloud PBX. They didn't even consult their phone techs until after the contract was signed, and then only to help with the transition. This "big name" cloud PBX system couldn't do conferencing, which was a huge part of the customer's job. After 4 months, the vendor agreed to cancel the contract and the customer switched back to the on-prem PBX.

LoPath
Maintain HiPath 4000 V5 & V6, OpenScape Xpert V4 & V6, OpenScape Xpressions V7, OpenScape Contact Center V8, OpenScape Voice V9

 

[CMUK]

For your size i'd lean towards on-prem, that's my preference however
Avaya Server Edition would be good, you could run a primary and secondary severs for redundancy and also have IP Office 500 chassis if you need any Digital/Analogue handsets

Calum M
ACSS

 

[phoneguy610]

local vendor that can put options in front of you and custom tailor a solution. Always a good bet

viirtue.com | White Label UCaaS and Quote to Cash For Service Providers | 13+ Year Telco Veteran

 

[SherWat]

Thanks all for your input. I personally am not a fan of cloud based PBX's but feel it should be presented as an option to management. But I'm old school as well

 

[OldAndKnackered]

Another option that some providers supply (I know Gamma do in the UK) is to have your external numbers moved into The Cloud, and you then use a Web interface to direct them to wherever you want, as such, you can point them back to an on site system, direct to mobile numbers etc. you can even create hunt groups to include any numbers you like.

 

[Telecrow]

I'd ask for some vendors to give you ideas, I'm sort of in the same boat. We're transitioning from on prem to Cloud based PBX, it depends on what SLA you're looking for. The name of the game used to be 99.999% uptime but you can't get that with cloud based.

Are your users working from home? all internal in an office? Twilio is what we're going to at my company but it's such a new product that it "Feels" new, lacks the creature comforts of the old Nortel CCM. The bonus is it's entirely a web app. If you're doing life essential you might want to do some kind of hybrid system for better uptime.

 

[Westi]

This sounds like something I just helped with and programmed.

they have at the moment an Avaya Server Edition with main and secondary server and 2 IP500V2 cabinets which both have a PRI to make calls (I suggested SIP but they are still under contract for another 2 years). 2 buildings with separate Internet connections and fiber connections between them and one building hosts the Primary the other building the secondary server.

the IP phones register to the main server and dial out their local PRI via the IP500V2 hardware, if the PRI fails they dial automatically out the other side and the provider fails incoming calls over to failover DID's on the second PRI and all users still get their calls.
If the phone system hardware fails they can still dial out the still functioning IP500V2 and the working PRI
If the main server fails they register to the secondary server and calls still go out.

Was a lot of planning and programming but now almost bullet proof. Especially the failover for calls when a PRI fails was a chuck of spreadsheets because every number that was needed to fail over has to have a dedicated DID on the other PRI.

As long as the connection between the buildings and 1 server and 1 IP500V2 have power the phones work, can make and receive calls.

Joe
FHandw, ACSS (SME)

Remembering intrigrant 2019

 

[Thunzer]

ConvergeOne (C1) has a cloud solution. I know this because this is where I work. I also know that cloud solutions aren't cheap, they are just cheaper than hiring your own telecom people - cause essentially you are outsourcing all the telecom work to the cloud provider.

C1 can also do a hybrid on-prem and cloud solution. Basically everything runs in the cloud, but if the link to the cloud fails, it fails to the on-prem backup. Slightly more expensive, but gives you the comfort of knowing that you have your own on-prem solution if needed.