What is a PBX?
The term PBX stands for a private branch exchange, which is a switching system that interconnects internal telephone extensions, and these extensions to the outside world. PBXs are physically located on your premises, creating an inhouse telephone system for your company.
A PBX can be connected to the outside world using either the traditional PTSN and ISDN, or the more modern alternative VoIP.
VoIP vs PSTN
The public switched telephone network, or PTSN, is the phone lines that run under our feet and over our heads, and has been the backbone of our phone network for decades. However, BT Openreach has announced its plans to switch off the PTSN and ISDN service in 2025.
This means that before 2025, every business and home must switch to a digital phone line or else they will be cut off. These digital phone lines are called ‘voice over internet protocol’ (VoIP), or simply referred to as IP telephony.
Thus, more modern PBX setups will most likely run over VoIP. Here are the benefits for a VoIP PBX setup.
- Disaster proof
The right PBX setup can be disaster proof, or at least a little less stressful when it comes to disaster recovery planning. This is because when an on-premises phone system fails, staff can route calls to alternative devices such as personal smartphones or laptops.
This is particularly apt right now, as we are in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The right PBX can allow your staff to work remotely at the drop of a hat with little to no effect on their telecoms accessibility, and the same goes for returning to the office.
- Future proof
As aforementioned, the right PBX setup will at least survive through the PSTN shut off of 2025. However, it should also be future proof when it comes to its software too.
This is because cloud-hosted PBX systems can be set to automatically update whenever an upgrade is necessary, always keeping up to date with the necessary software changes.
- No need for physical infrastructure
Though we have been assuming throughout that a PBX is made up of physical wired telephones on the desks in an office building, one of the benefits of a VoIP PBX is that you do not necessarily need any physical infrastructure.
In fact, these communications systems can be accessed on a smartphone, laptop, computer, or any other device, personal or work-related, through an app or web portal. This means that there are less set up costs associated with this kind of PBX.
As you can see, the right kind of PBX setup can start to affect the operational efficiency as early as in the next few years. And having the wrong PBX could lead to having your phone systems shut down in 2025.
So, make sure you get the right PBX setup and help your firm’s workers to do their job more efficiently, flexibly, and productively.
