Organisations can obtain access to the most advanced technologies without having to invest large sums of money in hardware, making this an affordable option even for smaller businesses, and allowing them to access communications technology that was previously only available to larger companies.

Benefit #2 – Simpler IT support: Traditional phone systems are fairly complex and require a high level of skill to maintain. However a hosted VoIP solution removes this barrier to entry, as it uses a simple web interface and therefore requires very little IT support or training to administer. Users can be quickly added or deleted and additional features enabled by administrators from their computers through the intuitive interface, thus making additional support or staff members unnecessary. This in turn leads to further cost savings through simplified maintenance of the system as the resources can be allocated to other areas of the business.

Benefit #3 – Reduced Capital Investment: With hosted VoIP it is no longer necessary to spend large amounts of capital on expensive systems. Other than the actual handsets there is no investment required and no large capital expenses to depreciate over time. Hosted VoIP is an operating expense rather than a capital expense, so all businesses need to pay is an affordable monthly service fee to have access to a range of capabilities that can improve productivity and connect the business to advanced telephony.

Benefit #4 – Improved Business Continuity: Communication is at the heart of any modern enterprise and the last thing any business needs is for phone services to go down. Hosted VoIP solves this problem by incorporating failover systems that kick in should things go wrong. Because the physical box does not reside on the business premises but in a redundant and secure data centre off site, even if the building is affected by floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters the phones remain unaffected. A web-based portal enables users to quickly forward calls to cell phones or unaffected locations so that business can carry on without affecting customers.

Benefit #5 – Easy scalability: Hosted VoIP is a highly flexible solution as the number of employees on the system is not constrained, so expanding or reducing the number of users is a simple and cost-effective process. If resources become tight or the number of employees needs to be reduced this can easily be accommodated, and in times of growth it is quick and easy to scale up without incurring massive costs or disruption to the business. This gives organisations the ability to immediately make changes and scale up or down with fluctuating business needs.

Benefit #6 – Added functionality: A hosted VoIP solution gives businesses access to a wide range of functionality that can be activated on demand to suit the needs of any organisation. From HD voice to automatic voicemail forwarding and remote call following to phone systems integrated with Outlook or CRM systems, the potential for expansion is practically limitless. Hosted VoIP gives any size business the ability to access features and functionality that were previously only available to large enterprise because of cost constraints.

Benefit #7 – Automatic Upgrades: Outsourcing VoIP to a hosted provider means that businesses no longer need to upgrade hardware to take advantage of new features and technologies. All upgrades will be done by the host and will be delivered through software changes that happen automatically in the background. So businesses will always have access to the latest technology without the need for expensive upgrades every time something is updated.

Benefit #8 – Productivity Anywhere: Traditional telephony systems are highly desk bound, which in today’s world is no longer the ideal scenario. A hosted VoIP solution gives businesses the ability to gain access to constant connectivity and productivity anywhere, anytime, whether employees are at their desks, in the boardroom or on the road. Workers can access the communication features of the VoIP system no matter where they are, improving productivity dramatically.

Benefit #9 – Access to Powerful Video Conferencing: Travel can be an added expense that during tough times many businesses cannot afford. Video conferencing enables the productivity of face-to-face interactions without the cost of travel. Hosted VoIP enables organisations to quickly and easily access video calling capabilities (part of Unified Communications), making calls far more personal and productive than traditional phone calls.

Benefit #10 – Focus on core business capabilities: By removing the worry and maintenance of phone systems, organisations can better focus on their core business capabilities. The management of these increasingly complex business communications systems is outsourced and handled offsite, so the telephony system continues to work while employees can get on with their jobs safe in the knowledge that the telephony system will just work, whenever they need it to, and they can access features like voice and video without having to know why and how they work.

In conclusion, hosted VoIP has numerous benefits that can help telecommunications  to be brought onto a level with the rest of the world. Now that bandwidth is not the obstacle it once was, and IT spend is expected to increase in over the next year, hosted solutions such as VoIP have become a reality and can drive greater productivity and efficiency in business operations.

By Gail Holt, MD at Zycko South Africa

Evolve your communications with 3CX Phone System for Windows – an IP Phone System that completely replaces your proprietary PBX, supports standard SIP soft/hard phones, VOIP services and traditional PSTN phone lines. 3CX Phone System is far less expensive than a traditional PBX and can reduce call costs substantially by using a VOIP service provider. Its web-based administration makes phone system management easy. 3CX Phone System eliminates the phone wiring network and allows users to easily work remotely.

Key Features:

• Complete phone system – Provides call switching, routing & queueing
• Purchase cost dramatically lower than a traditional hardware PBX
• Scaleable – Unlimited extensions and phone lines. No proprietary expansion modules needed!
• Web based configuration & status indication – Easy phone system management!
• Unified communications – Receive voice mail via e-mail & see user presence
• Auto attendant (e.g. 1 for sales, 2 for support, etc.)
• Reduce long distance and inter office call costs
• No more expensive proprietary system phones – Use standard SIP phones
• Eliminate the phone wiring and make moving offices easier
• Easy call control, presence and extension management with 3CX Assistant
• Click to Dial & Call Pop-up for Microsoft Outlook
• Receive & Make calls via the standard PSTN using VOIP Gateways or cards
• Save on monthly call costs using SIP trunks, VoIP providers or Skype Connect!
• Out of the box configuration for many VOIP providers, VoIP Gateways, Skype™  and IP Phones.

In September, the Small Business Jobs & Credit Act was signed into law, which gives small business owners major tax benefits and improved access to capital through end-of-year 2011. This legislation can make the equipment you need very affordable.

As you know, business asset purchases normally must be depreciated over a period of time. The tax code now allows a business to elect to expense (immediately write-off) the purchase up to $500,000, which yields an immediate tax deduction and large tax savings.

Here’s an example of how a $125,000 purchase breaks down…

Section 179 Write-Off Amount: $125,000
Cash Savings on Purchase: $43,750
(Assuming a 35% Tax Bracket)
Net Cost of Equipment: $81,250

Check with your Accountant on how this tax break affects your business. Then contact Tel-One for help in taking advantage of this opportunity for your business: sales@tel-one,com or (800) 249.1989.

Come And See Us @ The Long Island Expos Show

On Wensday November 17-2010

from 9am-3pm we will be participating with over 100 Long Island Companies @ the Long Island Marriot In Uniondale New York (next to the Nassau Coliseum).

Free Admission To The Business Public

Come And See The Star2Star System That Has No Equal In The VoIP World.

Star2Star provides the world’s most reliable business grade phone solution. Star2Star designed and built the phone system and service together to provide a revolutionary set of calling features with unmatched quality and reliability.

The StarBox connects over the Internet to the Star2Star  data center where it is manage and monitor for the quality of your phone system. Star2Star monitors the status of each StarBox, around the clock. The continuous monitoring allows Star2Star to guarantee 99.99% reliability and to provide dramatic savings over traditional phone systems.

Special Offer :

Free StarLite with System Purchase Of 5-Polycom 450IP Phones

the Starbox Lite supports up to 10 lines and 20 extensions and is ideal for smaller offices

Free StarBox with System Purchase Of 15-Polycom 450IP Phones

the StarBox, a super-reliable, solid-state, fanless on-premise PBX. The StarBox 2200 PBX supports up to 250 extensions