Self Hosted v Subscription

September 12, 2013 By The mVoice Team No Comment

Are you the perfect host?

Thinking about moving to VOIP? Then you need to decide whether your business is the perfect host.

If you’ve ever owned a website then you already know about hosting. At some point you either chose to host the site yourself (self-hosting) or you paid someone else to host it for you (subscription hosting).

It’s pretty much the same with VOIP.

So what’s the best option?

It depends on you. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution so you should start by analysing your business and its immediate and long term needs including:

·      Resources: do you have a dedicated IT department and the necessary resources to run and manage your system? Do you even want to mange your system?

·      Expertise: do you have sufficient in-house technical knowledge to support VOIP? Would you consider hiring new personnel to manage it?

·      IT infrastructure: what kind of infrastructure do you already have in place? Is it suitable for hosting your new system?

·      Budget: what can you afford in the immediate term? Are you happy to invest more upfront if it means you have total control over your system?

·      Future requirements: is your business likely to expand in the future? Will you be hiring more employees or opening new offices?

Your answers will determine the right hosting option for your business but let’s take a look at them in more detail so we can see how they differ.

Subscription hosting

Subscription hosting means you pay your VOIP service provider to manage your system. For a set monthly fee you can delegate day-to-day management and maintenance of your system to your provider. They will host your system in their data centre using existing dedicated infrastructure, meaning less upfront costs for you. Under this scenario, your provider also takes responsibility for upgrading your system and resolving any emerging issues.

Subscription hosting often appeals to business that have neither the inclination nor the resources or expertise to dedicate to VOIP. The initial affordability – all you need to get started is new phones, broadband internet connection and a router – is certainly attractive but in return for cheaper convenience, you relinquish significant control over your system: its stability and security depends on your provider and you’ll also rely on them to manage extensions and features. Also, if your business plans on expanding then it’s likely your marginal costs will increase over time.

Self-hosting

Self-hosting means you house all the necessary gear on your premises, essentially giving you complete control and ownership over your VOIP system.

While your initial investment costs will be higher – you need to purchase the appropriate hardware and equipment – you will be free to add or remove users, extensions, features and upgrades as you wish. You may also be able to access features that you need that are not standard offerings of the hosted services (eg call recording, call centre features and sub tenant features).

Successful self-hosting largely depends on in-house technical expertise and dedicated resources to handle ongoing maintenance. Companies need to have a server, broadband internet connection and configuration software. This can increase capital costs, but lots of businesses enjoy the benefits of governing their own VOIP, including the ability to manage large volumes of simultaneous calls. Companies that self-host also tend to reduce their spend with their VoIP provider but increase their reliance on in-house or external technical resources.

Research, research, research!

Hosting packages differ dramatically so do your research. If you’re choosing a provider ask yourself:

How quickly can they respond to issues?

Do they have dedicated resources to resolve problems on the spot?

Do they have issues with downtime?

Are they financially stable?

What kind of back up system do they have in place if a server fails?

Do they have sufficient capacity to meet your needs?

mVoice (established in 2004) provides hosted pbx offerings to suit small to medium businesses, we can help you decide what hosting solution you need. Contact us now to find out more about our competitive packages.