The Essential Guide to Managed VoIP

How a Managed-VoIP Service Works

A managed-VoIP service package typically includes the design, integration and deployment of IP-telephony equipment and software, along with management and maintenance of existing telephony solutions and the new VoIP network. Network-management and maintenance offerings usually consist of remote fault monitoring with network surveillance; customer-defined service-level agreements for response and resolution; moves and changes; comprehensive customer reporting; and service management guaranteeing a certain percentage of network uptime. Pricing may range from usage-based to a fixed flat rate, depending on a company’s needs and preferences. In most cases, companies can monitor their cost of operation through regular reports.

Managed-VoIP Benefits

The specific benefits of a managed-VoIP service include:

• Experienced Staff: Users have around the clock access to a team of highly experienced and well-trained technicians, helping to deploy and manage a VoIP network in accordance with a company’s unique business needs.
• Faster Time-to-Market: Get up and running or complete a VoIP migration at a rapid pace in order to take advantage of market opportunities.
• Greater Innovation: A third-party provider typically boasts an aggressive product-development cycle, ensuring that a company enjoys access to the latest technology available and that equipment doesn’t become out-of-date.
• Low Up-Front Capital Expenditures: This features helps companies avoid the cost of acquiring expensive equipment and software while still deploying a scalable solution. Plus, a managed service lets clients leverage existing technologies alongside a new system.
• Predictable Operating Expense: Figuring out the ongoing costs of a VoIP solution can be a bit of a guessing game. Managed services, on the other hand, usually are contracted based on monthly charges or fixed, flat-rate billing, making it easier for companies to make budgetary accommodations.
• Enhanced Security: Because managed-VoIP services feature a service-level agreement, companies can rest assured that a managed-VoIP system will perform at peak levels in the face ofsecurity threats and disaster recovery.
• Flexibility: A managed-VoIP service provider can easily scale a solution to accommodate a company’s fast growth, anticipated seasonal peaks and unexpected economic downturns.
• Special features: Many managed-VoIP services include value-add capabilities through the availability of mobility, communications and productivity applications.