VOIP Companies for Small Business

Sash · 4 Jan 2013 at 09:26

Recently took on a new role as an IT Manager and I've been tasked with getting VOIP for the company.

Requirements are: users in two different cities can transfer calls to and from each other so I'm thinking of getting a cloud based PBX company to host the VOIP hardware.
Ability to work from home or remotely so probably need access to softphone software to allow for this.
We'll have around 50 staff this new year.

Companies I've looked at are VoipFone, BT and Gradwell. Still have to get their quotes for the systems per line etc. Can anyone recommend any others I should look into?

Sash · 4 Jan 2013 at 09:40

GhostlyPea said:
Check out 8els' offerings

http://www.8el.com/index.html

might be something on there. Gradwell from experience are OK, just avoid G3

- GP

Thanks

I'll add this one to the list! Much appreciated.

Sash · 4 Jan 2013 at 10:59

iaind said:
How many users are you talking about? What are the internet links like?

You can easily transfer calls between offices with an in house PBX - there's a million ways to skin that cat

50 or so, one office has alright internet my office is getting fibre this year. I'd imagine the inhouse PBX to be a lot more expensive compared to the cloud based ones and I'd need one on each office?

Sash · 4 Jan 2013 at 11:08

GhostlyPea said:
For 50 users I'd consider hosted SIP, which is very flexible. Obviously this will rely heavily on the quality of your Internet connection unless a dedicated circuit is installed

- GP

Hosted being the company running the SIP or an external company?

Sash · 4 Jan 2013 at 11:23

GhostlyPea said:
The external company will run the system itself and the phones you have on site will just connect out over the Internet to their equipment. The call is then routed to the PSTN via them

- GP

Yeah this is what I was thinking, don't think it was worth getting all the hardware purchased for the 16 users we have in my office and then for the rest of them being in the other office.
Thanks

Sash · 4 Jan 2013 at 13:09

We have about 16 or 17 in my office then the rest in the other office in Wales. The CTO and directors have said they'd prefer to have a hosted solution "in the cloud" compared to a dedicated solution in house. There are more people in Wales but I'm based in Edinburgh but don't think they'd want to hire a telecoms team just to manage the phone they'd want me to support so it's a bit difficult flying down to Cardiff when major issues occur.

I also have to get a VPN setup to connect the two offices also but this is another project for another day!