Are More SMEs Choosing Hosted VoIP Solutions?

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are beginning to use hosted Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions as an inexpensive substitute to in-house applications, a technical services provider believes.

This is because hosted VoIP solutions remove hardware and in-house maintenance costs, a representative from PlanetMagpie has said.

As a result, businesses are able to instead spend their money on other areas of their operations, which could be particularly important in the current economic climate.

VoIP can enable companies to engage in communication more efficiently, with video capabilities allowing workers to offer visual demonstrations of particular tasks rather than relying on instructions through a standard phone line.

PlanetMagpie also recently revealed that IT consultants are reporting rising demand for VoIP and cloud services during 2011 and many of these may now be exploring hosted VoIP options.

Robert Douglas, president of the technical services provider, said: “Most small to mid-market companies realise that the VoIP environment requires additional hardware, communication line costs, software and phones, not to mention the manpower to run the systems.

“For those reasons many of the small to mid-market companies are looking at hosted VoIP as an alternative to operating the environment in-house.”

In hosted VoIP packages, experts from a third-party run the connection and assist with any potential problems, which could be particularly beneficial for firms that are unfamiliar with the technology.

Mr Douglas’ comments come after Frost and Sullivan released new research, entitled European Hosted IP Telephony and Unified Communications Services Market.

The study found that the hosted internet protocol market in Europe generated revenues of €0.9 billion (£0.8 billion) last year.

Frost and Sullivan also predicted that this figure could rise to €4.9 billion (£4.3 billion) in 2016.

The firm’s industry analyst Dorota Oviedo said that many companies turned to VoIP and other alternative communication methods due to a limited capital availability of investments.

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Brian

Managing Partner at meshIP, LLC

Brian Byrne is the founder and Managing Partner of Dallas based meshIP, a technology services firm offering cloud computing strategies and services. He is an accomplished executive with senior management experience in all facets of the technology, telecom, cloud computing, and SaaS industries. He has proven success in developing, financing and executing strategic plans as well as launching new ventures. His background includes a record of significant achievement in international business development and his credentials include a MBA in Marketing and Management Strategy from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, a MS from the School of Computer Science at DePaul University, and a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.

He is also the inventor of the patented meshDETECT, Secure Prison Cell Phone Solutions.

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