TVC supports both cloud and premise based solutions, but in a nutshell with a cloud solution your phones use your network and the internet to connect to a hosted phone server in ‘the cloud’, and premise based is a local server on your network.
With a hosted cloud solution, you usually have the option of buying or renting the telephones which will plug into your computer network to access the internet and connect to a phone service you pay for monthly. This has the benefits of not having to deal with upgrading your server and making a manageable payment for required features. The negative is that you never own the server so you will pay this fee for the life of your relationship with the provider and each phone has a monthly cost associated, so that cost will increase each time that you add a telephone. This seems to work very well for the user with one to ten phones or requires a lot of computer integrated software, because you can rent the server to get the features without having to buy it. Once you grow beyond this it is typically more cost effective to migrate to a premise-based server.
With a premise-based solution, you buy or finance the phones and the server that are installed at your business and in your control. This means that it can be as integrated or separate from your computer network as you need it to be. This also means that unlike a hosted solution when you intercom another phone, transfer a call, or use a feature of the phone system you are not using the internet and sometimes not even the computer network. This allows you to not have to update your network equipment or be concerned about voice quality because of your network. This is typically more cost effective once you have seven or more telephones.
Since there are many factors that guide the decision of what is best for your company TVC can help configure a solution by providing a no cost technology evaluation of your current solution. We document what your wants and needs are, look at available options and then provide solutions that best fit your requirements with what is available. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this or any other office technology related issue or scenario.
Please call customer support at 951-677-4422 and dial 0 to schedule a representative to look at your phone bill and current configuration. Remember this has no cost or obligation so the worst thing that could happen is that you find out you are doing everything the best way possible at the best price, for free.