{"id":1725,"date":"2017-08-25T16:52:18","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T06:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"\/?p=1725"},"modified":"2017-08-25T16:52:18","modified_gmt":"2017-08-25T06:52:18","slug":"on-premise-phone-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infinititelecommunications.com.au\/on-premise-phone-systems\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is An On-Premise Phone System? And How They Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

On premise phone systems have been around for years now, and this article will cover the question that many business owners have; \u201cWhat is an on-premise phone system<\/strong> and how do they work for small businesses?\u201d<\/p>\n

No matter what kind of phone system you\u2019re looking at (or we\u2019re talking about!), the NBN is a major factor to consider. Small businesses will now access faster data speeds, finally getting access to the same technology that has been used by larger companies for over ten years. One such example is the way small businesses use and implement their communication systems, and there are many benefits that we will cover in this article.<\/p>\n

How The NBN Will Affect Our Communications<\/h2>\n

With the NBN rollout comes the redundancy of the copper telephone and internet network we\u2019ve been relying on for many years. No matter what type of NBN you\u2019ll get in your office, the existing infrastructure will be either totally removed or switched off after a certain period of time.<\/p>\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean we can simply unplug our devices from the copper connections and plug them back into our new NBN connections. It would be great if it were that easy but the fact that our traditional devices are (usually) analogue, and the NBN is a digital network, means it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

From now on, all of our communications we be run via our NBN data connections using VoIP, and that will affect every device we use in our business because VoIP is a digital technology. From your phone system to your EFTPOS machines, every device will have to be IP enabled in order to work.<\/p>\n

If this is news to you and you\u2019d like some more information, download our FREE Small Business Guide to the NBN. <\/strong><\/p>\n

What is VoIP?<\/h2>\n

VoIP stands for \u2018Voice over Internet Protocol\u2019, and it\u2019s the term used to describe communications that take place using the internet, rather than the old copper Public Switched Telephone Network<\/a> (PSTN). You may also have heard VoIP called Voice over IP or IP telephony.<\/p>\n

Because the NBN is now taking the place of the PSTN network, VoIP will replace it as the main telecommunications protocol nation-wide<\/a>. This is great because line rental and phone calls are a lot more affordable with VoIP services, however, for businesses, there is even better news. Enter SIP…<\/p>\n

SIP for Business<\/h2>\n

SIP stands for Session Initiation Protocol, and it is a type of VoIP that goes above and beyond managing your standard calls and messages, which makes it perfect for businesses. While VoIP manages only voice calls, SIP can also handle your multimedia communications<\/a>, including video calls, instant messaging, media distribution and a whole lot more.<\/p>\n

SIP is a specific type of protocol that facilitates VoIP, and it means that several devices can communicate simultaneously. When it comes to deciding between VoIP and SIP, there really isn\u2019t much competition for small businesses because SIP is scalable, voice and video calls are clearer, and\u00a0Quality of Service<\/a>\u00a0is higher. It\u2019s fast becoming the first choice in communication solutions for small and large businesses across Australia.<\/p>\n

VoIP is essentially a fantastic solution for households who have to replace their existing service when the NBN rolls out, but if you\u2019re a business running a phone system, unified communications, and other cloud based applications in your office, SIP is the way to go.<\/p>\n

if you\u2019d like to learn more about the difference between the VoIP and SIP, read this article on the benefits of using SIP vs VoIP<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is an On-Premise phone system?<\/h2>\n

An on-premise phone system is a system where all the hardware needed to run the system is physically located in a safe place in your office, such as a computer hardware rack or in a purpose-built phone closet.<\/p>\n

\"Phone<\/p>\n

While many people are switching to hosted phone systems<\/a>, there are still many who prefer to have a physical box in their office. For some, it\u2019s about peace of mind and sticking with what you know, while for others it\u2019s about being in complete charge of the location, maintenance, and general upkeep of the system itself.\u00a0 There\u2019s also the fact that staying with what\u2019s familiar to you and your staff can play a key role in making sure that the transition to a new phone system<\/a> isn\u2019t a stressful one, which is why many of our customers choose to stick with on-premise systems.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, all of the PABX systems that we provide are manufactured by leading brands who have earned the trust of their customers because they are excellent pieces of technology. You will still get the same features that you would with a Hosted solution, the only real difference is that everything is located in your office, rather than being stored, managed and maintained remotely by your host.<\/p>\n

The Equipment Needed to Run An On-Premise Phone System<\/h3>\n

As we mentioned above as we move to the NBN all our communications are changing to be internet based.<\/p>\n

In the past, on-premise phone systems have been traditionally run over analogue phone lines or ISDN. However, just like hosted phone solutions, on-premise phone systems now must be IP enabled to ensure they are 100% NBN-ready.<\/p>\n

On premise phone systems are made up of two main components. The brains of the system itself, which is generally the box that physically lives in your office and connects to all of your phones. The other component is the handsets themselves.<\/p>\n

There is also some cabling required to connect the PBX box to the phones themselves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How Are On-Premise Phone Systems Managed?<\/h3>\n

Because the physical box containing all the brains of your system live on-site at your office, the maintenance and upkeep of your system is up to you. In some cases, changes to your programming can be made remotely by a phone technician, however, it\u2019s likely that others might require a skilled IT person or phone technician to be on site to change settings in the hardware itself.<\/p>\n

Do On-Premise Phone Systems Work With The NBN?<\/h3>\n

We\u2019ve already mentioned that traditional phone systems utilised the copper network, and most of these would be analogue systems, which means they are not IP-enabled and will not work with the NBN.<\/p>\n

If you already have a system that is analogue and don\u2019t need or want to get a new one, you won\u2019t be forced to do so (so please don\u2019t let any salesmen tell you that you do!). In most cases, you will be able to convert your existing analogue phone system to send and receive digital data using something called an Analogue Telephone Device (ATA). It\u2019s a simple box that acts as a translator, turning analogue data into digital data, and vice-versa.<\/p>\n