If your private branch exchange (PBX) system contract is coming up for renewal, or if you’re hearing from industry colleagues about the money they’re saving with a cloud communications solution, you may be ready to consider a cloud PBX migration. Besides reduced costs, enterprises also enjoy better flexibility and reliability, as well as the option to scale up and down as their business spikes or while running a promotion.
Traditional landlines are certainly receding in relevance, and cloud communications offers more features and options. But not all cloud PBX solutions are created equal. Here are a few factors you need to consider before jumping into a migration strategy:
Your business requirements: Think about who is using your current phone system, as well as the challenges you hope to solve with a cloud PBX migration. You may want to equip an increasingly mobile team or have the option to incorporate collaborative features in the future. You should also consider when your employees access the phone system and the maximum number of calls that could be placed at a time. If seasonality is a consideration, be sure to include easy scalability into your requirements.
Identify possible providers: Just as all cloud PBX options have benefits and drawbacks, you’ll also want to choose a provider that aligns well with your business needs. Look for one that matches up well with your security policies, your specific solution requirements, and your general company culture. A few questions you might want to consider asking:

• What are the options for continuing to use the same phone numbers?
• How does your solution support mobile and remote employees?
• Are there any startup costs?
• What’s your plan in the event of a natural disaster or cybersecurity threat?

Along those same lines, how much notice will you give our company if you are going out of business or will no longer support the solution?
You’ll also want to get an idea of how the company moves in terms of innovation and advances, as well as how often you can expect updates to occur.
Check connectivity: A cloud PBX migration offers some great benefits, including taking the pressure off your IT team to support, maintain, and troubleshoot an in-house system. On the other hand, your network is going to be handling a major increase in traffic with the cloud PBX system relying heavily on connectivity to deliver high-quality voice calls. Before you initiate your migration, take time to evaluate the speed and performance of your network. You may need to factor in the cost of an infrastructure upgrade into your overall migration investment.
While there tends to be little in terms of initial cost when making the switch, you’ll want to know if you need to purchase any new hardware to support the additional pressure on the network.
If you’re interested in exploring the benefits of cloud PBX for your business organization, contact us at Access Tech. We can help you determine your business needs and leverage the best PBX solutions for your enterprise.