Cloud Voice and SIP Trunking

In an increasingly digitised public sector, the need for a fit-for-future voice and data product has never been more pressing. But how do you decide which solution is the right fit for your organisation?

Cloud Voice and SIP Trunking are two great products with much in common, but there are crucial differences that organisations should bear in mind when choosing a solution that best suits their needs.

To get a better understanding of their capabilities, we spoke to Wynand Botes, an expert in helping enterprise and public sector organisations begin their digital journeys and design connectivity solutions tailored to their needs.

In today’s competitive climate, managing costs has never been more important. A recent survey by Censuswide found 55% of organisations switched to IP Voice to reduce telephony spend.

When it comes to cost, there are various things to be taken into consideration when deciding between our two IP Voice services.

“SIP Trunking is a modern replacement of ISDN30 services”, says Wynand. “And it delivers cost savings in most scenarios. Great for any organisation who wants to retain ownership of their telephony equipment on their premises."

Meanwhile, Cloud Voice can be a modern replacement for all on-premise telephony equipment.

“Cloud Voice will appeal to any organisation who wants to break free from on-premise hardware and take advantage of all the benefits that cloud brings", says Wynand. "It's a license-based service that is great for cost control because you only pay for the number of users/devices you need. This means you have a monthly per-user fee covering all your telephony functionality, collaboration features, ready-to-go handsets and maintenance in one."

Telecoms companies struggle with a reputation for shoddy customer service, but Virgin Media Business has always tried to do things differently.

Wynand says, “SIP Trunking allows convergence of voice and data services without compromising the level of service received. When customers want to make the most of their investment in on-premise PBX equipment, SIP Trunking can provide the conduit to a future proof IP-based service." 

Cloud Voice is more closely managed by Virgin Media Business. Wynand explains, “We provide more support through self-help portals where customers can manage services as they need to with auto-configure setup. It’s an end-to-end solution, with everything needed to get going. This ‘plug and play’ is great for those wanting a hassle-free, hosted voice product. Let us handle the headaches.”

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“SIP Trunking is a flexible, scalable and dependable product that can grow to meet the demands of the ever-changing business climate," says Wynand. "Adding, removing or re-routing lines and services is quick and painless, so when your business switches up a gear, your service can meet the demand."

Wynand says, “A cloud service allows more flexibility. We make sure it's maintained, up-to-date, and has all the features and services required. Changing locations used to be a massive challenge. With Cloud Voice you can literally pick up the phone and move your network to another site without missing any of the calls that keep your business booming.”

It gets even better. Unlike traditional telecommunications services, Cloud Voice operates on a licence-based model, so you pay a fixed monthly fee based on your usage – there are no nasty surprises.

Moving telephony and call handling to a single, hosted, managed network makes it easier to predict budgets. And that’s the kind of freedom that allows you to grow, disrupt, surprise and thrive.

With the scale and agility of a cloud-based PBX, a business only needs to buy as many licences as it has employees. It’s easy to scale up or down, so you can respond quickly to the unexpected.

Digital disruption is here. But what's next? Organisations must embrace new technology, innovating to stay ahead of the game and ensuring they’re prepared for a digital future with analogue being switched off in 2025.

Both SIP Trunking and Cloud Voice have the potential to provide flexible, cost-effective digital communication solutions and with expert advice and support from Virgin Media Business you can relax, knowing your organisation is in good hands.