Johannesburg, 20 Apr 2012
The convergence of voice, data and Internet connectivity that has been under way for several years, and that is now rapidly moving towards full integration in the 'cloud', offers yet another dimension to greatly enhanced cost efficiencies and productivity benefits that are not yet being fully exploited by many organisations.
This is the view of Calvin Collett, CEO of iConnect, a fully licensed and independent telecommunications service provider.
Commenting on a proliferation of legacy infrastructure associated with traditional PABX systems that are still used and maintained by companies of all sizes throughout South Africa, Collett says established infrastructure designed to support historical telephone systems is often overlooked by organisations when they start investing in converged solutions.
“Monster PABX units housed in dedicated rooms and that serve internal, inter-branch and landline connections into the rest of the world are often retained because they represent a significant capital investment, and continue to serve their basic purpose,” says Collett.
“All too often, traditional PABX systems are excluded from projects undertaken by companies looking to take advantage of converged technologies, with the 'voice' aspect largely restricted to cellphones and the management of issues such as least cost routing.
“While the exploitation of voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) is often mooted as a solution that takes advantage of convergence, the management of critical aspects of traditional PABX operations, such as call monitoring, call logging and voice recording, are often seen as barriers to implementation.”
Collett says iConnect addresses this oversight with a fully-hosted, sophisticated PBX solution that resides in the cloud.
“Not only does the iConnect solution replace the physical unit on site, but it accommodates the total telephony needs of the organisation - regardless of its size.
“This includes internal extensions, multiple branches and the entire management system associated with traditional PABX installations.”
The iConnect Hosted PBX offering facilitates simplicity of installation, auto-provisioning of handsets and a level of functionality that exceeds even the most sophisticated and advanced PABX units currently available.
The solution is normally supplied on a financed model that includes installation, maintenance and support. Because of the auto-provisioning functionality, future moves, additions or changes happen seamlessly to provide what Collett describes as a “future-proof” telephony solution that is fully integrated into the cloud.
“The exceptional value offered by iConnect is proven by the fact that over a five-year standard PABX contract term, the total cost of ownership of iConnect's PBX solution is half that of a conventional PABX with significantly increased functionality,” says Collett.
“In addition, critical management tools such as instant voice recording and call logging that are fully compliant with FICA and FAIS standards can be supplied.”
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