Even with the emergence of modern day forms of communication such as email, voice communication has remained the most important form of business communication. The disruption of voice services for just one hour would see many organizations grind to a halt. Organizations use PBX (private branch exchange) systems to make sure there is an integrated approach to the management of both incoming and outgoing voice calls.

But the traditional PBX has many shortcomings, including the complexity and cost of setting up, operation and expansion. This is what has in part led to the emergence of IP (Internet Protocol) PBX switching solutions. As the term implies, an IP PBX system switches VoIP (Voice over IP) calls between users on a corporate network while at the same time providing shared access to a number of external lines. In effect, each workstation on the corporate network does not require a separate line for voice and one for data - the same network point is used to transmit both voice calls and data between users and out of the corporate network.

There are several advantages that organizations can derive from IP PBX systems:

• It makes use of your Local Area Network - Since the network distance between the IP PBX server and each end user point on the network is small, the call does not have to hop through a number of networks between the two callers. The call completion rate is much better than that found on a standard PBX system.

• Low operation costs - Since you are effectively routing calls over the same network you already use for data, the overall cost of setting up and running an IP PBX system is much lower than that of the traditional PBX. You do not need to buy more expansion boards or accessories such as voicemail cards. An IP PBX system complies with the current demands of your system allowing you to purchase additional licenses as and when required.

• Wide range of choice - With IP-PBX phone systems you are spoilt for choice due to the huge number of single or mixed vendor set up alternatives you can go for as far as the server, PC and IP phones are concerned.  Even though going with one brand throughout is advisable in order to reduce the likelihood of incompatibility, you do not have to purchase everything from one vendor. For instance, you can use different brands of IP phones on the same IP PBX.

• Ease of installation - There is an ease in installing and configuring IP-PBX phone systems that places them miles ahead of the conventional PBX. It is very easy to configure and knowledge transfer from the vendor to in house technology personnel is normally a smooth flowing process. A basic understanding of computer networks and server configuration is all that is required to keep the IP PBX up and running.

• Portability - The phones are easy to move around since they are IP based. You no longer need to move entire cables from one end of the office to another just to make sure the person retains their number. Simply plug in the phone at the new workstation, key in some basic configuration settings and all is well.