Should I Go with a Hosted or On-Premise Phone System? (Questionnaire)

There is a constant battle when it comes to making a decision on a new phone system. Should we go  Hosted or On-Premise? Each one offers its own unique benefits and it comes down to the needs of the organization when coming to a decision.

So if you find yourself in this pickle, take a look at these questions. The answers you provide can tell you a lot on which system you should go with. Answer the following questions, then continue to read to see which answers points to which system.

Let’s Begin.

1. Do you plan to grow but unsure on how much or how fast?
2. Do you mind having a monthly payment or do you want to pay for it all at once?
3. Do you want a low TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)?
4. Do you have a relatively large enterprise?
5. Is your workforce made up of mostly telecommuters?
6. Is a thorough disaster recovery and contingency plan important to your business?
7. Do you want a high or low upfront cost?
8. Do you want full control over your phone system?
9. Is your phone system a major asset and productivity tool to your business?
10. Do you have an in-house IT staff?

Now let’s take a look at how you answered each question and what that answer means.

1. If you answered yes on planning to grow but unsure of the amount and speed, hosted is your choice. Hosted allows you to adapt to growth much easier then on-premise.
2. The big difference between hosted and on-premise is that with hosted you will have a monthly payment and on-premise you will pay for everything up front.
3. Hosted phone systems tend to have a much lower TCO then on-premise phone systems.
4. Large enterprise size organizations tend to benefit more from on-premise phone systems because they have the money to afford and maintain it.
5. Companies made up of telecommuters should always go with hosted because this allows them to set up a phone from any location.
6. This is a tricky one but if your system going down is a big concern of yours, hosted phone systems provide a safer bet. This is because with hosted your phone system will be operating out of a separate location. So even if something happens to your office such as a power outage, your phone system will still be operational.
7. Rule of thumb when it comes to phone systems is that hosted will be cheaper then on-premise initially.
8. If you want full control of every aspect of your phone system on-premise should be your choice. With on-premise you can fully customize your phone system to meet the exact needs of your business.
9. Hosted phone systems tend to be more popular with businesses that don’t rely on their phone system to operate and stay productive.
10. Businesses with an internal IT staff tend to be much larger and like we said , tend to benefit from having a on-premise phone system. Having an IT staff means you have professionals to operate, maintain and customize your phone system at all time.

Alright, now that you have which answer leads to which decision take a look at your answers. Which do you have more of, Hosted or On-Premise? You might just have solved your problem in only a few minutes.