Historically, the slowest growing market segment for VoIP office phone systems has been the large business. The primary problem has been the misconception that they must abandon their expensive PBX phone system to adopt the new technology. As the appeal of VoIP grows, many large businesses are discovering they can have the best of both worlds.

VoIP Works With PBX

VoIP service providers have a solution for businesses that have already made significant investments in traditional office phone systems. Technology exists to merge both technologies into a single, effective solution for large business communication needs.

Converters are placed that translate signals between the VoIP phones and the legacy office phone system. Switched data packets from the PBX phone system are converted to IP packets compatible with VoIP, while incoming IP packets are converted to switched data that the PBX system can use. The interface is completely transparent and neither employees nor customers will realize the conversion is occurring.

The legacy system can be kept in place but no longer needs traditional phone lines. The organization can route their entire phone system over a T1/T3 trunk and cancel the phone lines from the telephone company. They keep the same telephone numbers and the legacy system can be supported indefinitely.

Adding New VoIP Networks

Once companies realize the advantages of the VoIP system they quickly see no point in expanding the PBX office phone system. The expandability and flexibility of VoIP allows them to add new phones on the digital system without abandoning their PBX. As a business's staff grows, new offices can be put on the VoIP system without going through the converter.

For companies with multiple locations, a new office can be wired to be completely VoIP. All new locations will go completely digital, a less expensive solution than expanding the outdated legacy telephone system. Older offices can remain on the IP-PBX hybrid system while new ones adopt digital technology completely. Both systems coexist in one network that covers all locations of a company anywhere in the world.

Going Fully Digital

The scalability of a VoIP office phone system means that an organization can choose when or if to move away from the legacy PBX system. A company can support the PBX system indefinitely or can choose to slowly convert employees to VoIP until the PBX system can be phased out entirely.

The conversion doesn't have to happen all at once. Depending on a company's financial resources, the plan could be to have satellite offices convert over individually, saving the central office last. Conversion could proceed department by department or even phone by phone. It's simply a matter of putting a VoIP phone on a person's desk and routing it directly to the T1/T3 trunk line.

While VoIP has been slow to penetrate large business, the desire to have a flexible and cost effective modern communication system is causing this market segment to reevaluate the technology.