Flexible, simple, efficient – that’s how virtual telephone systems are marketed. But do the cloud communication solutions meet these promises in relation to voice and connection quality and scope? funkschau and zafaco tested seven products in a performance test over several weeks.
Telephone systems are now longer restricted to operation inside the company (on-premises). They can be now procured as a service in the cloud, like many other ICT solutions. An interesting proposition for many customers, in view of the fact that all functions are hosted over the data cable from the third-party data centre and that many aspects of maintenance and operation lie in the hands of the provider. And now, what used to be a niche market a few years ago in Germany due to patchy network coverage is beginning to pick up speed. Although on-prem systems still dominate, cloud PBX products are forecast to have a market share of 28 per cent by 2025 according to analysts from MZA in Germany. And despite the Federal Republic lagging behind other European countries such as Great Britain or The Netherlands with regard to this trend, the growth rates for the ICT sector are very promising to say the least.
It’s no wonder then that diverse providers in the market are now actively beating the drum for cloud telephone systems. There’s no hardware to purchase and operate, telephone extensions can be procured or cancelled at any time, and the service is rented rather than purchased. So, do the products live up to expectations and which solution is the right one for each set of individual requirements?
Until now it’s been difficult and complicated to compare the various packages on offer. But funkschau have now joined forces with the experienced benchmarking experts from zafaco to create an extensive test that provides a quick, but at the same time detailed overview of the scope of service as well as the voice and connection quality.
You can find the complete test in funkschau issue 07/2022.