What actually is VoIP? Beginner’s guide to cloud phones

Cloud specialists at TelephoneSystems.Cloud have explained exactly what VoIP is and are urging businesses to not be afraid of technological change.

VoIP stands for ‘Voice over Internet Protocol’ and is an integral part of many business operations - in a nutshell, it is a telephone system that allows users to communicate over the internet, rather than via traditional copper phone lines.

Experts are keen to stress that cloud based telephone systems aren’t that much different from the legacy physical phone lines, except that the box is in the cloud, rather than physically in the building. And, instead of the phones using ISDN copper wire infrastructure, VoIP systems rely on a single Fibre or Broadband line to run all of the telephone systems.

Because the phones operate via the internet, a strong connection is key for the system to work effectively. Ensuring the business has enough bandwidth to allow all employees to use the VoIP system is essential, as is the strength and resilience of the internet connection.

The experts advise it is always worthwhile checking with the provider to ensure the connection will be reliable for the needs of a business. They say this is particularly important when moving into new premises that may have multiple businesses trying to use a limited amount of bandwidth.

Having a dedicated VoIP line to run telephone systems through will ensure the service remains up and running for the requirements of the business. Because phone calls are made via the internet, VoIP phone systems are significantly more cost effective for businesses, especially when it comes to international calls. Other benefits of VoIP cloud systems include reliability, flexibility, portability, and further phone features such as call forwarding, multiple phone numbers and better quality calls.

Yet still, a recent survey revealed that almost 70% of UK businesses have failed to upgrade their phone systems to VoIP.

And experts believe that a large reason for this is because companies do not understand exactly what VoIP is and how it is better for their business.

Juliet Moran, founder of TelephoneSystems.Cloud said that the majority of businesses in the UK urgently need to make the upgrade to VoIP phone systems ahead of the Big Switch in just two years time.

She said: “Many business owners are afraid of implementing cloud based phone systems into their company because they do not understand what it is.

“But the time crunch is on for businesses to upgrade from their older legacy systems - and when you break it down, VoIP is much simpler than it initially sounds.

“The Big Switch in 2025 means that all phone systems using ISDN copper lines will be completely shut down and unusable.

“This means that many UK businesses will suffer if they fail to make the change to VoIP before the looming deadline.

“When you break down what VoIP actually is and how it can be extremely beneficial to your business, there is no need to be afraid of bringing the new system in.

“Put simply, the cloud based system means that phone calls are made via the internet, rather than through the traditional phone lines.

“We urge all businesses who haven’t already made the switch, to upgrade their phones to VoIP phone systems as soon as possible, else risk falling behind from competitors who have already brushed up on their knowledge about the new lines.”

Written on 2023-10-11 by Juliet Moran