HOSTED TELEPHONY
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As with other IT services, it is now possible to get at the features of an exchange without actually buying the hardware.
Hosted IP systems use a remote server to provide the PBX features, and only require cabling, a network switch and the IP phones themselves. Like other hosted services, it is instantly scalable: if you double your workforce, you can double the number of phone lines overnight.
Spitfire's SIP Communicator is a hosted IP phone service which costs £10 a month per extension, plus a single charge of between £29 and £59 a month. For a six-user system, the total hardware cost should be little more than £1,000.
The Unite union has adopted Gamma Telecom's similarly named Communicator hosted system, and the union's Tony Johnson is enthusiastic: "The main benefit is that Unite has seen some significant cost savings, which was the dominant reason for the upgrade in the first place. The union has also seen many other advantages, such as the extra features which we have found useful and now can't be without, and crucially it has offered us a much more flexible service."