Hurricane season is once again upon us along with the millions of emails about backup and disaster recovery. While it can be annoying, it just further solidifies the importance of disaster recovery to any organization.
However, one crucial component is often left out of the disaster recovery plan. When the office isn’t accessible, work must continue. Therefore, every organization should have a backup worksite plan in place. Whether employees work from home or a different location, phones still need to be answered to generate business and support clients.
This brings up a crucial question especially if you’re looking to upgrade your phones. Would a cloud or on-premise phone system be better for my disaster recovery plan?
What Are the Benefits of an On-Premise Phone System?
An on-premise phone system allows more:
- End-user control over the details, features and maintenance windows.
- Knowledge of the features and capabilities.
- Flexibility with the equipment used.
Cost: It’s a capital expenditure (CAPEX) that requires a large one-time purchase with depreciation. However, it can be sold as a Hardware-as-a-Service. In the long run, this type of purchase could save an organization money due to the fact that there’s less recurring costs.
Cons: If a disaster were to strike, it’d be more difficult to get the phone system up and running. While forwarding is always a viable option, most of the time it’s an afterthought for many organizations. It’s a feature that must be set up in advance instead of during an outage or disaster. If on-premise is needed for compliance or custom integrations, ask your telco provider if your phones can be failed over automatically.
What Are the Benefits of a Cloud Phone System?
A cloud phone system:
- Has less potential for downtime.
- Requires less end-user maintenance and upkeep.
- Doesn’t need as much on-site hardware.
Cost: This type of phone system purchase is an operating expense (OPEX). Instead of a large upfront cost, it requires smaller reoccurring payments. Some people prefer this option because it’s a set expense.
Cons: There’s no flexibility for maintenance windows and support which requires the end-user to rely heavily on the provider. If the provider isn’t reliable, then it could impact company operations.
How Does Skype for Business Fit into Your Disaster Recovery Plan?
Skype for Business can be hosted on-premise, in the cloud or a hybrid which is the best of both worlds. This type of phone system is a viable option to include in a disaster recovery plan because of its mobility and ease-of-use. Employees can simply download the application on their phones, tablets or home computers. They’re immediately connected as if they were at the office.
Skype for Business can:
- Has a deeper integrate better with Exchange, Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.) and Office 365.
- Improve internal communication with instant messaging.
- Replaces 3rd party and traditional conferencing systems with built in meeting and conferencing capabilities.
- Allow more immediate connectivity and mobility for remote and on-the-go employees.
Plus, it’s included in advanced Office 365 plans and only requires a flip of a switch to turn on with little to no additional licenses needed.
Want a Free Skype for Business Demo or End-User Training?
Give us a call today at 704-230-2058 to schedule your Skype for Business demo or end-user training!
