Forbes, Mainstream Media, and VoIP
Last week Forbes magazine wrote up a case study of a small business owner in Cincinnati who had switched from a tradional phone system to a VoIP installation. The biggest benefit outlined in the article is the professional presence that a VoIP PBX creates, and the leverage that a small business gains from this presence when dealing with larger corporations. Unfortunately, Forbes only highlighted the benefits of an in-house VoIP system, which cost “$12,000, financed over three years–not a trivial investment for a small company in a recession, but one that continues to prove its worth.”
The article is written for those who have no knowledge of Voice over IP whatsoever, and does a good job of explaining the technology, which is relatively new. Many readers of this site may still be new to VoIP and may not fully understand the technology. The failure of the Forbes piece however, is that it doesn’t examine the fuller scope of the VoIP industry, and makes no mention of Hosted options whatsoever. Most small businesses can’t afford a $12,000 investment in their phone system, especially not one that would cost extra to maintain. Hosted solutions provide identical benefits, but with drastically lower up front costs, and no maintenance fees.
A 5 person business like the one spotlighted in the article would have gained the same valuable professional presence, but with even lower costs had they chosen a Hosted option. While we are impressed that VoIP is forging its way into the mainstream, it seems there’s still a disconnect between the benefits enjoyed by the early adopters of VoIP and the understanding of the established media.
Uncategorized | fbnewman | 
June 1, 2009 8:47 pm
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