Which hosted PBX/VoIP providers do you recommend and why?

There are many vendors out there. As Patricia stated 8x8 and Vocalocity are great, but keep in mind some vendors are proprietary (8x8) and some are not (Vocalocity). Some other things to consider is the option to have a contract or not. For instance, Vocalocity allows for month to month and others make you sign up for a contract.

To be honest most of the hosted Vendors are all going to offer many of the same features and functionality. They do their billing on a monthly basis and you may just want to take a demo or two that each of the vendors offer online. It will give you an opportunity to hear some of the offerings and also hear what others who are searching for a phone system are asking. Its a great way to get the info without having a sales guy come into you office.

If I were to create a short list for my company I would start with Vocalocity, Aptela, Nextiva and 8x8. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me and I would be glad to speak with you and provide you with more information about some of the options that may be a fit for you.

Did you check out the comparison guide? Our hosted VOIP solution stacks up pretty well: http://www.m5net.com/blog/2010/06/04/focus-hosted-pbx-comparison-guide.html
The most important point being that 95% of our current clients would recommend us to others.

Let me know if we can help as you research.

-Matt
M5 Networks

Matt,
I did review that and spoke with Conrad at M5. We are a small company with a need for only a few phones but market our services to a number of small businesses that might be a good fit for M5. Thanks for following up.

Anyone else have recommendations?

I would stay close to Gartner on this. Take a look at the Visionaries to include PanTerra. Support and track record are the big differentiators in this space.

http://www.gartner.com/technology/media-products/reprints/microsoft/vol10/art...

Hi Jay, in the first instance it's a good idea to consider your requirements. So, get an understanding of your connectivity platform currently in place and how utilised the connectivity is.. Secondly, look at the current features you use and how they will translate to a service provider. The point with VoIP is that it's a great technology enabling features you may not have even considered but it's not as easy to deploy as a traditional service. Many people overlook such factors as your LAN, your current router, the connectivity out to the Internet and because of this even the most respected VoIP provider’s solutions may not work as you'd planned. Apologies if I'm going over points you are aware of..?

Once you’ve done this, you can then begin to consider the options in the market.

Check out www.thetelecast.net as there's a 3 part series of SIP trunking which is a VoIP technology.

Regards, Hannah.

For the most part, I would agree with what most everyone else above has said: Most of the vendors such as 8x8, Vocalocity, and others are going to share the majority of features and capabilities. I would also very much heed Hannah's advice, in that you'll need to make sure that whoever you work with looks at your entire network (LAN, Router/edge device, connection speed/quality, etc.) and doesn't just "provide the service", since an error with any one of those items can cause service issues.

I currently work for sipVine, and we are a Hosted PBX/VoIP provider based here in Kansas City, and I believe we have an excellent product. What makes us a bit different from other providers is that we utilize some very strict QoS mechanisms to ensure Voice quality, we utilize a very simple pricing schedule, we only utilize open-source/non-proprietary equipment and we have no contracts or term commitments. If you're interested in seeing what we have to offer, feel free to email me or check out our website (www.sipvine.com).

Best of luck in your search!
-Brandon

Jay, I feel Telesphere is the premier hosted and managed provider country wide from small, medium and enterprise businesses. We have strong financial backing and have a product, service delivery and support process second to none. In fact, we completed an install in San Francisco last week for one of the locations for the world's largest ad agency. We have sales representation in San Francisco so please let me know if you are interested in learning more.

Thank you!

-Jay Thrall

here are a few:

Vonage phone service offers unlimited local, long distance and amazingly low rates to call worldwide, over a clear, reliable connection. Vonage VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is so easy to use and inexpensive, even the tech-nervous can handle the switch.

QT Talk owns and controls its own network which lets them offer international rates that are truly amazing. And QT Talk's high quality solutions come with innovative features unmatched by any other provider.

If you've got a broadband Internet connection, Lingo is a service you can use to make Internet phone calls at significant savings over analog calling. Lingo Internet phone service offers plans to meet your needs. Lingo seamlessly uses your broadband connection to make and receive calls and gives you low international rates.

For PBX, there is something called the Varnetwork. Great resource to find pbx providers.

You can visit http://cherubcommun.ld.net

There you can find these and more.

Hope it helps!

Jay, the ultimate cost effective, flexible, mobile and with truly global-presence solution is www.GloberTel.com. There is no contracts to sign or monthly fees to pay, just deposit credit to your account (as low as $10) and you are set. The possibilities and your usage options are virtually endless! Access their network from SIP devices, your cellphone, or fixed lines wherever in the world you may be, plus features for avoiding roaming charges when travelling. Their website is however too humble for what they have to offer. Open a free account, brows the pages, then send them an email for a first-hand support to help with your decision, and configuration if you choose to go with them.

I highly recommend at least exploring GloberTel first!

All the best,
Josh

We have had tremendous confidence in installing hosted VoIP solutions offered by Cincinnati Bell, Fusion and Broadview Networks. They give you Cisco, Polycom and Mitel phones, respectively. Our business model is built on providing our customers with options. These three have done a nice job for us. We have been selling and consulting on hosted VoIP phone systems for at least five years.