SMB Phone Systems Comparison Guide

Jon Arnold, Adviser

Comparison Methodology
Buyer Types
There are three basic Buyer Types for such solutions.

BASIC BUYERS

INTERMEDIATE BUYERS

ADVANCED BUYERS

Basic Buyers are those in search of simple solutions that support the most widely used traditional and IP telephony features, such as conferencing, fax support or voice mail. Such buyers typically have limited IT resources and expertise, and for them, hosted VoIP is a practical solution for moving on from TDM. Basic Buyers typically work at the lower end of the SMB market, and support no more than 100 users, and often fewer than 50.

Intermediate Buyers are those in search of more complex solutions that support greater capacities and advanced features such as support for unified messaging, VPN support or soft phone integration. These buyers typically have some IT resources and expertise, but still see the advantages of hosted VoIP over premise-based systems. Intermediate Buyers typically work at midsize companies supporting between 100 and 500 users.

Advanced Buyers are those in search of fairly complex solutions (including support for multiple distributed sites and advanced call/ contact center features) that enable increased availability, automation, optimization and integrated management. Hosted solutions that meet the needs of Advanced Buyers can often require extensive integration of IP telephony with business software, Web applications and video conferencing. Many Advanced Buyers work at the top end of the SMB market, and typically support 500 to 1,000 users.

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Comparison Factors
In addition, members of every Buyer Type have three primary areas of concern when considering hosted VoIP services: Product considerations: including basic and advanced features as well as performance and platform elements Cost considerations: including service pricing, bundles with other services, trade-in offers Vendor considerations: including direct or indirect selling, technical support, and resources to help make buying decisions

Vendor Selection
To be considered for inclusion in this Guide, solutions and their providers must meet the following minimum requirements: Basic Buyers Solutions must interoperate with incumbent voice communications systems and phones. Providers must offer integration and consulting services, directly or through partners. Intermediate Buyers Solutions must support integrated or optional application integration, unified communications (UC) and unified messaging. Providers must support at least limited integration with incumbent third-party hardware, software, and legacy phones. Advanced Buyers Solutions must support distributed/multisite deployments (and consolidated management). olutions must support customer-driven customization via application programming interfaces (APIs) and/or included software development kit (SDK). S Providers must have at least two years experience supporting advanced SMB environments

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VoIP-News Comparison Grids

P R O D U C T C O N S I D E R AT I O N S : B A S I C F E AT U R E S
1 2 3 4 5

Vendor: Product Solution

Buyer Types

Administration management

Basic conferencing

E911 support

Fax server

Security/password protection options

8x8 Virtual Office Alteva Collaboration & Voice Communications Bandwidth.com Phonebooth OnDemand (beta) Cbeyond Beyond Voice Office Edition M5 Networks m5

Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Optional add-on Yes No Yes Optional add-on No

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes, for the customer portal Yes

I B I

Yes
A

Yes

Nuvio nPBX

Yes

No Optional add-on Yes Limited to 3-way conferencing Yes

Yes

Phone.com Virtual Office PingTone Communications Enterprise Service RingCentral RC Office Vocalocity Small Business VoIP
B

Yes

Yes

Yes Optional add-on Yes Optional add-on

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

B Basic Buyers

I Intermediate Buyers

A Advanced Buyers

* Small = 1-100, midsize = 101-500, small enterprise = 501-2,500, enterprise = 501-10,000+

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P R O D U C T C O N S I D E R AT I O N S : A D VA N C E D F E AT U R E S
1 2

Vendor: Product Solution

Buyer Types

Contact center support/module

Integration with desktop business software

Integration with Web appls or services

Mobile support

Soft phone support

QoS monitoring/ management Yes; can be monitored by customer and provider Yes, by the provider or the customer

Unified communications (UC) support

8x8 Virtual Office

Additional service, Complete Contact Center

Microsoft Outlook

Salesforce.com

Optional iPhone/ iPad integration

Optional add-on

Yes

Alteva Collaboration & Voice Communications Bandwidth.com Phonebooth OnDemand (beta) Cbeyond Beyond Voice Office Edition

Optional add-on

Microsoft Communications Services and desktop URLs No No MS Outlook, Evo, Acto, and other TAPI-compliant desktop apps No No Microsoft Outlook, TAPI integration

Salesforce.com and GoogleTalk

Yes

Yes

Yes

B I A

No No

No No Internet Explorer and Firefox; integrations with Salesforce.com, NetSuite and others coming in Q3 No No Salesforce.com, CRM Lite (SQL interface) No; open API available for thirdparty integrations Microsoft Outlook

No Optional add-on

Yes No

Yes, by the provider Yes

Yes Yes

M5 Networks m5

Optional add-on

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Nuvio nPBX Phone.com Virtual Office PingTone Communications Enterprise Service

B

I I

No No Additional service, IP Call Ceter

No Yes Optional iPhone/ iPad integration Limited to iPhone; RC Mobile service available separately Yes

No Yes Yes (for Cisco IP Communicator or IP Blue) Yes

Yes, by the provider Yes; VoIP speed test

Yes Yes

Yes

Yes

RingCentral RC Office Vocalocity Small Business VoIP

No

Microsoft Outlook

No

Yes

No

Microsoft Outlook

Optional free add-on

No

Yes

B Basic Buyers

I Intermediate Buyers

A Advanced Buyers

* Small = 1-100, midsize = 101-500, small enterprise = 501-2,500, enterprise = 501-10,000+

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P R O D U C T C O N S I D E R AT I O N S : P L AT F O R M
1 2

Vendor: Product Solution

Buyer Types

Integrates with existing PBX systems Yes, via SIP trunking Yes No. Available via separate SIP trunking service.

Uses customer's existing broadband or provider's broadband service Customer's existing broadband Either Either Provider's broadband Provider's broadband Customer's existing broadband Customer's existing broadband Either Customer's existing broadband Customer's existing broadband

Routes traffic on a dedicated network or via the Internet Either Either Either Dedicated network Dedicated network Internet

Offers premise-based option

8x8 Virtual Office Alteva Collaboration & Voice Communications Bandwidth.com Phonebooth OnDemand (beta) Cbeyond Beyond Voice Office Edition M5 Networks m5

No No No

Yes

No

No

No

Nuvio nPBX

Yes

No

Phone.com Virtual Office PingTone Communications Enterprise Service RingCentral RC Office Vocalocity Small Business VoIP
B

No Yes, via SIP trunking

A

Internet

No

Either

No

No

Internet

No

No

Internet

No

B Basic Buyers

I Intermediate Buyers

A Advanced Buyers

* Small = 1-100, midsize = 101-500, small enterprise = 501-2,500, enterprise = 501-10,000+

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C O S T C O N S I D E R AT I O N S
1

Vendor: Product Solution

Buyer Types

Monthly pricing or fixed-term contract

Metered, bundled and/or unlimited minutes

Basic cost

Price range of IP phones

Purchase or rent phones

Upgrade options for services

Overall clarity of pricing/features information

8x8 Virtual Office

Monthly pricing plus activation fee

Unlimited and metered

$25/month per extension

$150 - $350/phone

Either

Yes

Very clear; service plan breakdowns and costs for optional features are easy to find. Includes online quote request form. Somewhat clear; basic monthly cost statement is easy to find, but the feature list is limited. Very clear; pricing info is up front, and the quote configuration tool is based on customer's needs.

Alteva Collaboration & Voice Communications

Monthly pricing

Metered or bundled

$25/month per extension

$200 - $400/phone

Either

Yes

Bandwidth.com Phonebooth OnDemand (beta)

Monthly pricing

Unlimited local and long distance; international minutes available via separate SIP trunking service Set number of included minutes, then goes to metered minutes; long distance bundles available Unlimited U.S. minutes; international rates available

$20/month per extension

$175 - $700/phone

Purchase

Yes

Cbeyond Beyond Voice Office Edition

Monthly plus activation fee

$399/month

N/A

Provider does not offer IP phones

la carte services available

Unclear; no pricing information is given online.

M5 Networks m5
B I A

Monthly

$35/month/ extension

$100 - $800/phone

Either

Yes

Unclear; no pricing information available online.

B Basic Buyers

I Intermediate Buyers

A Advanced Buyers

* Small = 1-100, midsize = 101-500, small enterprise = 501-2,500, enterprise = 501-10,000+

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C O S T C O N S I D E R AT I O N S
8

(CONTI N U E D)
13

Vendor: Product Solution

Buyer Types

Monthly pricing or fixed-term contract

Metered, bundled and/or unlimited minutes

10

11

12

Basic cost

Price range of IP phones

Purchase or rent phones

Upgrade options for services

14

Overall clarity of pricing/features information

Nuvio nPBX

Monthly plus activation fee

Unlimited local, unmetered local, and metered international minutes Set number of free monthly minutes, then goes to metered minutes; all-minutes options available

$45/month per extension

$55 - $300/phone

Purchase

No

Somewhat clear; monthly prices for each plan are online, but it is unclear if there are additional fees. Somewhat clear; pricing for different plans is online.

Phone.com Virtual Office

Monthly or annually, plus activation fee

$10/month, plus $5 for each IP extension Approximately $25-$45 per phone/month; onetime install charge + private dedicated access circuit $50/month for one user; $25/month for each additional user

$100 - $230/phone +$5/month

Either

No

PingTone Communications Enterprise Service

"Monthly pricing plus configuration/ installation fee"

Bundled and metered

$150 - $350/phone

Either

Yes

Unclear; no pricing information is available online, but site includes online quote request form. Somewhat clear; pricing per system is online and easy to find, but device costs arent as straightforward. Very clear; the costs for each plan and for additional features and fees are online and easy to find. Online cost estimator is thorough and based on customer's needs.

RingCentral RC Office

Monthly

Unlimited local and long distance minutes; international minute plans available

$99 per phone; $360 for four IP phones

Purchase

No

Vocalocity Small Business VoIP

Monthly

Metered and unlimited plans for the U.S.; international plans available

$15/month per user

$100 - $630/phone

Purchase

Yes

B Basic Buyers

I Intermediate Buyers

A Advanced Buyers

* Small = 1-100, midsize = 101-500, small enterprise = 501-2,500, enterprise = 501-10,000+

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V E N D O R C O N S I D E R AT I O N S
1

Vendor: Product Solution

Buyer Types

Business continuity support Yes; hosted service can be accessed from any location Yes

Disaster recovery support Yes

Option to migrate to SIP-based multimedia communications Yes

Online resources for making buying decisions Data sheets, interactive tools, and demos No

Technical support options/services Phone and chat services, documentation and downloads 24x7 phone service, online trouble tickets, and customer training Phone and e-mail services, and online FAQs and forums Phone, email, and chat support services, online forums, FAQs, and knowledge base 24x7 phone support service, email support services, and real-time network status updates online 24x7 phone support, e-mail support, online support request form, knowledge base, FAQs and guides 24x7 phone support, online chat support, user guides, FAQS and online forums 24x7 help desk support 24x7 phone support service, email support service, FAQs and online forums Phone and email support services, FAQs, guides and training resources

8x8 Virtual Office Alteva Collaboration & Voice Communications Bandwidth.com Phonebooth OnDemand (beta) Cbeyond Beyond Voice Office Edition

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

M5 Networks m5

Yes

Yes

No

No

Nuvio nPBX

Yes

Yes

Yes

Service plan comparison chart

Phone.com Virtual Office PingTone Communications Enterprise Service RingCentral RC Office

B

No Yes; hosted service can be accessed from any location

A

Yes

No

No Online demo, user guides available Interactive screen shots, quick start guide, and Webinars White papers and Webinars

Yes

Yes SIP-based voice services only

Yes

Yes

Vocalocity Small Business VoIP

Yes

Yes

No

B Basic Buyers

I Intermediate Buyers

A Advanced Buyers

* Small = 1-100, midsize = 101-500, small enterprise = 501-2,500, enterprise = 501-10,000+

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Vendor Profiles

8x8 Also offers home office, enterprise, managed hosting and hosted call center solutions Founded in 1987 as a chip-maker; went public in 1997; offering VoIP services since 2002 For more information: http://www.8x8.com

Alteva One of the largest hosted VoIP providers Focused on delivering true UC solutions; partnered with Microsoft, Broadsoft in April 2010 to deliver UC to SMBs For more information: http://www.altevatel.com

Bandwidth.com Also offers Phonebooth Free, with one number, up to 50 users or groups and easy upgrades to Phonebooth On Demand Also offers business Internet services, separately or bundled with VoIP For more information: http://www.bandwidth.com

Cbeyond Also offers data backup and security (in partnership with Mozy), collaboration and messaging and marketing services Delivers services via a 100-percent private IP network For more information: http://www.cbeyond.com

M5 Networks Focused on combining hosted VoIP with reporting and application integration to deliver actionable business information Dedicated account managers provide enterprise-class customer support and smooth transitions from other phone systems. For more information: http://www.m5net.com

Nuvio Also offers nConnect, a SIP trunking solution for VoIP enablement of legacy phone systems Also offers nuvioFlex bulk packages of phones and services at fixed prices lower than many competing offerings For more information: http://www.nuvio.com

Phone.com Also offers virtual number (one number for multiple phone lines) and home telephony services Implemented a channel sales program in May 2010 aimed at SMB Virtual Office customers For more information: http://www.phone.com

PingTone Communications Focused exclusively on business VoIP solutions that promise consistently enterprise-class call quality and service availability Infrastructure based solely on elements from so-called Tier 1 technology and service providers, such as BroadSoft and Cisco For more information: http://www.pingtone.com

RingCentral Selected a 2010 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum Partnered in May 2010 with Chinas Alibaba.com to enable Chinese companies to set up and link to toll-free US phone and fax numbers For more information: http://www.ringcentral.com

Vocalocity Focused exclusively on small businesses, typically 50 employees or fewer VoIP services also include 2GB of online storage and backup at no extra cost. For more information: http://www.vocalocity.com

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