HOSTED PBX- WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS IS IT SUITABLE FOR

Friday, October 28, 2011

What Business is Hosted PBX Suitable for?

Continuing our recent series of articles on Hosted PBX Phone Systems today we go over the types of business are suited to using Hosted Voice Phone Systems.

1. You need a New Phone System

The options when considering a PBX phone system are numerous. Thge benefiot of choosing a Hosted PBX over a Traditional system are primarily Cost. A typical traditional PBX system with 4 handsets will be in the $3000- $4500 range installed. A Hosted PBX system with 4 handsets can start at around $1000 up to $2000. Typically the saving is 50-70%.

2. You are starting a new Business

You need to get up and running quickly and need to flexibility to scale up as needed with out significant upfront investment. With Hosted PBX you can get sophisticated PABX features without massive expense and because it runs over the Internet you dont need to pay for the cost of getting more than 1 phone line installed. If you need to scale up its simple to ad additional extensions and handsets. In fact most of our customers install their Hosted PBX Systems themselves. Its that simple.

3. Your business is growing and you have variable staff numbers.

You may have variable staff numbers due to to seasonal influences or you may need to relocate to new premises soon. because there are no physical phone lines services can be added & removed with a phone call and if you need to move the phone numbers are associated with the handsets so there is no need to get numbers relocated. Just pick up the phones and plug them in at the new site and continue about your business.

4. You have multiple sites

With Hosted PBX multiple sites are as convenient as being in the next room. Numbers are allocated to the handsets, not the location so it doesn't matter where they are located. As long as they have a decent internet connection your staff can connect to your system and become an integral member of your group. If you are Franchise chain you can connect all your sites with ease. Whats more Intra Business calls on the Hosted PBX platform are free and untimed no matter where the handsets are. So if you have a Head Office in Sydney and a site 300kms away in Western Australia, the calls are free and untimed.

5. You have remote staff.

If your staff work from home or remote locations a Hosted PBX handset will support them as if they are in the office next door to you. They appear as just another extension on the business phone network regardless of where they are located.

6. You are sick of paying massive support dollars

With Hosted PBX you are part of a centrally managed and located system to there is no day to day support required & no software updates to be installed. if you need a configuration change on your system its a phone call away and will generally happen within minute and a tech is rarely required to attend the site

NBN PBX PHONE SYSTEMS - HOW TO FUTURE PROOF YOUR BUSINESS

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I get asked about what will happen with my existing PABX Phone system when the NBN is rolled out.... heres a summary of my response ...

 The NBN is coming. You need to buy a new phone system PBX for your business. You are worried that what you get now wont do the job when the NBN is rolled out in your area and don't want your new equipment to go to waste.

What do you do?

Probably the best and cheapest option to to equip your Business with a Hosted PBX or IP PBX System equipped with SIP trunks

Hosted PBX systems run over an ADSL or SHDSL internet connection and that is essentially what the NBN is going to be. A very high speed internet connection that will carry your calls over VoIP. Hosted PBX systems are available now at around one third the cost of equivalent traditional PBX systems and make financial sense to take advantage of costs savings now. Most commonly used and reliable equipment is supplied by reputable manufacturers such as Cisco and Polycom.

There is one major caveat with buying Hosted PBX systems with current ADSL or SHDSL connections. The internet connection must be a good quality connection with decent upload speeds and low (preferably zero)  jitter rates.

If you purchase a Hosted PBX System without a decent internet connection you will be asking for no end of trouble. A poor connection will cause drop outs and garbled calls so its best to establish and qualify the quality of the connection with your internet carrier first.

Get more information about NBN Hosted PBX Systems here.

 

 

PBX TELEPHONE SYSTEM HACKING & FRAUD

Thursday, June 23, 2011

IMPORTANT NOTICE

PABX PHONE SYSTEM HACKING & FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY

In Australia there has been a recent increase in the fraudulent hacking activity across a number of carriers involving international calling.  Much of this activity relates to a practice known as “International Revenue Share Fraud”. 

 

“IRSF" is a form of traffic inflation or flooding whereby an international revenue share provider obtains a number, or range of numbers designated as a premium rate service (PRS) which allow callers to access some form of entertainment service/feature, such as mobile ringtones, screensavers, horoscope readings etc, usually 190X numbers in Australia and more notoriously 900 numbers in the US.

 

Each call to a PRS generates profit for both the revenue share provider and the content provider, ranging anywhere between 30% and 80% of the net tariff. Fraudsters have been known to enter into arrangements with the PRS content providers, with the purpose of flooding traffic to them using various methods, most commonly via hacking PABX, VoIP or Voicemail and programming the extension to automatically dial the PRS number.

 

There is currently a concerted effort across carriers to mitigate fraudulent activity on both the fixed and mobile networks, including a ramping up of monitoring of unusual international traffic and the implementation of proactive measures to block international B numbers which have unusually high traffic flowing to them, often in high risk destinations.  However, this will not completely stop fraudulent activity occurring.

 

As a precaution, you should be aware of the dangers and passing on warning to your SMB and Corporate End Users to ensure they have proactively set security on their own PABX systems to deter hackers. Some tips are provided below which may help prevent fraudulent activity:

HOW DO THEY DO IT AND WHY?

Hackers fraudulently use a company’s PABX system to make long distance telephone calls, usually to obscure international destinations at no cost to themselves. The costs are born by the organisation and can be quite considerable.

 

The more sophisticated PABX systems become, so do the hackers and their software. Hackers exploit weaknesses in the company’s PABX system by figuring out voicemail pins and gaining access via the PABX maintenance port or ‘Direct Inward System Access’ (DISA) point of the PABX. Once they penetrate the voicemail they are then able to re-program the PABX system to make International telephone calls.

 

The fraudsters will often then either on-sell the calls as a phone operator themselves or they may even divert the calls to their own premium rate services. Both methods derive income for the hacker, while the business is left with the bill.

Due to the number of lines that most PABX systems have, the cost to the business can escalate rapidly as many calls can occur during any one time. the hacker will often breach the system late at night when the business is not operating so they can attempt to avoid detection

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS AND YOUR END CUSTOMERS BUSINESS

How you protect the business is a matter for you and/or your End User to determine in consultation with the PABX maintainer.

Here are some of the ways in which you can protect your system:

• Regularly change your voicemail pins and do not use default pins such as 1234.
• Disable any call forwarding or outbound call ability from your voicemail ports.
• Cancel any unused voicemail boxes.
• Block all International calls access unless absolutely necessary.
• Block International call access to countries that you don’t usually dial.
• Ensure your PABX admin access unit is kept in a secure location.
• Restrict the ‘after hours’ outgoing call access.
• Disable DISA access unless absolutely necessary.
• Look for heavy call volumes at nights or on weekends and public holidays.
• Review system call records for discrepancies and unusual use

 

LOOK FOR THE SIGNS

You should consult with a PABX maintainer to determine if your system may have been a target. As far as we know no Telaustralia customers have been victims of this type of Fraud.

Here are some possible warning signs:

• While retrieving voicemail the system returns a ‘busy’ error message.
• Heavy call volumes late at nights or on weekends and public holidays.
• International calls on your bill to places you don’t usually call.

 

To block international calls please call Telaustralia

customer service on 1300783528.

 

PABX Fraud can have a serious impact on your business Here are some Case Studies to provide some insight into the impact this may cause

 

Case Study 1   A prominent Australian bank was the victim of PABX Fraud.Hackers had accessed the company’s system through the company’s main switchboard and jammed the phone to constantly dial a number in Sierra Leone.The following business day, the staff noticed that their voicemail boxes were constantly busy and thought that there may have been an IT problem but didn’t think to alert their maintainer.The banks telephone carrier noticed the breach several days later and notified the customer that approximately $10,000 worth of calls to Sierra Leone had been run up in a period of only 6 days

 

Case Study 2   A government department was a recent victim of PABX hacking. Their telephone carrier noticed the unusual call traffic and alerted the customer within 24 hours of the fraud occurring. Due to problems with finding the correct person to handle the issue, the problem was not rectified for approximately 14 days after the initial breach. The customer eventually received their bill to find out that $80,000 worth of calls to Columbia occurred as a result. The customer was liable to pay the charges

Case Study 3 A small construction business suffered a recent PABX attack. Tthe business was a customer of Telstra and was surprised when they received a bill from Optus featuring calls to Liechtenstein totaling $8,500. The customer did not usually make calls overseas but still had International access on their phone system

Questions or Concerns   If you have any questions or concerns regarding fraudulent activity on YOUR PABX you should consider the steps listed earlier in this document and contact your PABX Phone System provider to make any required programming changes. IF YOU WANT INTERNATIONAL CALLING BARRED FROM YOUR LANDLINES CALL TELAUSTRALIA 1300783528 TO ARRANGE.

SMS MESSAGING USED TO FIGHT TRUANCY

Sunday, October 10, 2010

An interesting little article about how Schools are using SMS Gateways to contact parents when their children are not at school. http://www.whatech.com.au/technology-releases/telecommunications/2895-sms-messaging-by-schools-to-prevent-truancy#prelink

What do I need when buying a Motel Phone System?

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

What do I need when buying a Motel Phone System?

In today’s competitive business environment, your success depends on first class service. You need an effective communication solution that enhances the efficiency of your operations and improves the level of customer service you provide your guests.

Of all the equipment that you operate at your Motel, nothing is more important than your phone system & service. It is therefore very important that you choose your Hospitality PABX Phone System carefully. Both Alcatel and Samsung offer a range of advanced hospitality solution PABX Telephone Systems suitable for Hotels, Hospitals, Nursing Homes or Halls of Residence. Review these systems and download product brochures at http://www.telaustralia.com.au/Downloads

PABX stands for Private Automated Branch Exchange. The older PBX Phone System models were manually operated and usually required an operator. Modern PABX systems now use software to do the work of the operator.

Getting a price for a Phone Systems is easy. But will it really have the functions and features you require. To get an accurate price estimate you need to carefully plan your current & future network and determine the required PABX functions and features you need. Review systems functions and request a quotation at http://www.telaustralia.com.au/phone-systems/pabx-system-quote-form

The first thing you need to plan out is how many lines you have in, are the lines PSTN (standard analogue or POTS Plain Old telephone Service) or ISDN & how many handsets do you need. If your lines are ISDN lines do you have ISDN 2 or ISDN 102030 On Ramp? Do you have an Indial Number range? This is all important when requesting a quotation for a PABX Telephone System.

Then think about growth. Will you need more lines coming in and are you likely to require additional handsets? Providing this information when getting a quotation will allow your supplier to provide an appropriate sized PABX System that will have adequate Space and cards for your future needs.

Will you require any of the following Voice Features:-

Voice Mail
Auto Attendant – press 1 for front desk, 2 for restaurant, 3 for housekeeping etc.
Music or message on hold?
What level of Handset do you require? Most Hotels have 1- 4 higher end digital handsets at the front desk.
Will you require Digital Display handsets for the rooms or will non-display models suffice. Most hotels don’t have display handsets in the rooms.

Then you need to think about the functions and features you will need from your PABX.  Current models from Alcatel, LG and Samsung allow the operator to simply & quickly perform many of the following features :-

Book & Check In Rooms & Determine Room Status
Fax & Email Confirmation letters
Automatic Invoicing eliminating manual accounting
Take & Store Guest details & preferences for frequent visitors
Guest Database/Contact Management
Distribute Calls to Housekeeping, Room Service & Front Desk
Guest Messaging Services
Direct In Dial Calls to rooms
Room Call Accounting with customizable call tariffs
Phone Restrictions while guest is out of room
Security features

Many of the larger PABX Manufacturers have models that have a wide range of integrated functions that can assist in the day to day running of a motel without the need for a PC. These functions are operated directly from the front desk phone handset. This system will usually suffice for a motel/hotel up to around 20 rooms.

Of course if you are running a larger Motel/Hotel with 20 plus rooms and you require the full range of Management & Guest Functions then the PABX Phone System Software provided can be integrated with your PC network.

 If you are starting out from scratch you will need to arrange your phones lines. We suggest mid size hotels go with an ISDN Phone services. ISDN lines provide for crisper voice quality and allow for Indial Number Ranges.  Commonly accepted line ratios for a Motel/Hotel are 1:5 not including front desk and management requirements.

This means with 1 X ISDN 2 for every 10 Rooms and a multiple of an ISDN 10/20/30 once you go over 50 rooms. Of course if you think your usage will be low it can be cheaper to go with a higher ratio and then add lines in later if usage patterns & line availability dictate more lines.

Another line option to consider is an In Dial Number range or Direct In dial Range. Direct In dial provides more numbers than lines and means that a caller can call directly to the room with out the intervention of a Receptionist or Operator.

If you need advice there are a number of Phone companies in Australia that specialise in providing advice on Hospitality Phone Lines & Hotel PABX Phone Systems. Telaustralias contact number is 1300 783 528.

www.telaustralia.com.au

What will the NBN mean for my Business?

Friday, August 27, 2010

We regularly get asked about what the NBN will mean for our customers. While the full details are not clear there are some aspects of the NBN, that if delivered as proposed by Fibre to the Door, will deliver capabilities not currently seen in this country.

While the NBN will mean enhanced learning and entertainment prospects for most residential customers, a much greater impact could be seen in the business community by lowered telecommunications costs and significantly enhanced functionality.

For example a current business with 15 staff and 10 phone lines. They are likely to have either an ISDN 10 service or possibly have opted for a IP Phone System. Currently due to the costs of Business Grade SHDSL in Australia using a IP system can in many cases be a situation of robbing Peter to pay Paul. That is ..... what the Business customer saves on call costs, they pay in added Business Grade SHDSL costs.

For example. the same customer above has a standard ISDN 10 service and would have a monthly bill of around $300 for their line rental and in addition would be paying $50-$100 per month for their Business ADSL Internet. Calls costs are flat rate for Local Calls and Timed for National, International and calls to Mobiles. With 15 staff it would not be unusual for the monthly call charges to be around $1000 meaning a monthly bill of approx $1400.

The same customer elected to go with an IP System which are currently available. So they pay around $10 per channel for Voice and have a 4Mb/4Mb SHDSL Business Grade Internet service with 50Gb of data a month to support their IP (Essentially VoIP calls and these need equal bandwidth upstream and downstream). The cost of this Business Grade SHDSL service would be typically $900-$1100 per month plus they still need to pay for calls however these would be at a much lower rate. Lets say call costs are 30% of the cost of the ISDN 10/20/30 calls. This means the customers monthly bill is still in the range of $1300 per month.

The same customer gets a NBN connection with fibre to the door with 50Gb per month of data allowance. This is mooted to be around $100 per month and this will deliver potentially 100Mb/100Mb Business Grade SHDSL which can support their calls and data requirements. The customer arranges 10 SIP/IP channels through a Hosted Voice
(a Virtual PABX system that runs over the internet) provider and these would typically be around or under $10 per channel per month.

Assuming there is no change to call costs (but we expect they will come down significantly)  .... the customers phone bill is $100 for access/line rental/internet, plus $100 for the Voice Channels and $300 for the calls...well below half of the current options.

In addition if the customer needs hardware there could be significant savings for them there also. A current PABX system configured for Primary ISDN 10 with 15 handsets would be approximately $10k. Pre configured SIP phones from a Hosted Voice provider are currently available for between $80 & $350. Assuming mid range handsets all round this Phone System would cost the customer in the order of $3-$4k.

Some very good reasons for Business to back the NBN ... Fibre ....if not to the door of all Australian Households ...at least to the door of all Business Centres in every town....how much chaeper would that option be?

The down side of the NBN (aside from the $43 Billion it is forecast to cost) is that some estimates indicate that up to 70% of PABX Phone systems in Australia are not IP compatible and therefore may not work on a fibre network, without significant upgrade or replacement.

Could be a good time to be in the Phone Hardware business!

WELCOME TO THE BUSINESS PHONE BLOG

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Welcome to the Business Phone Blog where we hope to keep you informed of what is happening with our company and products and also comment on the Australian Business Phone market.