Secure and Scalable: Next-Gen Enterprise Voice Infrastructures

It takes considerable technology to automate repetitive tasks, optimize business efficiency, and keep pace with today’s rapidly evolving business communication needs. Most organizations have invested in the many standalone tools to remain competitive over the years. Those same companies now find their communication infrastructures fragmented, inflexible, and vulnerable to security threats.

As awareness of the inefficiencies associated with conducting business with disparate technologies grows, so does the number of decision-makers solving these complex issues by upgrading their infrastructures with next-gen enterprise voice. This secure, scalable business communication solution comes with multiple advantages. Explore how top-tier providers ensure service flexibility and advanced system security to gain an overview of today’s most in-demand features.

Past to Present: The Evolution of Modern Enterprise Voice Communication

The journey from analog voice systems to modern enterprise voice infrastructure represents significant advances in business communication technologies. For decades, business owners had only one option: routing analog voice signals over a complex network of wires and cables connecting their organization’s private branch exchange (PBX) to their public switched telephone network (PSTN).

The introduction of digital PBX systems in the 1980s added advanced solutions like voicemail, call forwarding, and auto attendants to business telephony. Such innovations spread among industries as they helped improve communication efficiency. Back then, however, digital PBX required substantial investments in hardware, multi-party bridges, and trunk lines that were expensive, required specialists to install, and were prone to disruptions and downtime.

A lot has changed over the years. Today, decision-makers concerned about the current state of their hybrid infrastructures are embracing the following advantages of next-gen cloud-based enterprise voice.

End-to-End Encryption

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) ensures business communication is protected against cyber threats like eavesdropping, hacking, and data breaches. When a secure session is initiated, both the sender and recipient generate a cryptographic key.

All voice, email, text messages, and shared data files encrypted at their point of origin are inaccessible during transit and can only be decrypted by the recipient’s key. This security feature is a business essential for regulatory compliance across multiple industries.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) protects your business by requiring end-users to provide two or more pieces of evidence (factors) to verify their identities before accessing a system, website, or application. Typically, the factors confirming user identities fall into one of three distinct categories: knowledge, possession, and inherence. Examples of authentication requirements include PINs, passwords, smartphone access, security tokens, facial recognition, voice recognition, and fingerprint verification.

Advanced Threat Detection

Advanced threat detection and response (ADR) technologies are crucial for identifying and deterring advanced persistent threats (APTs) and sophisticated malware with the potential to evade other security measures. Here are a few examples of threat detection at work:

Threat intelligence stays ahead of emerging trends by analyzing multi-source data.
Machine learning predicts threats based on historical data and irregular system activity.
Behavioral analysis monitors applications and network traffic to detect anomalous activity.

Unparalleled Scalability

Cloud-based next-gen enterprise voice infrastructures handle variations in call volume without the need for manual intervention or architectural changes. This flexibility minimizes the risk of delays, dropped connections, and reductions in call quality.

In other words, the business communication system automatically expands when call volume is high and recalibrates when demand drops. It’s a level of flexibility that allows businesses to pay only for the resources used while avoiding the cost of over-provisioning.

Seamless Integration

Today’s cloud-based business communication solutions seamlessly integrate with analog and digital communication technologies. Eliminating the disconnect between disparate technologies opens the door to advanced features and application integrations not typically available with legacy phone systems. Real-time data synchronization on a unified communication platform provides a cost-effective way to improve workplace efficiency on a system accessible from just about anywhere.

Flexible Deployment Options

No two business locations are exactly the same, even within the same company. Decision-makers looking for next-gen enterprise voice infrastructures choose the deployment options best suited to each location’s needs. That could mean anything from an entirely cloud-hosted environment that eliminates the need for physical hardware to hybrid deployment using a combination of on-premises and cloud-hosted solutions. A skilled team of specialists ensures a smooth transition during each phase of preparation and migration.

Greater Administrative Control

Next-gen enterprise voice infrastructures give corporate administrators far more control over their communication costs than old-school legacy services. Savvy decision-makers choose the best combination of customizable solutions and services for their business needs. When voice communication and collaboration solutions run on virtual “phone lines,” the number of active users on their accounts can be added or removed as needed, and their access to specific services can be approved or reversed at will.

How Next-Gen Infrastructures Support Current and Future Communication Needs

The term “enterprise voice” has been in play for decades to differentiate between technologies transmitting voice signals and those used for other types of business communication, such as email, fax, and text messaging. As businesses began adopting digital and IP-based voice communication, the definition of enterprise voice evolved to include services and solutions that integrate several features into a single user-friendly interface. Examples of enterprise services include voice over internet protocol (VoIP), advanced calling features, video conferencing capabilities, data analytic software, remote file sharing, and more.

On the other hand, an enterprise voice infrastructure is the network architecture. The underlying hardware, network components, software, and security features bring those solutions and services to life through crucial components like routers, switches, servers, and firewalls. The larger the network challenging the skills of your in-house IT department, the higher the risk of developing resource-draining inefficiencies. This drain is especially apparent for organizations relying on services from multiple carriers and providers across diverse geographic locations.

Top-tier managed service providers (MSPs) leverage technology that detects performance anomalies in milliseconds on a georedundant system. This proactive approach keeps internet disruptions, power outages, and gateway failures from disrupting your business. The best communication solution experts maintain 99.99% service uptime (or better) while offering a compelling list of intelligent, cost-effective, in-demand features. This level of service ensures you have just the right mix of customizable solutions you need today and in the future.

Licensed PSTN Replacement

The PSTN is a physical infrastructure that connects telephone networks worldwide through phone lines, cables, and switches. PSTN replacement utilizes session initiation protocol (SIP) and VoIP to transmit incoming and outbound calls over high-speed internet. Small businesses and enterprises alike prefer virtual methods because they often eliminate the need for separate phone services. Top-tier enterprise infrastructure providers offer PSTN replacement nationwide and across multiple countries.

Managed SIP

SIP initiates, maintains, and terminates real-time communication by managing the transfer of data packets over an internet connection. SIP trunks connect an organization’s PBX to the internet by functioning as virtual phone lines. SIP technology complements VoIP well since a single SIP session can include any combination of voice, video, or data. Managed SIP (mSIP) is an attractive option for decision-makers interested in traffic prioritization, call quality analytics, and multi-site trunk-sharing.

Unified Communications as a Service

Decision-makers subscribing to a unified communications as a service (UCaaS) platform have the freedom to build a customized stack of cloud-based services and solutions based on their specific needs. Their business VoIP, video, messaging, and collaboration tools are consolidated into a single platform. The best voice communication infrastructure providers have the ability to integrate their advanced security features, call quality, and reliability into platforms like Cisco Webex, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.

Proactive Monitoring and Restoration

Human error or oversight could leave your company vulnerable to performance issues and security risks. While comparing your options, stick with service providers offering 24/7/365 real-time proactive monitoring and system oversight for all your connected devices. Instead of paying your IT staff to toggle between systems or ping individual devices to identify issues, everything needed to verify your voice infrastructure and performance is consolidated into a single pane of glass.

Redundant Inbound Call Routing

Communication downtime and call failures can be detrimental to any business. When inbound communication is mission-critical, disruptions and delays can be catastrophic. Businesses requiring high availability and reliability choose enterprise voice infrastructure partners with technologies designed to detect upstream network impairments and swiftly reroute direct inward dialing (DID) voice traffic. The ability to create multiple redundant inbound call paths ensures successful call completion.

Your Organization Can Benefit from a Next-Gen Enterprise Voice Infrastructure

Modern organizations rely on advanced technologies and proactive service providers to build efficiencies, stay competitive, and meet customer demands. The more communication technologies challenging your IT department, the higher the risk of developing resource-draining inefficiencies and security concerns. Successful businesses are investing in next-gen enterprise voice infrastructures to gain their many benefits.

At BCM One, we can connect any legacy system, collaboration platform, or communication application with our Pure IP Enterprise Voice solutions, including Cisco Webex, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. We also provide continuous oversight of your voice infrastructure with our proprietary VitalView 24/7/356 proactive monitoring system, global coverage in 137 countries, and PSTN replacement services in 50 countries. Contact us today to optimize and modernize your communication and collaboration infrastructure with the best combination of solutions for your business.