Set up your free PBX in the cloud in under 10 minutes
In association with 3CX, we use its PBX Express Tool to build a phone system in the cloud – all in the time it takes to make an omelette
C hanging an IT system is usually a fraught process involving endless meetings to plan the deployment and justify the expense. Follow the steps opposite, however, and you could have a working PBX up and running in the cloud in under ten minutes.
It would be wrong, though, to put all the emphasis on speed of setup. 3CX provides an award-winning, featurepacked PBX that gives small and medium-sized businesses a unified communications solution. A system that would have cost thousands of pounds just a few years ago.
For example, you’ll see presence information for all signed-up members (perfect if you need to set your status to Away so you can finish that report uninterrupted). Your employees can send instant messages using the softphone clients (available for Android, iPhone, Mac and Windows), use the integrated video conferencing tools and host five web conferencing participants – all for free.
“The PBX Express makes deploying 3CX in the cloud super-easy,” says 3CX CEO, Nick Galea, “and most importantly allows you to leverage one of the many high-quality yet low-cost cloud providers available.”
Which providers? It could be Google Cloud, Amazon, OVH or any Openstack-based VPS provider. And whichever you choose, you’ll access the same features, settings and management that are available with 3CX’s existing on-premise and cloud versions.
Affordable and easy to manage
Those new to 3CX might be wondering “What’s the catch?” However, many small businesses have been using 3CX’s on-premise solution for years due to its generous free offering: this offers up to eight simultaneous calls. If you follow the steps opposite you can even opt for 30 days of free hosting, using OVH as the cloud provider, with no need to enter credit card details or hidden clauses to catch you out.
The PBX Express Tool will automatically license 3CX’s PBX Edition for up to eight simultaneous calls, completely free. You will also get a year’s worth of free DNS hosting and a free SSL certificate, complete with free software and security updates and community-based support.
If you decide, after that year, that you want to keep on using 3CX in the cloud then you can switch to one of its three paid-for plans: Standard from £129 per year, Pro from £169 and Enterprise from £258 per year. For full details, visit www.3cx.com.