Office technicians ran lines from the PBX hardware

 A traditional PBX split up a single phone line into several extensions for an entire office or call center. Office technicians ran lines from the PBX hardware to every single desk phone, then programmed it accordingly.

Today, PBX systems route calls using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Unwieldy, maintenance-intensive hardware has been replaced by an easy-to-manage cloud PBX service. While desk phones can still be used, mobile and desktop softphone apps allow access from the office or anywhere else. The only requirement is a suitable internet connection.

Cloud PBX providers also offer a wealth of additional functionalities and integrations with their services. These features can vary considerably between providers. To help you get an overview, here are five of the best Cloud PBX providers out there.

Recently voted the best business phone service of 2020 by U.S. News, Nextiva provides both a solid communication basis and outstanding additional features. Core services encompass voice and video calling, messaging, and email. The company boasts an computer science and engineering of 99.999%, guaranteed by a number of data centers scattered across North America.