A managed PBX is a business phone system outsourced to a third party. While the equipment is housed on-premises, the entire PBX is managed and maintained by the VoIP service provider.

Managed PBX is really an on-premises IP PBX without the upfront cost of equipment, installation, etc.

A managed PBX service provider charges a flat monthly fee, usually based on the number of phones or lines. The provider installs and maintains all equipment. Any configuration, updating, upgrading, or IT troubleshooting is the responsibility of the provider. With a managed PBX, a company is protected from the risk of communications system failures.

Managed PBX or Hosted PBX?

Unlike hosted PBXs, managed PBX systems stay on-site. See hosted PBX for comparison.

Hosted PBX can be confused for managed PBX and vice versa. Sometimes ‘managed PBX’ is used as an umbrella term for any PBX that is not run by the company using the telephones. Thus it is important to know what you are purchasing when arranging service with a provider.

Features

Features of a managed PBX are identical to those of an IP PBX, but a managed PBX includes additional maintenance services.
Additional services provided for managed PBX:

• trained IT to handle technical problems
• system admin to update software
• scalability to upgrade hardware for the client company

See also

• PBX
• hosted PBX
• Business PBX
• VOIP PBX and Servers