Hybrid working, CRM tools and messaging applications have changed the way we communicate.
While everything becomes mobile and connected, your switchboard remains frozen in the equipment room.

This guide will help you understand why the PBX is reaching its limits, and how IP telephony (or VoIP PBX) can give your business back its flexibility.
You’ll discover how to migrate step-by-step to a cloud solution, with no disruption to service and real productivity gains.

Points to remember :

• The traditional PBX remains reliable, but its local architecture limits mobility and integration with modern tools.
• The gradual end of the switched telephone network (PSTN) is forcing companies to prepare for the transition to IP technologies.
• IP telephony transforms voice into usable data: every call becomes measurable and analyzable.
• A system hosted in the cloud reduces maintenance costs, facilitates telecommuting and centralizes supervision.
• Migrating to a VoIP solution prepares your company for the all-IP era and for more fluid, connected and scalable communication.

Why rethink your PBX telephone system?

The PBX (Private Branch Exchange) has long been the mainstay of corporate communications.
It connects internal stations, distributes telephone calls, and ensures reliable operation as long as everyone works from the same location.

But this traditional telephone system relies on physical lines and local hardware.
Each addition, breakdown or move still requires technical intervention, which limits responsiveness and increases operating costs.
The real cost is not limited to maintenance: it extends to lost time, rigidity and lack of integration with your business tools.

Technical and regulatory limits of the PSTN

The switched telephone network (PSTN), on which a large proportion of PBXs are based, is living out its final years.
According toARCEP, it is due tobe phased out by 2030.

In concrete terms, this means that copper infrastructures will no longer be maintained.
Businesses will have to switch to IP technologies, capable of transmitting voice over the Internet.

Postponing the transition would mean losing control of the timetable. Better to plan now, and migrate gradually to hosted IP telephony.

When telephony becomes data

A PBX sends calls.
A VoIP solution sends data.

Each call becomes measurable data (duration, response rate, sound quality), accessible via real-time dashboards.

A call center can adjust its working hours according to peaks in activity.
A sales team can identify the best times to contact prospects.
Management finally gains a complete overview of productivity.

The gap with modern tools

Today, your teams work with CRM, messaging tools and collaborative platforms already hosted in the cloud.
Telephony often remains the last disconnected brick in this ecosystem.

A PBX can’t integrate customer information.
Impossible to launch a click-to-call from a CRM, automatically record conversations or centralize call statistics.

With IP telephony, everything changes.
Your agents call from their browsers, their voice messages arrive by e-mail and data is synchronized between tools. Telephony once again becomes a lever for sales performance, rather than a technical constraint.

Technical comparison: PBX vs VoIP PBX vs Cloud

Modernizing business telephony means moving from a rigid local system to a scalable, cloud-connected platform.
To understand what the cloud is really changing, we first need to compare the three models: PBX, VoIP PBX and hosted phone system.

Costs and maintenance

PBXs and VoIP PBXs do not have the same business model.
A PBX requires a significant initial investment: purchase of equipment, installation of lines, regular maintenance.
Every extension, every breakdown, every move involves additional costs and delays.

The VoIP PBX, on the other hand, works on the same internal principle, but transmits calls via the Internet rather than the dial-up telephone network.
This already reduces certain costs: fewer cables, less physical equipment, and faster deployment.
But maintenance remains local: software updates and sometimes the intervention of a technician are still required.

A 100% cloud phone system, like Kavkom, works on a subscription basis: no hardware to install, no on-site visits, and pro rata billing with no commitment.
No hardware purchase, no server room, no on-site visits.
The company pays only for the lines it uses, and can suspend or add accounts in minutes.

This flexibility becomes invaluable when business fluctuates, for example during seasonal peaks or prospecting campaigns.
The cloud model thus transforms a capital expenditure (CAPEX) into an operating expense (OPEX).
Costs become predictable, controlled and linked to actual usage.

Available features

A traditional PBX offers the basics: call transfer, call waiting, dual call and simple voicemail.
These tools were sufficient when telephony was limited to one fixed line per office.

VoIP PBX adds a digital layer: it converts voice into data and enables voice communication via the Internet.
This opens the door to new options: call recording, interactive voice response (IVR), automatic forwarding.
But the whole package remains limited by local hardware and the complexity of configuration.

Cloud telephony goes a step further: it combines supervision, CRM integrations, intelligent routing and unified messaging in a single interface.
Functionalities are no longer dependent on the workstation or site: they can be accessed via a simple Internet connection.
Teams can call from a PC, an IP phone or a mobile application, with no difference in quality.

Hosted VoIP PBX platforms combine several building blocks: real-time supervision, complete history, CRM integration and unified messaging.
All in a single interface, often inspired by the consumer web.

A supervisor can view a department’s call flow, listen to a recording or intervene via a whisper function.
A sales representative can trigger a click-to-call directly from his or her customer file.
These functions, previously reserved for large call centers, are becoming accessible to all companies, whatever their size.

The major difference lies in simplicity: the cloud no longer requires complex parameterization or in-house servers.
Everything is done online, in just a few clicks.

Safety and reliability

For a long time, IP telephony raised doubts about security.
But technologies have evolved, and today the cloud is more stable than a local network.

A conventional PBX depends entirely on its physical environment.
A power failure, overheating or network problem can bring the entire telephony system to a standstill.
No redundancy, no automatic failover.

Conversely, a hosted server relies on redundant infrastructures: if one zone goes down, another instantly takes over.
Communications are encrypted from end to end, using protocols such as TLS or SRTP, to protect exchanges.

Solutions like Kavkom also apply strict RGPD security rules: data stored on European servers, automatic backups, full traceability of access.
Updates are deployed without interruption, avoiding the downtime often seen on local installations.

Reliability is also measured by sound quality.
With fiber and 4G/5G, VoIP voice calls now offer greater clarity than on the analog network.
Interruptions are becoming rare, even for telecommuting teams.

PBX / VoIP PBX / Cloud

Criteria	PBX	VoIP PBX	Cloud (hosted telephony)
Initial cost	High: purchase of equipment and cabling	Medium: lighter but still local equipment	Low: monthly subscription without hardware
Maintenance	Technical and manual	Mixed: local + software updates	Automatic, online
Mobility	Fixed-line only	Partial access via LAN	Full access via PC, cell phone or IP phone
Features	Transfer, hold, simple messaging	Recording, IVR, routing	Supervision, CRM integration, reporting, API
Security	Local, non-redundant	Varies according to configuration	Hosted, encrypted, redundant
Scalability	Limited by hardware	Medium, bandwidth-dependent	Instantaneous, no installation required
Reliability	Site-dependent	Stable but local	High: redundancy and 24/7 monitoring

In a nutshell

The PBX remains functional but static.
VoIP PBX represents a useful transition, especially for companies already connected to the IP network.
But the real transformation is taking place with cloud-hosted business telephony, where everything is scalable, measurable and accessible.

5 steps to migrate from your PBX to VoIP Cloud

Switching from a traditional PBX to modern IP telephony can seem complex.
In reality, migration often goes smoothly when well prepared.
Here are the five steps to leaving the old standard behind without losing touch.

1. Audit your existing infrastructure

First and foremost, you need to know where you’re starting from.
Carry out a complete PBX audit: inventory of lines, PSTN contracts, servers, workstations and bandwidth. This is the key to a successful migration.

Start by making a list of your telephone extensions, existing lines and PSTN contracts that are still active.
Identify numbers in use, call queues and critical devices (server, handsets, router).

Analyze your network too.
VoIP relies on the Internet: the quality of the connection determines the stability of calls.
A bandwidth, latency and jitter test will enable you to assess the real performance of your infrastructure before migration.

This inventory serves as the basis for all subsequent decisions: number of lines to be transferred, required capacity and priority functionalities.

2. Choosing the right VoIP solution for your business

Not all VoIP PBX systems are created equal.
Choosing the right tool depends on your uses, your objectives and the integrations you need.

List your criteria: CRM compatibility, telecommuting management, data security, RGPD compliance and level of technical support.
A good provider should offer a cloud-hosted platform capable of evolving at your pace and integrating your business tools.

Some tools combine telephony, supervision and CRM integration in a single interface.
Example: Kavkom offers a VoIP PBX solution hosted entirely in the cloud, ready in minutes, with intelligent routing, CRM integration and French-speaking human support.
Calls are managed from an intuitive web interface; lines can be activated, suspended or redirected on demand, without any technical intervention.

3. Plan your number portability

Your telephone numbers are a capital of trust.
Customers know them, partners have registered them: there’s no question of losing them.

Portability consists of transferring these numbers to your new platform.
Your company telephony provider will usually take care of this process with the outgoing operator.

The process takes around ten days on average.
During this period, incoming calls continue to arrive on your old network, thanks to temporary redirections.
This avoids any interruption of service.

Don’t forget to schedule the migration for off-peak hours, so as not to disrupt your business.
A precise schedule, validated with the service provider, facilitates coordination between in-house teams and technical support.

4. Configuring and testing your new system

Once portability has been planned, it’s time for configuration.
This is where your future standard comes to life.

Start by defining call routing rules: who answers what, at what time, and according to what priority.
Configure the interactive voice response (IVR) to guide callers, voicemail for each service, and automatic forwarding in case of absence.

Modern tools make it possible to manage everything from a web interface.
You can create a complete call scenario in just a few clicks, without IT intervention.

Before global deployment, carry out a test phase.
Check the quality of VoIP callscall quality, network stability, statistical accuracy and availability of monitoring reports.
Involve a few pilot users to fine-tune details before going into production.

5. Train your teams and manage performance

Even the best company telephony is ineffective if not used properly.
The final step is to train your staff and monitor their first indicators.

A one- or two-hour training course is often all that’s needed.
Your agents learn how to answer from the browser, transfer a call, listen to their voicemail messages or consult the dashboard.
Supervisors discover reporting, discreet listening and whispering tools.

Once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s time for follow-up.
Monitor service rates, pick-up rates and average call duration.
This productivity data quickly shows the impact of the migration: less waiting, better quality of service, and more comfortable agents.

A cloud system evolves without constraint: you can add new functions, adapt your schedules or open a remote site in a matter of minutes.

Checklist: Successful migration

Step	Objective	Question to ask yourself
1. Audit	Identify needs	Have I listed all my PSTN lines and contracts?
2. Choice of solution	Find the right VoIP PBX	Are my CRM and tools compatible?
3. Portability	Preserving continuity	Have I validated the transfer deadlines?
4. Testing and configuration	Check VoIP call quality	Do routing and messaging work?
5. Training and piloting	Measuring productivity	Are my KPIs tracked every week?

FAQ : PBX, IPBX and VoIP

What is a PBX?

A PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is an internal telephone system that connects a company’s workstations.
It relies on physical lines and a local exchange.
Reliable but inflexible, PBXs are costly to maintain and unsuitable for hybrid models or remote working.

What’s the difference between PBX, IPBX and VoIP PBX?

The PBX uses the traditional telephone network.
TheIPBX transports voice over the Internet, but remains hosted on site.
The VoIP PBX, on the other hand, is hosted entirely in the cloud: no local maintenance, web access, automatic updates and total mobility.

Can I keep my phone numbers?

Yes.
Portability enables you to transfer your existing numbers to the new solution.
Regulated byARCEP, portability takes ten days on average, with no interruption to incoming calls.

Is IP telephony secure?

Yes, if the provider applies current standards.
Communications are encrypted, data hosted in Europe and RGPD-compliant.
Cloud solutions also offer automatic redundancy to avoid disruption.

Conclusion: from standard to cloud, a natural transition

Moving from a PBX to a cloud-hosted VoIP PBX is one way to make business telephony more flexible, connected and sustainable.

Migration reduces fixed costs, improves mobility and offers real-time supervision of calls and performance.
It also prepares for the future: the announced closure of the PSTN byARCEP confirms the arrival of an all-IP network in the next few years.

Companies that take the plunge gain a scalable, no-commitment system that can be integrated with their business tools (CRM, support, analytics).