PBX is an acronym for Private Branch Exchange. It is a private telephone switch (exchange) owned by an organization. PBXs were visualized to reduce telephone costs within an organization. Over time, PBX has grown to offer many more services that are not offered by the conventional telephone service.

Nowadays, companies are opting to replace PBX with a system called virtual PBX. Virtual PBX is a system where the telephone system of an organization is maintained by an outside company, a vendor. Such a company not only takes the pressure of maintenance of the telephone network off the client organization but also offers extra services. Virtual PBX is also known as hosted PBX.

Virtual PBX offers the following features:

• Call forwarding
• Call waiting
• Call screening
• Live call transferring
• Messaging
• Automatic dialing
• Auto attendant 
• Voice mail
• Mail to fax

Here are the benefits of virtual PBX:

• The organization implementing virtual PBX saves on the operating costs.
• Virtual PBX helps maintain business continuity in an organization.
• Virtual PBX is scalable, growing as the organization grows.
• Virtual PBX allows you to work in any geographical location.
• You can create a local presence of your business with virtual PBX.
• An organization’s business image is enhanced with the usage of virtual PBX.

At a time when VoIP services are considered an important part of a business, virtual PBX companies are coming forward to provide VoIP services in addition to the services provided by hosted PBX. Virtual PBX is an efficient way of running a business’ telephone network without any worries about hosting or managing the network in-house. Virtual PBX is offered by companies that provide unified telecommunication services.