Analog and Digital Telephones Key Terms

Analog and digital telephones key terms help you outfit your office with phone service

Analog and digital telephones keep your office running by connecting you to your customers. However, the equipment that you need largely depends on the size of your business. A small company or home office phone system can get by with certain analog and digital telephones networks, where a large business or corporation requires a larger analog and digital telephones network. Consider these analog and digital telephones key terms that will help you find the phone system best suited for your business.

Integrated answering system

If your business needs a plug-and-play phone service that requires no set up and very few features from the phone company, an integrated answering system is for you. It's an answering machine built into the digital or analog telephone that you choose.

Multi-handset systems

Multi-handset systems are great for small offices and home offices because they have multiple handset receivers that all operate through one central base.

PBX, Private Branch eXchange

Private Branch eXchange, PBX, is a way that businesses requiring multiple phone lines can avoid leasing each individual telephone line from the phone company. A PBX, instead, allows businesses to use a privately owned telephone switching system to fulfill that company's telephone networking needs.

KSU-less telephone systems, Key System Unit

KSU-less (meaning without a Key System Unit) telephone systems are the way to go if you're a business that requires ten telephone lines or less. KSU-less telephone systems enable you to string together several lines without paying for a central system. You can also get voice services and networking features appropriate for a small business budget.

Key telephone systems (KTS)

KTS telephone systems, also known as key telephone systems, are similar to Private Branch eXchange. However, key telephone systems require the business to use switching services from the phone company. Even though you rely on the phone company, your business can still have telephone networking options that are appropriate for your small business if you opt for key telephone systems.

Voice Over Internet Protocol, VoIP

Voice Over Internet Protocol, abbreviated both as Voice Over IP and VoIP, uses the Internet to handle your business phone calls instead of using traditional phone lines. That means your business can take advantage of networking features and services at a lower cost.

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