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Guide · TelephonyVoIP, IPBX, cloud telephony: what are the differences?
Four terms come up the moment you replace a phone system, and they do not mean the same thing: VoIP is a technology, an IPBX is a device, a SIP trunk is a connection, cloud telephony is a way of operating. You can run VoIP without cloud, and move to cloud without changing numbers.
Published on 12 September 2026Team activity · Sales
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Each answers a different question.
The table below clears up the commonest confusion: believing you must choose between VoIP and cloud, when they sit on different planes.
| Term | What it is | Where it lives | Who operates it |
|---|---|---|---|
| PBX | A traditional telephone switchboard | In your premises | You, or an installer |
| IPBX | The same device, in IP technology | In your premises | You, or an installer |
| VoIP | The technology carrying voice over the internet | Everywhere: it is a protocol | Not applicable |
| SIP trunk | The IP connection from an IPBX to the network | Between your device and the operator | Your operator |
| Cloud telephony | The switchboard hosted and run by a third party | At the provider | The provider |
The switchboard in your premises.
The historic setup: a cabinet in a technical room, physical lines, cards to add when you want more extensions. Every change goes through an intervention. The hardware depreciates over years, which makes the migration decision rarely urgent — and often late.
The same device, in IP.
An IPBX performs the PBX function but carries voice in IP across the company network. You gain configuration flexibility and can connect to the operator by SIP trunk instead of analogue lines. But the device stays with you: its maintenance, updates, backup and replacement remain your responsibility. This is the commonest confusion — going IP is not going cloud.
The pipe, not the switchboard.
A SIP trunk is the IP connection between your device and the telephone network. It replaces physical lines. It does not replace the switchboard: it feeds it. A company with an IPBX and a SIP trunk is doing VoIP, and is not in cloud telephony.
The switchboard run by a third party.
Here the device leaves your premises. The switchboard, routing rules, queues and numbers live at the provider, who handles operation and availability. You administer everything from an interface and your desks connect over the internet.
- No switchboard hardware and no site visit to add an extension.
- Configuration becomes online: opening hours, forwards, voice menus, queues.
- Numbers detach from places — they become virtual numbers routed to the team you choose.
- In exchange, everything depends on the network. An unstable connection becomes a single point of failure.
Which one for which situation.
| Your situation | The sensible option |
|---|---|
| Recent, depreciated hardware, teams on one site | Keep the IPBX, possibly move to a SIP trunk |
| Distributed teams, remote work, several sites | Cloud telephony |
| High call volume, supervision needed | Cloud with call center software |
| Local numbers in several countries | Cloud with virtual numbers |
| Unstable internet with no backup | Secure the network first, migrate after |
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Frequently asked questions
Can you do VoIP without moving to the cloud?
Yes, and it is very common. An IPBX in your premises connected by a SIP trunk is doing VoIP: the voice travels in IP. What changes with cloud is not the transport technology but where the device lives and who operates it.
Is cloud telephony the same as VoIP?
No. VoIP is a technology for carrying voice; cloud telephony is a way of operating the switchboard. All cloud telephony uses VoIP, but not all VoIP is cloud.
Do we have to change numbers when migrating?
Not necessarily. Porting lets you keep existing numbers; it is assessed case by case by operator, country and number type. Treat it first because it sets the timetable.
Is an IPBX cheaper than a cloud solution?
The comparison only means something in whole-life cost: on top of the hardware come installation, maintenance, updates, end-of-life replacement and an intervention for every change. Cloud turns that investment into a predictable subscription — see our pricing.
What happens if the internet goes down?
In cloud telephony, no network means no telephony. That is the honest trade-off. It is handled with a second link, a mobile fallback or automatic forwarding to mobiles, planned from the design stage.