TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) is the correct way to compare two different solutions. It is not enough to look only at the purchase price; installation, servicing, licensing, internal IT time and upgrade costs must also be included. A hardware PBX typically has a low apparent cost in the first year, but hidden costs accumulate.
TCO traditional hardware PBX
Procuring a hardware PBX for a company with 10 users typically looks like this:
| Cost item | Hardware PBX | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware (PBX + telephones) | 50 000-120 000 Kč | One-off |
| Installation and configuration | 15 000-30 000 Kč | One-off |
| ISDN/SIP trunk line | 800-2 000 Kč/month | Monthly |
| Annual servicing and support | 10 000-25 000 Kč | Annually |
| Security patches and upgrades | 5 000-15 000 Kč | Annually |
| IT time for management (internal) | 20-40 hours/year | Annually |
| Replacement of refrigerant after 5-7 years | 50 000-120 000 Kč | Every 5-7 years |
| TCO over 5 years (10 users) | 250 000-450 000 Kč |
The total five-year cost of ownership for a traditional PBX serving 10 users ranges between 250,000 and 450,000 Kč. This does not even include the time of your IT department calculated at an hourly rate.
TCO cloud PBX (virtual central exchange)
Cloud PBX operates on a completely different cost model: no initial investment, predictable monthly costs.
| Cost item | Cloud PBX | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware (PBX) | 0 Kč | - |
| Setup and onboarding | 0-5 000 Kč | One-off |
| Monthly fee per user | 300-700 Kč/user | Monthly |
| Call-out fee (usually included in the price) | 0 or a flat rate | Monthly |
| Service and Support | Included in the price | - |
| Upgrade to new features | Included in the price | - |
| IT time for management | 2-5 hours/year | Annually |
| TCO over 5 years (10 users) | 90 000-130 000 Kč |
Specific examples of savings
Company A: 10 users, Prague
An accounting firm purchased PBX hardware in 2019 for 85,000 Kč. Including installation, maintenance and lines, it paid approximately 320,000 Kč over five years. The same firm would have paid approximately 200,000 Kč for a cloud PBX over the same period. That is savings of approx. 120 000 Kč over five years, i.e. Approximately 24 000 Kč per year. Additionally, the company added a home office without any extra costs at a time when the PBX hardware did not allow it.
Company B: 50 users, 3 branches
The manufacturing company with three branches managed three separate PBX exchanges. Total annual costs for maintenance, lines and IT administration: approximately 280 000 Kč. After switching to cloud PBX: 130 000 Kč per year for 50 users. Annual savings: ~150 000 KčBonus: internal calls between branches are free, with central management in a single panel.
Hidden savings visible only after the switch
IT administration
Managing a hardware PBX takes an average of 30-50 hours per year of internal IT time. A cloud PBX can be handled in 2-5 hours. At an average IT staff rate of 800 Kč/hour, this saves 20,000-36,000 Kč annually on internal time alone.
Home office flexibility
Adding an employee's home office to a hardware-based central system requires a VPN, an extra licence or port forwarding, each option costs time and money. With a cloud PBX, you simply download the softphone app and the employee is operational immediately, with zero additional costs.
Scalability
Do you need to add 5 users in the season? On a hardware PBX, this could mean a new module or an entirely new exchange. With a cloud PBX, you can add users via the admin panel in 2 minutes and remove them after the season, with no fixed costs.
Calculator: Calculate it yourself
Rough calculation for your company:
- Number of users × 500 Kč × 12 = annual costs for cloud PBX
- Current annual costs (service + lines + IT time) = what you pay now
- Difference = annual savings by switching to the cloud
Typically, you will find that the cloud PBX pays for itself within 6-18 months through savings compared to your existing solution, and this is before including flexible benefits such as home office or an AI receptionist.
Do you need an accurate quotation for your company? Contact us for a free analysis of your existing solution. Read more about the benefits of Virtuální ústředna in the article on virtualni-ustredna.cz What is a virtual central office and why is it better than a classic PBX.