Call recording systems today come in three flavors: hardware based (voice logger), software- based (call recording software running on commercial off the shelf hardware) and cloud-based.  While some companies may feel it is necessary to still purchase a proprietary hardware-based voice logger for their call recording needs, it simply is not necessary anymore.  The days of proprietary black-box voice logger systems are gone, and in their place are open platform, software and cloud-based call recording solutions.

A software or cloud-based call recording system gives you unbounded flexibility in terms of interoperability with your PBX, CRM, ERP and other systems.  There is simply no need to be pushed into a corner any more with regard to proprietary voice logger systems.

Think about some of the disadvantages of going the proprietary voice logger hardware route:

1. They tend to cost much more than standard hardware.

2. They require professional installation in order for the logger to interoperate with your existing technical environment. The word "proprietary" usually does not coincide with an open API.

3. You have to physically send the voice logger back to the manufacturer to have it fixed, and only they can fix it.  Furthermore, many times the manufacturer does not even make the product themselves but rather farm it out to Asia, for example.  So your shipment costs and wait time might be worse than you think.

4. They export recorded call files in proprietary, non-standard format.

5. They require a specialized player to hear the call.

6. You can't use the logger for anything else, unlike a commercial off the shelf server which can be shared among many different applications and systems.

7. They take up space, especially when you have a multi-site environment requiring multiple voice loggers.

If you have a proprietary voice logger system, it is not too late to switch to an open, software/cloud-based call recording system.  Plus, it's better to switch now before you go any further down the proprietary road.  In the long run you will save on additional hardware and certainly maintenance costs.