In the context of technology, the term hardware refers to the physical components that make up a computer or telephony system. Examples of hardware include computers, tablets, mobile phones, GPS devices, and gaming systems.
Software is completely dependent on hardware for operation. And it's a two-way street - without software, hardware wouldn't really have any purpose. In addition to software, you can also find firmware loaded onto hardware, which controls how the hardware behaves.
There are many examples of hardware to be found within contact centers. The switch, or PBX, is a hardware unit that is essential to contact centers because it is the backbone of the telephony system. Additionally, servers are needed to operate automatic call distribution (ACD), interactive voice response (IVR) systems, customer relationship management (CRM) applications, and analytics tools, to name a few. Telephones and desktop computers are examples of hardware that are critical tools for agents.
When contact centers choose a hosted solution for their contact center software, the amount of on-premises hardware is reduced. This is because the software provider is responsible for housing and managing the servers for whatever applications are involved. This reduction in overhead is just one of many benefits contact centers can realize when they select a software as a service (SaaS) arrangement.
