How to install 3CX Cloud PBX on Google Cloud

Google Cloud provides a lot of products and features which can be utilised by businesses whether for productivity, office devices or networking services. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) has been part of Google Cloud since 2008 and has been coming up with innovative products and services. One of it is 3CX Cloud PBX.

What is 3CX Cloud PBX?

3CX Cloud PBX is communication device software based on IP PBX. One of its main feature is the ability to make calls over the internet or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). It is easy to install and set up as well as supports IP phones, Android, iOS, Windows and Mac.

To use 3CX, you just need a Google Cloud account. With Google Cloud, you can organise all of your servers into one Google Cloud account and maximise all the features available on 3CX.

If you don’t have a GCP account, click this link to apply for the Google Cloud Platform Partner Credit which grants you a $500 credit, perfect for trying out GCP and setting up 3CX. Once you have a GCP account, follow the step-by-step guide to set up 3CX.

How to set up 3CX

1. Login to your GCP account.
2. Activate Google Cloud Compute Engine and API by clicking the menu button on the top left corner and clicking “Compute Engine”.
   
3. Your Compute Engine and API will now be enabled for your Google Cloud Account. This is needed so as to allow 3CX PBX Express to create a VM instance with 3CX on it for you.
4. Fill in the trial / free license key form here. A confirmation email will be sent along with a link to the PBX express setup page where you can configure your hosted 3CX PBX in your cloud account.
5. Select Google as your Cloud Provider.
   
6. You will have to allow 3CX PBX Express to manage your Google Cloud Platform to setup the machine.
7. Select your preferred location and you are done.
   

You can go to Compute Engine > VM instances to see your 3CX PBX machine.

Note that the trial account comes with some default quota limitations which can be increased. The free account allows a maximum of 1 static public IP or up to 8 IPs in total which are called “ephemeral”. Ephemeral IPs do not change unless the VM is rebooted or stopped. So it’s best to setup the VM in “dynamic public IP mode” to host more than one 3CX instance in a trial account. Alternatively, you can move away from the trial offer and switch to a paid account. Reach out to us to find out how to do that.