Are you considering transitioning from a premise communications system to a cloud system? A recent survey shows that 74% of Enterprises are planning to implement cloud communications in the next two years. The immense power, first rate technology, reliability, seamless communications and scalability, makes Cloud an ideal solution for many businesses. As companies need to update their communications systems as they age or the company grows, the cloud is standing out as the natural choice.
Cloud is an incredibly powerful telephony option, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for every company. The choice between cloud, premise, (or even a hybrid system) is unique to every business and there is no wrong decision.
So why are some companies transitioning to the cloud?
First-Rate Technology
For many companies, cloud denotes leading technology; 80% of North American IT investment decision makers believe the cloud communications provide users with access to advanced features and capabilities.
Companies with cloud communications are able to stay up-to-date on the latest advances in communications technology. While this is possible with premise too, updates to cloud technology can be applied to a company’s system remotely, with no effort on the company’s part. With cloud, as your business grows and your communication needs change, you can easily make changes to your system. The ability to quickly upgrade or downgrade features to support business needs enables great flexibility at times of rapid change. This flexibility means that 72% of cloud users feel that they’re able to swiftly adapt to stay ahead of competition.
365/24/7 Reliability
Cloud communications are extremely reliable. This is largely due to the fact that cloud communications are hosted on off-site servers, with geo-redundant data centers. In the event of an unexpected failure or weather occurrence, the cloud system can failover to a different data center without missing a beat. Your phone system will stay up and you can continue with business as usual.
Because of the geo-redundant design of cloud communications, 85% of North American IT investment decision makers believe that cloud communications improve business continuity and disaster recovery. For many cloud users, guaranteeing that their communications stay up and running no matter what, ensures that their customers can always get in touch, keeping them happy.
Seamless Communications Across Multiple Locations
Is your company geographically distributed? Do you have remote workers? Cloud communications make it easy for all of your locations and employees to have a business phone at their desk, use the same communications on the go, and access advanced services anywhere. Through a Cloud Unified Communications (UC) platform, all of your employees can use the same communications no matter where they’re located. Even better, they have the option to choose the best communications tool for the circumstance and their personality. UC tools typically include audio calls, instant messaging/chat, video calls, and conferencing from a single platform. Companies with more robust platforms are also able to offer email, fax, SMS, and more. Some companies also allow for collaboration platforms like Twitter, Google Hangouts, Skype, Slack, and more to be integrated into their UC platform, completing their communications loop. Providing consistent, reliable tools to all employees and locations means that communication isn’t a roadblock. In some cases, your employees may even be communicating better than if they were in the same office. Studies have shown that the seamless communications created by UC can save companies 191 hours of company-wide time each day in productivity – which equals around 29,000 hours per year.
Telecom Provided Support
Cloud communications also divest your company of the responsibility of maintaining and supporting your own communications. Because the solution is hosted by someone else, they are responsible for its maintenance. This way, you can free up your IT team’s resources for more strategic tasks. In fact, 76% of North American IT investment decision makers appreciate that cloud communications allow them to reassign internal IT/Telecom staff to more strategic tasks.
For companies that are rapidly growing, cloud communications are ideal. They easily scale, and your provider can quickly make changes for you, such as adding seats and functions. All you have to do is determine what type of functionality you need, and you’re on your way.
Find out more about the Migration to Cloud here.
