According to a recently released survey of telecommunications service providers around the globe, more than half of all businesses are anticipated to adopt cloud based Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) by 2020, surpassing the traditional on-premise PBX systems championed by companies like Cisco, Avaya, Mitel, and ShoreTel for so long. There is a reason why Avaya is extending its stay in bankruptcy and ShoreTel just got eaten by Mitel … the old world providers are struggling to cope with the shift to cloud VoIP which is already well underway. As a business owner or IT manager you look seriously at hosted solutions or risk buying yesterday’s technology. You can read a lot of pieces about the benefits of UCaaS, but a couple of highlights are below.
Reduced Costs, Automatic Updates
Implementing cloud VoIP solutions greatly reduces upfront expenses – namely hardware purchases and installation labor – associated with upgrading a company’s communications infrastructure. The predictable monthly fees most VoIP providers charge, eliminate ongoing software upgrade fees as well as maintenance charges related to keeping your phone system operational. Because hosted VoIP solutions use an internet connection to make and receive calls, businesses are able to drop their local telephony carrier and redeploy that savings in a brand-new communications platform. Perhaps best of all, the cloud VoIP solutions are automatically updated without additional charges or the hassle of upgrades, so companies know that they will always be on the latest and best version of the application.
Moving Beyond Mere Telephony
Also important is the fact that hosted VoIP solutions can include a broad range of additional communications and collaboration capabilities beyond a mere voice phone call. These unified communications (UC) capabilities include video calling, chat, presence, web meetings, and persistent workspaces. And, as if this solution suite wasn’t enticing enough, these UC capabilities are available to both on premise and mobile workers, including employees using laptops, cell phones, or tablets. Any internet-connected device becomes a potential endpoint for business communications.
Business Continuity
Have you ever had problems with the PBX system that sits in the dark closet in your office? Everything seems fine with your business and then one day when you least expect it, your phone services go down and your customers can’t reach you. Circumstances like this occur every day and your risk for this type of event is probably much higher than you know. Common causes for these problems include:
• Carrier Network Outage – your telephone lines went down
• Equipment Failure – a critical component in your phone system has failed
• Inclement Weather – Thunderstorms, Snow, Ice, Hurricanes, etc.
• Power Outage – your power to your building was knocked out taking with it your phone service
Lost calls and service interruptions result in missed revenue opportunities, damaged customer relationships, and unforeseen expenses. With cloud based business phone systems, there is a better way to protect your business from these events. Cloud solutions offer inherent advantages over legacy premise based PBX systems in multiple ways:
• Cloud services are delivered from geographically diverse and redundant carrier data centers – as opposed to that dark closet in your office.
• Mobility applications that include full calling functionality on any registered mobile device, tablet, or laptop.
• In the event of a carrier or power outage where the cloud solution cannot connect to any registered device at all, whether on-prem or mobile worker, the business continuity services can still automatically direct calls to an alternate office, personal cell phone, or even a home phone number.
The traditional PBX that is tethered to land lines is simply not capable of offering this kind of redundancy and business continuity.
About Altus
Altus is the premier choice for cloud-based business communications, providing companies with flexible and secure technologies that help employees and customers stay connected more easily. Whether looking for basic voice service, comprehensive unified communications, or contact center, business executives trust Altus to deliver the latest features and functionality without costly capital spending programs. Start communicating better with Altus. For more information, visit www.altusuc.com or call toll free 866.922.4001.