Article

Categories Email & eCRM, Technology

Cloud Computing Can Include Unified Comms

While businesses are busy moving their IT to the cloud, few have realised the benefits of moving their telecoms and communications there too.

It should come as no surprise that so many businesses across the world are starting to embrace cloud computing. Why wouldn’t they, when the benefits of off-premise hosting are not only numerous but compelling: reduced IT costs, flexibility, scalability, economies of scale, business continuity and disaster recovery are to name but a few.

 

Given the advantages it provides, why are these same technology adopters not reaping the rewards that cloud hosting can offer their Unified Comms (UC) opertations?

 

While businesses are busy moving their IT to the cloud, few have realised the benefits of moving their telecoms and communications there too. This just goes to show that far too many people still think of technology as IT rather than ICT. It may be called cloud computing but it isn’t only IT applications such as email and CRM that can be virtualized; these days it is perfectly possible to have a virtual instance of your IP telephony call control hosted on an off-premise cloud next to your production IT estate.

 

UK businesses need to bear this in mind because, at the moment, many of them are missing a trick by failing to recognise the business benefits of moving telephony to the cloud. This has been highlighted by a recent survey of UK businesses conducted for Six Degrees Group (6DG) which found more than half of those using cloud for IT hosting had not considered using it for their telephony and UC.

 

The survey revealed that even when businesses were using cloud for their telephony, they were mark-edly cautious about doing so, with only a small proportion willing to host more than three-quarters of their telephone systems in the cloud.

 

Of the 52% of businesses that were not using cloud for their telephony, 44% said control was the main reason for keeping systems on-premise, and just over a quarter had concerns over quality and redundan-cy compared to traditional telephony systems. In what could be seen as a scathing indictment of the fail-ure of the cloud computing sector to inform customers of the technology’s potential, a remarkable fifth of businesses were not even aware that telephony could be hosted in the cloud. 

 

Given the benefits that IP telephony can provide, ignorance in this case is most definitely not bliss. Cloud-based telephony can deliver speed, flexibility and scalability to a company’s communications and provides a more tailored solution. Just as with IT in the cloud, a hosted telephony service removes the need for large, upfront capital investments and upgrades. 

 

Despite concerns over control, quality and redundancy, telephony in the cloud is just as resilient and se-cure as on-premise systems. The service also provides the flexibility for businesses to access voice, video and collaboration tools on virtually any device while enjoying the OPEX benefits that are only achievable with cloud. Cloud-based telephony services can deliver a new path to greater business agility for compa-nies while providing them with the flexibility of a pay-as-you-grow environment.

 

The time has come for companies benefiting from cloud for IT to recognise they have the opportunity to do the same with telecoms and UC. At the moment, many businesses are not taking full advantage of the benefits of cloud computing, and even those using hosted IP telephony aren’t using it to its full potential. In some cases, it doesn’t help that services providers have failed to explain that it makes sense to stream-line operations and put telephony in the cloud too.

 

Businesses anxious about moving telephony to the cloud should look for a converged services provider that can address their quality and control requirement, by using a fully-featured single-instance virtu-alised IP-PBX that’s fully resilient. It’s perfectly possible for businesses to get the best of on-premise in-frastructure with the business benefits of the cloud. All they have to do is call. 

 

Read more insights from Six Degrees Group

Read More on Digital Doughnut

Please login or register to add a comment.

Contribute Now!

Loving our articles? Do you have an insightful post that you want to shout about? Well, you've come to the right place! We are always looking for fresh Doughnuts to be a part of our community.

Popular Articles

See all
The Impact of New Technology on Marketing

The Impact of New Technology on Marketing

Technology has impacted every part of our lives. From household chores to business disciplines and etiquette, there's a gadget or app for it. Marketing has changed dramatically over the years, but what is the...

Alex Lysak
Alex Lysak 3 April 2024
Read more
Instagram Growth Strategies: 9 Practical Ways to Maximize Engagement and Growth

Instagram Growth Strategies: 9 Practical Ways to Maximize Engagement and Growth

Effective Instagram growth strategies are essential for maximizing your marketing campaign, increasing engagement, and boosting conversions. Think of your Instagram strategy for business growth as a campfire. It doesn...

Mos Clement
Mos Clement 26 January 2024
Read more
How to Review a Website — A Guide for Beginners

How to Review a Website — A Guide for Beginners

A company website is crucial for any business's digital marketing strategy. To keep up with the changing trends and customer buying behaviors, it's important to review and make necessary changes regularly...

Digital Doughnut Contributor
Digital Doughnut Contributor 25 March 2024
Read more
10 Factors that Influence Customer Buying Behaviour Online

10 Factors that Influence Customer Buying Behaviour Online

Now is an era where customers take the center stags influencing business strategies across industries. No business can afford to overlook factors that could either break the customer experience or even pose a risk of...

Edward Roesch
Edward Roesch 4 June 2018
Read more
7 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing is Important For Your Business

7 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing is Important For Your Business

In the past two decades social media has become a crucial tool for marketers, enabling businesses to connect with potential customers. If your business has yet to embrace social media and you want to know why it is...

Sharron Nelson
Sharron Nelson 29 February 2024
Read more