Beyond the Basics: Six Benefits of Cloud UC

Unified communications systems in the cloud, or UCaaS, have taken the communications industry by storm with many game-changing benefits. UCaaS offers companies the luxury of zero or light-touch management, enterprise-level features at a low monthly rate, and simple, low-cost startup that most people know about.

However, there are several benefits that are a bit behind the scenes that mean a great deal. Here are several of those hidden gems, identified by Digium.

Click through for six lesser-known benefits of UCaaS, as identified by Digium.

Always up-to-date system

With premises-based phone systems, yearly maintenance is usually required to have the latest and greatest features. With UCaaS, those feature upgrades are included and the upgrade process is completely handled for customers. Customers never have to worry about having an out-of-date system, or pay a large expense to get there.

Ease of multisite deployment

Multisite deployments are always a challenge for premises-based systems and can add a great deal of cost per user. Oftentimes, several pieces of hardware and many software licenses need to be added just to add a 1-5 user remote site. With UCaaS, those remote sites are handled exactly the same way as the main location, reducing costs and deployment headaches.

Disaster recovery

What happens to a company’s communications if it has a premises-based system and the power goes out due to harsh weather conditions? They have none. Many companies have dealt with these conditions this year and weather has cost the U.S. economy more than $50 billion in productivity. UCaaS provides companies the ability to stay in touch with employees and customers regardless of weather conditions or any other disaster scenario.

UCaaS providers have data centers around the country that can keep services running when a local area is out of commission. For the individual, the data centers can route calls to mobile devices if there is crippling damage in the disaster area. On top of all this, employees can take advantage of mobile applications and remote connectivity if they need to work from home during a storm or other disaster.

Telecommuting

Working remotely has many benefits for both employees and employers. UCaaS provides many tools that make this transition easy and allows everyone to be as productive from home, a hotel room or a Starbucks as they would in the office. UCaaS gives remote workers mobile applications, seamless connectivity to in-office employees, and the full suite of UC features that employees in the office enjoy. Because the service is provided from the provider’s data center, these features are given without the need for expensive and complex hardware and software licensing.

Reduction of CapEx and the flexibility of OpEx

There are many reasons why OpEx costs are more attractive than CapEx. When you purchase something with CapEx dollars, you own it, even if you hate it. You are stuck with it. If you start a new system with OpEx dollars and you are dissatisfied with a particular service, you deal with any contractual obligations and then move on to something else. With a CapEx purchase, companies are responsible for not only the initial outlay, but the ongoing maintenance costs, power consumption, holding costs, etc. of that equipment. When it gets outdated, you have to buy a new one. With UCaaS, that entire burden is handled by someone else.

Flexibility for changes in company size

The ease of deployment and rapid adds/moves/changes/and reductions make it simple to morph your system to your current requirements, saving a significant amount of money and time. Some UCaaS vendors can easily migrate from hosted to a premises-based system if it makes sense, or provide a hybrid solution with premises in a large corporate office and cloud for the remote offices.