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How the Cloud is Changing Business Communication

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With advancements in technology new business solutions like the cloud allow for greater work efficiency, security and cost savings. Businesses that fail to take advantage of cloud communication services risk falling behind while smarter companies are surging ahead.

There are several important ways the cloud is changing the way businesses communicate…

Makes remote work possible – Many businesses today operate from different locations, so the ability to collaborate through audio and video conferencing and real-time chat and call apps is becoming essential for continued success. This is especially true for companies that are decentralizing work by hiring more full-time remote employees. The cloud also gives these companies greater flexibility to hire talent from anywhere, including international locations.

Allows work on multiple devices – Cloud applications can work on any type of device, making information stored in the cloud accessible from mobile devices as well as desktop computers. Depending on the speed of the connection, even mobile users can run data-heavy applications and exchange large files easily. Office phone features, email and other services can sync between devices so employees can do business virtually anywhere with their preferred device.

Gives small businesses a competitive edge – Cloud services level the playing field, allowing smaller businesses to compete with bigger companies. Small businesses can start small, and gradually increase their usage over time, depending on their growth trajectory. Cloud communication services are also self-managed so businesses don’t typically need full-time IT staff to set up and maintain things. This allows them to deliver results faster, cheaper and with higher quality, enabling them to compete and win against larger firms.

Eliminates need for traditional phone system – With IP phones, the cloud provider hosts, maintains and upgrades all of the phone system technology, eliminating the need for a premises PBX. Setting up and configuring the system is self-managed through a web browser.  In this way, new lines and features can be easily added with virtually immediate availability.

Technology is flexible and cost-effective – Companies get their own piece of the cloud within a shared infrastructure. This solution is for organizations that value flexibility, managed security and affordability. Instead of an upfront capital investment, they simply pay a monthly fee on a per-user basis.

Others opt for a private cloud managed in-house by their own IT team. This gives them exclusive access and more control over their cloud infrastructure.

A hybrid solution uses both private and public infrastructure. The company’s IT team takes care of a part of the in-house cloud, while the rest is off-site. That way, a business can manage sensitive data like customer files in-house, but store less-sensitive information with a third party.

The demand for cloud communication services is growing. It’s just a matter of figuring out what kind of solution is best for your business. PhoneAmerica is ready to help you review the implementation choices. Contact us today: (610) 296-2850 or creimel@phoneam.com.

It’s Your Call… Cloud, Premises or Hybrid

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Phone systems have traditionally been deployed at a company location, but today the popularity of the cloud makes it a compelling choice.  Many multi-site businesses have chosen a combination of both – a hybrid deployment consisting of a premises system at headquarters and the cloud for branch offices and home workers. Voice over IP (VoIP) enables all sites to be interconnected, providing a simplified dialing plan and consistent feature set across all locations under central management.

Premises

There are sound reasons why premises phone systems are still favored by many businesses…

  • Control – Companies that have a long history of buying and managing their own IT systems may like the control that comes with running technology in-house. For them, a premises voice solution might make the most sense.
  • Functionality – If a business needs customized voice features, requires integration with other applications, or wants advanced contact center capabilities, a premises solution might deliver more flexibility.
  • Compliance requirements – If an organization is under pressure to achieve uninterrupted communications to satisfy customers, or is under a strict regulatory requirement to do so, a premises system may be the best fit.
  • Expense strategy – If a company prefers to make capital investments for infrastructure and depreciate the costs over time, a premises voice solution can be the most advantageous over the long haul.

Cloud

The cloud can be a good fit for small to mid-sized businesses or an enterprise that needs to connect smaller, remote offices…

  • Predictable costs – Cloud voice solutions eliminate the need for an upfront investment in hardware. Costs become an operational expense and are predictable because they are based on the number of users.
  • Rapid deployment – IT staff is not needed to buy, install and configure systems, servers and storage. A company orders only what it needs now without having to overbuy to accommodate uncertain future demand.
  • Simplicity – With voice-as-a-service, maintenance and support are simplified, and upgrades are automatic. When users pick up the phone, they have the latest version of system hardware and software.
  • Pay as you go – Whether a business is growing or needs to scale down quickly, a cloud service can easily adapt to changing needs. Peak demand can be instantly accommodated for functions like conferencing or for temporary seasonal growth, then scaled back as needs change.

Hybrid

Today businesses have the flexibility of deploying a voice communications system either on location or hosted in the cloud – or combining both as a hybrid solution to exploit the best of both worlds. Whatever the choice, VoIP networking makes it all possible and manageable.

PhoneAmerica can help you determine the solution that’s right for your business. Contact your Account Executive or the Sales Dept. at sales@phoneam.com or call 610-296-2850, Option 2.

Expectations From Hosted PBX And SIP Trunking

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As trends and things stand now, it seems that the global market for hosted PBX technology and SIP trunking is likely to continue growing.

Rapid implementation of SIP trunking and hosted PBX solutions in the business organizations support unified communication services. This has actually given this expectation a massive shot in the arm.

Studies conducted by various research bureaus have clearly shown a substantial increase in revenue from residential as well as commercial sectors since the first half of 2013. Since then, this sector has seen a substantial growth. Both hosted PBX and SIP trunking has been noted as the fastest growing and most promising segments amongst VoIP based services. This, as per experts, is mainly due to the fact that business houses, corporate and large enterprises prefer to opt for hosted solutions.

All the experts who are dealing with this subject have a unified opinion in this regard. Hosted PBX and SIP Trunking are on the very right track and they expect that residential VoIP is likely to constitute the majority of revenue. However, till now the growth has mainly been fuelled by business services such as cloud based unified communication and SIP trunking. These two are expected to expand further and find broader adoption with business enterprises of every size and scale.

With all enterprises thriving hard for a holistic growth, the expectation for global business oriented VoIP service revenue is set to grow at around 7% CAGR over the next few years.

All this is the scenario from the perspective of the large scale enterprises and the domestic sector. The perspective of small scale enterprises is no push over as well. With people’s concern over security issues on a steady rise, even small scale companies are putting more emphasis on Hosted PBX and SIP Trunking technology services. This trend is expected to go up in the coming days.

The concern of people over security is on a steady rise. Pushed by the failure of security in a number of high profile corporate organizations, small scale companies are investing upon Hosted PBX and SIP Trunking technology for ensuring their own safety and security. In fact, going by the trends, safety and security is, and likely to be, the most pivotal contributing reason why Hosted PBX and SIP Trunking technology is being considered the best option.

However, quite expectedly and not surprisingly, though, quality or clarity of the service provided along with the most favorable pricing structure continues to round out the top three expectations. As expected, though, pricing is in fact on a downslide in terms of importance, and this trend indicates a more familiar expectation that any VoIP based communication system is going to be affordable than a conventional, physical telephone system.