Why Businesses Need to Think Differently About Cloud Communications

Cloud communications services have a broad meaning, and for now, the main idea is that services are hosted in a data center and run over an Internet infrastructure. Until recently, cloud communications services have been data-centric, but with the evolution of VoIP, voice has started to become a part of cloud communications. While cloud communications is not well understood by most businesses, this trend is good news for all forms of communications, particularly voice. 

The following analysis explains this further, along with what cloud communications represent for SMBs.

The key driver of cloud communications in this context is Google and its recent impact on Web-based communications. Having saturated online search, Google has shifted into this cloud communication space for growth, with the most important examples being Google Apps, Google Voice, and Google Wave. Google really is the most successful cloud communications operator and they have proven the viability of large-scale, Web-based applications. With these particular examples, they have shown how well Web-based communications applications can be provided from the cloud.

Cloud communications have had two important implications for the broader landscape. First, they have demonstrated that a cloud-based platform can be just as effective as a software-based platform, but at a much lower cost. As a result, Microsoft is now moving to offer its cloud communications services on a cloud-based platform, something they would have never previously considered. When these two companies follow the same path, you know that cloud communication has arrived, and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for SMBs.

Second, if voice services can be delivered via the cloud communication system, the concept of hosted telephony becomes more powerful. Instead of relying on a facilities-based service provider for hosted VoIP, SMBs can equally well turn to a cloud-based offering. This means they can look beyond local or regional carriers and take a best-of-breed approach to find the right cloud communications service that meets their needs.

To varying degrees, businesses have been able to do this for IT services, but not telecom. What makes cloud communications so attractive here is the idea that the cloud can now become a platform for all modes - voice, data, and video. Most hosted services have been built around voice and are usually referred to as hosted VoIP. Cloud communications is a richer concept and are feasible because this environment serves as a platform upon which all these modes can seamlessly work as well as integrate.

A real strength of cloud communications is its flexibility. If SMBs only want telephony, they can do that. They can just as easily add the other modes, and as they do, the value of the platform becomes greater. Voice does not exist here in isolation. With all modes being hosted in a common infrastructure, the applications become more useful for businesses, especially when integrated with their business applications. That is, if a business is running on Microsoft, it could be hosted in the cloud along with all the communications applications, making it very easy to integrate the latter with calendaring, address books, etc.

Not every business needs cloud communications or even thinks that way. However, the point is to show that cloud communications are emerging now as a bona fide alternative for business telephony services. Google - and to a lesser extent Microsoft - have brought both mainstream awareness and credibility to cloud communications.

For SMBs, this means more powerful choices, not just for VoIP, but all the other modes and applications that are now falling under the Unified cloud Communications umbrella. Equally important, cloud communications is all about flexibility. Businesses can add these other layers whenever they want, as well as scale usage to exactly match their needs. This is the on-demand aspect of cloud communication services, meaning that businesses never spend more than they need, whether adding/dropping staff or branch office locations. 

One of the main reasons businesses need cloud communications is telephony. Having access to VoIP, you can make inbound as well as outbound calls over the internet through cloud communication. 

The transcriptions of all the calls are sent to email addresses. Moreover, you can instantly communicate with your team members via the chat link. You can also update your status to show if you are available or away. This feature is time-saving as well as cost-effective. Cloud communications also allow screen sharing which is an important tool for businesses and team members to stay connected from anywhere in the world. Especially post-pandemic when the physical world shut down, the video calling feature of cloud communications saved many businesses! It allowed employees to stay connected with their business organizations. 

Probably one of the most useful features of cloud communications is file sharing and backup. Cloud communication instantly saves and backups your files and helps increase collaboration with your other team members. Worrying about the costs of physical servers has become a thing of the past, with cloud communications you will only have to pay for one bill. Moreover, cloud communications are far more secure than physical on-premises servers. Firstly, the cloud is not physically accessible to the employees, hence chances for human error are very low. Furthermore, the cloud communication system keeps itself updated and free of any virus or malware. It has strict security protocols and undergoes audits to keep itself free of violations. This is all a part of a cloud communications system

We have not touched in detail on the more obvious benefits such as rich features of cloud communications or lower costs, and that's by design. These should be self-evident to SMBs, and perhaps we could address those in a future brief. The message we’re trying to convey here is more strategic and to get businesses thinking differently about cloud communications. If you have a business, cloud communications are your one-stop solution to all your problems.