What Are Unified Communications?

WHAT ARE UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS?

Unified communications (UC) refers to a communications system that integrates all business communication together, often seamlessly and always with improved functionality over older, outdated technologies.

Typically, a UC solution utilizes Voice-Over-IP (VOIP) to provide a cloud-based phone and messaging system, one that instantly increases productivity on a company-wide level.

Telephones, video chat, email, virtual meetings, and instant messaging all fall under the banner of unified communications.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll be referring to unified communications as a service, or UCaaS for short, which is the pinnacle of all unified communications options in today’s world. 

BENEFITS OF UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS

The goal of any unified communications solution is to simplify and streamline the communication structure of a company, improving overall efficiency between the various channels by keeping everything together at one hub, versus providing multiple, different services individually.

It should be noted that unified communications refer not to a single technology, but rather multiple technologies fused together, typically within a single user interface that makes communication significantly easier for every user.

Cross-functionality between each method (i.e. email to voice chat, instant messaging to a phone call, etc.) offers the ultimate in convenience as well, since all applications essentially “speak the same language” to each other. And, for all the benefits UC confers to the end-user, a unified communications system also costs less than purchasing each service by itself.

Indeed, when it comes to cost, unified communications solutions provide customers with the ultimate in flexibility. Access to “seats” are typically purchased on a monthly basis, and they can also scale up or down as needed for each individual business.

One of the biggest and most important advantages of UC is increased, expedited collaboration between teams. With the modern workplace becoming more and more digital, instant messaging and quick conference calls continue to take the place of long, over-extended meetings.

Finally, employees can work from anywhere when taking advantage of UC, as the office phone system is virtual, more important in 2020 than ever before. With mobile apps included in most UCaaS solutions, employees can work in the office or from home, with all functionality in place, which helps to keep everyone seamlessly connected to all work ecosystems.

Add in real-time file sharing, and a workforce can operate off-site with the same efficiency as being right there in person — in some ways with even greater efficiency.

HOW DOES UCAAS WORK?

UCaaS really shines thanks to the versatility of the cloud, enabling cloud deployment of all services, which brings up an added benefit of unified communications as a service — in-house servers and infrastructure (and the in-house IT support those two require) are no longer needed to handle a company’s communications.

That’s the magic of those three words within UCaaS, “as a service,” which means less infrastructure hassle on your end, plus the added flexibility to run your business from anywhere in the world, 24/7, on any device. UCaaS also replaces a large and more volatile capital expenditure with a smaller, more predictable operational/licensing expense, which provides greater stability to the bottom line.

But how does it all actually work?

Well, because UCaaS refers to several moving pieces (depending on your unified communications and collaboration solutions, they can include phones, voicemail, chat, messaging, email, and conferencing), answering that “how does it work” question can get a little complicated. Thankfully, we’re here to keep it simple.

Where old school versions of unified communications typically required substantial investments in both hardware and training, plus they were built on bulky, expensive, high maintenance physical systems that took up way too much space, the new world of UC exists in the cloud, where all of these previous shortcomings are eliminated.

Instead, it’s now essentially a software solution more than a hardware solution. If you’re familiar with VOIP (Voice Over IP), then you already have an idea. UCaaS is basically supercharged VOIP. It takes all business communications, not just phones, and puts them over IP (Internet Protocol). You’re leveraging the power of the internet for the transit and delivery of most business communications (mobile phone calls withstanding).

So the simplest way to answer the” How does UCaaS work” question is that it’s cloud-based, always-on software that empowers your workforce like nothing else before it.

DOWNSIDES OF UCAAS

Incredible as UCaaS most certainly sounds, like many technical solutions, there are of course drawbacks as well. Yes, the positives greatly outweigh the negatives, but it’s of crucial importance that you recognize this handful of negatives before implementing any unified communications solution.

The main drawback of UCaaS is that, even though it’s delivered via the cloud, all that data still rushes through your local area network. When you upgrade from an old physical phone system, all network-connected desktops, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and anything else all start handling voice and communications traffic they previously didn’t need to accommodate.

If your network isn’t up to snuff, you can most certainly see slowdowns. This may not sound like a big deal, but when network log jams manifest themselves as interruptions to your conversations, calls suddenly drop, or other not-so-fun or productive communication glitches arise, frustration levels can spike, both within your company and for your customers.

This reveals two crucial steps that must be taken as you start down the path to a UCaaS solution. First, you need to select a company with great people who care about your organization’s well-being. Sounds simple and logical enough, right?

But as great a communications solution as UCaaS is, a fair amount of fly-by-night companies now exist, only looking to make a quick buck, while giving little to no thought to what they actually need to do for you.

Typically, they’re companies who lack any actual technical competence within their own ranks and simply throw together a quick solution for you that makes them the most money. Not what you’re looking for, not in the slightest.

Instead, look for a company with decades of technical experience within its core workforce, and, of equal importance if not more, find a company with great people running the show. If they’re too sales-y and pushy, instead of laser-focused on your company’s communications needs and how to fulfill them, find someone else. It’s simply not worth the risk.

Selecting the right fit for your organization is paramount when making such a huge upgrade to your company-wide communications. Choose wisely upfront, and you’ll reap the benefits for years to come.

Choosing the right company is also important for the other crucial step in UCaaS deployment – solidifying your network. Your own IT team will need to work with these folks to make sure your network infrastructure can handle the new world of communication splendor you’re about to unleash.

This may temporarily eat up a fair amount of their time during initial implementation, so you’ll just want to be prepared. Again, if this is done correctly at the outset, you’ll continually reap the benefits years into any successful UCaaS contract.

That leaves one final box to check for any unified communications solution. All your new network traffic really won’t be the biggest concern. The fact that this new traffic is also sensitive, however, most certainly will be.

UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS COMPANIES AND SECURITY

For all the UCaaS companies in the marketplace today, very, very few put any real focus on cybersecurity. Considering the current state of the cyber world, the short-sightedness of this communications first, security second approach puts your company at unnecessary risk.

As CSO Online reported in early 2020 (https://www.csoonline.com/article/3153707/top-cybersecurity-facts-figures-and-statistics.html), data breaches cost enterprises a staggering average of $3.92 million. From a small and medium business (SMB) standpoint, they noted a 2019 Kennet Research survey that revealed 66% percent of SMBs believed a cyber attack is unlikely, despite the fact that 67 percent of SMBs were actually hit by a cyberattack themselves in 2019!

With UCaaS, you’re greatly increasing both your network traffic and your cloud connections. Yes, the best providers (the only ones we work with here at Tcom) put top-notch measures in place to secure UCaaS traffic via encryption and mitigate risk, but if you’re not taking care of security inside your own organization, the vulnerability still exists.

That’s why finding an organization like Tcom Solutions is crucial when looking for a unified communications upgrade. Everything we implement begins and ends with cybersecurity. That’s what we do.

When it’s time to upgrade your company’s communications to a full UCaaS solution, don’t settle for anything less.