It is time to switch to UCaaS
09 November 2016
It is Time to Switch

Being able to communicate quickly and clearly has always been a business advantage. Ensuring that all members of the team are on the same page and latest information can be shared quickly has been the driving force behind the adoption of communication devices for businesses.Today, the workforce has evolved. There is a significant number of staff who are no longer tied to their desks. They are working on the road, in the marketplace, or simply working from home. Traditional on-premise telephony equipment are beginning to fail in meeting these new needs. While it is clear that the time has come to switch to these new Unified Communication solution, the real question is in the selection of the right solution.

The "Cloud" Model

Full cloud-based communication models have been introduced as the new communication solution. Some example would include mobile applications like Whatsapp and Skype. These are designed as a fully cloud hosted service and there is no component at the company's location. While these type of solution appear to be extremely flexible and quick to implement, they are very limited in true enterprise applications like support for business telephony features such as call forwarding, attendant services, and other enterprise specific capabilities. Also, these services typically cannot integrate with existing equipment or systems.

The "As-a-Service" Model

This solution is also known as Unified Communications as-a-service (UCaaS) model. The company has a choice to use either a public cloud or a private cloud for such a solution. One way to look at this model is to put the entire communications server into the cloud instead of keeping it in the on-premise data centre or within offices. The UCaaS solution is much more appropriate for enterprises as there is greater support for integration to existing equipment and more latitude for fine-tuning.

Fixed Mobile Convergence (FMC) Model

A model that is fast becoming popular with enterprises is the FMC model. This solution deploys the best of UCaaS in the cloud and server equipment in the on-premise location. This allows the company to create a Unified Communications strategy that is both powerful and flexible. The hybrid model allows the enterprise to take full advantage of the power of the cloud in terms of being able to host UC components and to scale them. Also, it is easier to integrate with in-house equipment for smoother connection to legacy systems and phones. But the most important benefit is to allow the enterprise to truly customise the features and capabilities. This is particularly important for specialty verticals that has requirements for call centres and configuring for HQ and sub-branch offices / outlets setup.

Unified Communications for your business

Without a doubt, Unified Communication is the way to go. But it is important to choose the right model to move forward. With this in mind, the partner you select must be able to support your needs, whether you choose to go fully cloud, on-premise, or FMC solution.

StarHub's SmartUC solution offers a high performance, enterprise-grade communications system that is flexible and powerful- no matter if you choose to go fully on-premise, cloud solution to meet your business needs.

 

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