Kirsten Barta wrote a great article about NEC Univerge Blue and some misconceptions about cloud communications……
3 Common Misconceptions About Cloud Communications
If your business is like most other organizations right now, you’re considering ways to increase resilience, and cloud communications is at the top of the list. With cloud-based tools such as hosted PBX phone systems and unified communications as a service (UCaaS), teams can work from anywhere, scaling is easy, and IT budgets are shrinking.
A Look at the Cloud Right Now
In 2021, the global cloud telephony market is expected to grow by a daunting 17.8 percent. This comes after growing by nearly 9 percent in 2020. Gartner also predicted the proportion of IT spend shifting to the cloud to accelerate as a result of the pandemic – cloud services are expected to make up 14.2 percent of global enterprise IT spending by 2024.
As Sid Nag, research vice president at Gartner, explains, “The ability to use on-demand, scalable cloud models to achieve cost efficiency and business continuity is providing the impetus for organizations to rapidly accelerate their digital transformation plans. The increased use of public cloud services has reinforced cloud adoption to be the ‘new normal,’ now more than ever.”
Despite the clear benefits and fast adoption rates, there are still misconceptions surrounding cloud services. The reality is, this technology is still relatively new, and many businesses are new to the game.
While some organizations have moved most or all of their workflows to the cloud, many have only just begun to adopt cloud communications and other services. If you’re in the latter camp, read on to gain clarity over what the cloud can mean for your business’s future. Here’s a look at common myths and the truth behind using the cloud.
Myth 1 – The Cloud Isn’t as Secure as On-Premises Software
When you manage your on-site servers, you do have total control over security, maintenance, and performance. This doesn’t, however, mean your on-premises systems are more secure.
The cloud can be just as if not more secure than your on-premises environment.
Cloud service providers usually have higher standards for both physical and network security of their cloud data centers. Because their focus is cloud computing, they can invest more into protecting the IT environment. They also have to have high standards to compete with one another and meet compliance standards for their clients.
Biometric employee authorization, security guards, closed-circuit TV are standard. So are enterprise-class firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection systems, and around-the-clock monitoring to identify and mitigate incidents immediately. Most businesses can’t afford this level of security.
Myth 2: The More Cloud Communications Tools, the Better
With cloud communications, your teams can work from wherever and operate as if they were in the office. There are several useful tools you can add to your technology stack to empower your teams:
- Video conferencing software
- File management
- Contact center software
- VoIP phone services
- Chat
- Screen sharing and collaboration
However, adopting half a dozen solutions is going to add complexity into the equation rather than streamlining communications and collaboration. With the cloud, a unified platform offers everything you need in one place. Users can access different tools from one login. Data is shared across tools. And no one has to waste time navigating between platforms or looking up contact information to make a call or join a meeting. With cloud communications, less is more.
Myth 3: Cloud Migration and Adoption Are the Same Things
Cloud migration and cloud adoption are terms that are sometimes used interchangeably, creating confusion over what each one means. This misconception can also be a hurdle to adoption. Companies that are new to cloud computing may hesitate to dive in, assuming they need to make a huge IT shift (cloud migration) to benefit from cloud services (cloud adoption).
The reality is, cloud migration is complex. It involves moving data, applications, and systems from your on-premises infrastructure to a public, private, or hybrid cloud. Most small to medium-sized businesses don’t have the in-house resources to handle this. To craft a strategy and implement a successful migration, they can partner with a managed services provider or another IT company.
If you are only using a couple of cloud-based solutions right now, or if your business is completely new to the cloud, you likely aren’t ready for a full cloud migration. But, what you are ready for is cloud adoption – which is a strategic decision to leverage cloud-based tools to gain business benefits and achieve specific outcomes.
And, getting started is easy.
With NEC Univerge Blue CONNECT your business can be agile, remote, and ready to work from wherever in less than one day. There’s no need to go through an extensive onboarding process. There’s no expensive transition because you don’t have to invest in new hardware or software.
Your teams can use all the features – video conferencing, SMS messaging, file sharing, screen sharing, and hosted PBX calls – as soon as they download the app. They’re also instantly mobile. They can experience the same high level of performance and secure log in on a laptop, mobile phone, or desktop – in the office, at home, or on the go.
Our UCaaS solution also integrates with common business applications, including Office 365, Slack, Salesforce, and SugarCRM.