UCaaS Panel Discussion

On Thursday, August 15 at 1 p.m. CDT, Phil Edholm, Joe Hines, CEO of Voice & Data Networks (VDN), and I will participate in a live panel discussion on Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS). We’ll cover some of the emerging UC trends and strategies that can help you find the best approach for your business. VDN will be hosting this live event where attendees can ask questions, so start getting your questions ready now! The event is free, and open to everyone, but you need to register.

Here’s a sneak peak at some of the topics we’ll cover:

• Why UCaaS, and who needs UCaaS?
  
  
• What are some of the benefits of UCaaS, and do they differ from the benefits of premise-based UC offerings?
  
  
• Overcoming roadblocks - What are the challenges related to defining user communication requirements, employee adoption, etc.
  
  
• What kind of ROI can you expect?
  
  
• What will UCaaS include in the next few years, and how will it be different from today?

According to VDN, UCaaS offers several benefits, including:

• Peace of mind - you don't have to concern yourself with the changes in your IT environment.
  
  
• A continuously up-to-date UC infrastructure from day one until the end of your contract - making growth easy by offering a flexible environment.
  
  
• Integration of communications systems that will increase mobility, collaboration and productivity to promote employee engagement and customer satisfaction.
  
  
• The ability for knowledge workers to access all business tools regardless of location or device.
  
  
• Predictable IT costs that can easily be built into your budget.
  
  
• An advantage to a small or medium-sized organization by leveraging a fully integrated UC infrastructure that will allow them to compete with large, Fortune 500 enterprises - without breaking the bank.
  
  
• Off-site backup for Disaster Recovery - protection of data to reduce company downtime in emergency situations, like a flood or a fire.

However, there are some limitations that have to also be taken into account. My colleague Marty Parker, points out that, based on the TCO work he’s done with Brent Kelly for the Enterprise Connect RFP sessions, UCaaS has the following attributes, compared to premise or internal cloud solutions:

• Higher cost for enterprise-wide deployment of cloud offers, even after accounting for offsets of labor, space, etc.
  
  
• Less flexible integrations with business application and existing communication systems.
  
  
• Security and Privacy are usually less acceptable, varying by the offer.

Clearly there are pros and cons, and companies must carefully evaluate what type of solution makes the most sense for them. The web event/panel discussion is aimed at providing you with the information you need to make the right decision for your business.

We hope to see you there. Remember to register at https://www.voicedata.com/UCaaS-Webcast-Registration.