What is UCaaS and why should UCarE?

Unified communications as a service (UCaaS) is a cloud delivery model that offers a variety of communication and collaboration applications and services. UCaaS features include enterprise messaging, presence technology, online meetings, team collaboration, telephony and video conferencing. 

Let’s break it down even further. 

• Unified Communications (UC) integrates many communications such as phone, chat, and video conferencing. It enhances productivity and provides ways to interact across different communication channels. 
• “As a Service” (aaS) is a delivery model for cloud service and software. Unlike Software as a Service (SaaS), UCaaS is exclusive to communication tools and APIs. 

An obvious reason why companies adopt UCaaS is to let their employees work anywhere. But there’s more to it than that. The problem UCaaS solves is the uncertainty from many separate, disparate communication apps. UCaaS brings VoIP, video conferencing, instant messaging, and collaboration tools together as one. 

If you still have an on premise PBX you are living in the dark ages!  It’s time to look a UCaaS to replace what you have.  

Here are the primary components of UCaaS: 

• Voice: Phone service that includes call forwarding, call recording, and advanced call routing. 
• Video: One-to-one and multi-participant video conferencing for meetings with a personal touch. Guests can join via web conferencing. 
• Messaging: Internal team instant messaging that allows for individual and group-based real-time chat. 
• Collaboration: – Tools that enhance workplace collaboration with scheduling, messaging, and project management. 
• Cloud-based: – Hosted over the internet in a dedicated private cloud or secure data center. 

The foundation of UCaaS is VoIP. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) powers the core functionality of UCaaS voice. VoIP converts sound and transmits it into data packets to a cloud phone service provider. Phone numbers and voicemail notifications operate using the universal Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). Now that we have driven you a little crazy with acronyms lets get to the bottom line.  

With UCaaS, you no longer need to pay extra for: 

• Audio conferencing services 
• Online meeting apps 
• SMS text message 
• Helpdesk ticketing 
• Internal file sharing 
• Team messaging software 
• On-premises telephones 
• Third-party softphone apps 

With UCaaS your company will get the following benefits: 

• Lower costs – we recently worked with a company where there were direct savings of over $100,000 over a four year period. 
• Ability of your workers to work from home.  In todays office moving to remote UCaaS gives you the ability to easily move your workers remote. 
• Reduce the number of “software/hardware tools” as this increases the efficiency of all users 
• Superior reliability and security.  UCaaS is a must solution in todays world of cyber security issues. 
• Enhanced collaboration and functionality.  Video is becoming a must have for businesses today and a totally integrated solution makes adding video seamless.  

If you want to find out more about UCaaS, simply reach out to any of our team and ask about Millennia’s TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) analysis that can guide you to the new world of UCaaS!