As cloud solutions have become more familiar in discussions about software solutions, both IT and line-of-business managers are becoming more informed about what the cloud is and what it is not. For instance, so many organizations have found the perfect balance in a hybrid or multi-cloud solution that a total either-or migration to the cloud or on-premise solution is no longer the center of the discussion. When it comes to Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS), those steps in between total cloud migration and on-premise legacy system are becoming common.
A large enterprise that is considering UCaaS doesn’t need to worry about the lost investment in hardware from a legacy private branch exchange (PBX), for instance. UCaaS can be integrated gradually, with a plan to use existing hardware to save on costs.
Reasons for keeping an on-site solution: There are a variety of reasons that a company may prefer to stick with a solution that’s housed on their premises, and it often has nothing to do with leadership that won’t embrace change or that resists new technology. In many cases, it makes sense to choose an on-site solution because expected adoption rates are better or because it seems like a safer or more secure option.
Often, the choice simply isn’t as black-and-white as choosing between cloud and on-premise. There are many steps along the way, and many companies don’t see the benefit of tossing their PBX systems and beginning from scratch with UCaaS if their current approach is working. They may see certain tools available through UCaaS that they’d like to implement while still utilizing PBX systems, so they choose a smaller step toward UCaaS:
- Multi-Tenanted Public UCaaS
- Hybrid Cloud (some on-premise, some cloud)
- Dedicated Instance UCaaS
- Virtualized options in VMware or Hyper-V
These options offer varying degrees of cloud involvement and give enterprises a high level of control over how quickly they move communications into the cloud. A startup may embrace a move to the cloud, and smaller companies in general may be interested in UCaaS features that allow them to handle phone calls like a big corporation with digital receptionists and call forwarding. For many bigger companies, the shift to a full cloud migration is not so simple.
There’s no need to embrace the big-bang approach if a larger organization is reluctant to make a full switch to UCaaS. Hybrid cloud systems and the easy integration between applications allow enterprises to create a customized path to cloud adoption for communications.
To begin on the path of a cloud migration to UCaaS designed specifically for your enterprise, contact us at Cloud Source. We can help you determine the benefits that a UCaaS system can deliver to your organization, while also keeping in mind the various stepping stones that deliver benefits while still meeting your needs for some on-site functionality.