When people talk about change in telecommunications, the first thing they tend to think about is technology. And why not - we are, after all, living through an era of unprecedented technological revolution, which amongst many other things has completely transformed the way we communicate in the space of a couple of decades.
Looking forward, however, Unify's VP Circuit marketing and CEO of blueKiwi software Philipp Bohn believes much of the fundamental architecture and infrastructure for the immediate future of business communications is now in place. Looking at cloud communications, he argues that it won't be new technologies which drive adoption, but demand from end users.
"We don't think that applications or technology will drive adoption," he said. "It is changing user behaviour and new work models that are creating the need [for] cloud communication and collaboration.
"We are seeing a shift towards a highly mobile workforce, seeking better work-life balance. We are seeing increasingly flexible work environments like co-working spaces and less hierarchical, process-driven organisations, moving towards more agile, ad-hoc models."
Mobility, flexibility and agility are terms repeated over and over in explaining the benefits of cloud communications. Bohn's point is that technology's credentials in meeting these needs is already well established. What will drive further cloud uptake are the human changes we are seeing in the world of work, which will make these attributes more relevant and desirable.
Fresh ideas
Not that German UC giant Unify intends to take its eye off the ball in innovating with new technology. But offering fresh new ideas is just part of a wider effort to meet shifting customer demands.
"Customers are moving to the Cloud for various reasons," said Bohn. "They might want to flexibly add or remove users from their system, based on changing business needs, or they might want to move finances from CAPEX to OPEX models.
"Many also want to benefit from a constant stream of innovation. As a cloud provider, we can add new capabilities on a very regular basis, bi-weekly to monthly."
According to Philipp Bohn, the key is to make cloud solutions as relevant as possible to the needs of end users. Unify is focused on innovating as much in how it packages and delivers its products to market as on technology.
It has developed what it calls the Triple Play Program as a way to offer bespoke solutions through the channel. Using a three-step analysis of customer needs, resellers receive training in matching the right choices from the Unify product suite to what the customer specifies as their priorities.
Supporting change
For Bohn, this approach in designing bespoke solutions for individual customers is critical for helping businesses complete the process of digital transformation and fully embrace the potential of cloud communications. All aspects of business operations are changing, so companies need help choosing the best solutions, as well as help overcoming the barriers of user adoption as people are asked to change habits.
