Lots of different phrases get bandied around the UC industry which all boil down to more or less the same thing - adopting the latest technology.
Digital transformation is one. Cloud migration is another. Do they mean the same thing? Strictly speaking, no - digital transformation refers to the adoption of any kind of digital technology, whereas cloud migration refers specifically to moving software or infrastructure platforms onto the Cloud.
However, in practice, the two are becoming increasingly synonymous. When businesses talk about digital transformation, what they are often actually doing is introducing Cloud-based systems and processes into the workplace.
Why so? Digital transformation in telecoms was happening long before the Cloud came along. Switching landline telephone services to VoIP, embracing e-mail to replace snail mail, they are both major examples of digital transformation. So what claim does the Cloud have to being a special case?
Flexibility and Value
Kris Wood, EMEA vice president at Fuze, suggests that the huge proliferation in communications tools over the past decade or so has played a key role in bringing digital transformation and cloud migration in comms closer together.
“Digital transformation has never been trickier,” he said. “Think about the sheer volume of communications tools that businesses need to manage, then factor in the rapidly-changing digital formats and the different types of devices being used today."
“Effective UCaaS promises to deliver seamless, secure, and cost-effective communications across multiple channels (voice, text, video, etc.), on different devices, anywhere the user needs it, which in turn will help with widespread organisational transformation.”
Straightforward deployment, flexibility and value are often cited as the key reasons businesses embrace the Cloud. Because you can access a broad range of advanced communications platforms simply by signing up for an online service, where costs are stable and the whole system is managed for you, the Cloud is on its way to becoming the dominant model in business telecoms.
The latest market research suggests that by 2020, more than half of businesses will be running UCaaS systems, surpassing on-premises communications systems. However, an equally important statistic is the rate of cloud adoption across all forms of business software and IT infrastructure. This has gone from less than 20 per cent of businesses using Cloud-based platforms in 2010, to just under 90 per cent today.
Consolidation
This is important because communications is increasingly being viewed as part of the broader business IT mix. As Sahil Rekhi, EMEA managing director at RingCentral, puts it:
“Business wants consolidation of tools and users want the ability to work anywhere and on any device - a system that delivers on these points while enabling cross functional tools will see success in the long run.”
Sahil touches on three things here which further explain the Cloud’s particular suitability for driving digital transformation - support for multiple devices, mobility and open architecture.
Adapting to shifting work patterns, behaviours and consumer expectations is recognised as a key driver of change in business practices. Because of the experience of mobile technology in their daily lives, workers expect to be able to have more fluid arrangements at work, aided by the same technology. /unified-communications/ucaas allows businesses to meet these expectations. All you need is an internet connection, so staff can access a secure, centralised comms system, with all the tools available, on any device, from any place.
