Learn All About Unified Communications As A Service (UCaaS)

When we talk about the best science fiction movies of all time, most of us would agree that 2001: A Space Odyssey deserves special mention. The Stanley Kubrick movie was released in April 1968 - fifteen months before Apollo 11 put the first men on the Moon. The movie's visuals of the Moon and space flight were unprecedented, leading to the popular conspiracy theory that the Moon landing was faked and actually directed by Kubrick himself! #OneGiantLeapForTechnology

However, 2001 provided us with more than just conspiracy theories - it let us a glimpse into the future of technology! One of the most accurate prophecies from the movie was the videophone. The protagonist, Dr Heywood Floyd, communicates with his daughter on Earth via a videophone from a military base on the Moon. Today, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) can easily communicate with Earth via audio or video calls.

The film foretold how important, reliable and instantaneous long-distance communication would be moving forward. Not just for astronauts on the ISS but businesses and individuals on the Earth alike. Thankfully, we have developed technology that surpasses Mr. Kubrick’s imagination - presenting Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS)!
 

Hey, HAL 9000, What Exactly Is UCaaS?

Before we understand UcaaS, let's talk about the underlying concept - SaaS or Software as a Service. It is a delivery model wherein software or applications are licensed on a subscription basis (monthly, yearly or pay-as-you-go). Yeah, pretty much like Netflix or Hulu! All services are hosted centrally by the provider, so businesses do not have to spend time installing and configuring assets on their end. This, in turn, results in better scalability, lower storage requirement, reduced maintenance costs and better service delivery. Think of your Netflix subscription – you don’t need to do anything except sit down with a big bowl of popcorn and turn on the TV!

UCaaS offers the same advantages and boasts some major players such as Cisco, Microsoft, Fuze and RingCentral. UCaaS uses a SaaS model to offer a subscription-based service to global enterprises that includes unified communications services – VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), messaging, video conferencing, team collaboration tools, etc. According to the technology research and consulting firm Gartner, UCaaS covers six functions -
 

• Voice and telephony (cloud calling)

• Meeting solutions (audio conferencing, video conferencing and web conferencing)

• Messaging (Email, voicemail and unified messaging)

• Instant messaging and team presence

• Desktop clients (on-premises) and thin browser clients (desktop virtualized software)

• Communications–enabled applications (integrated contact centers and workstream collaboration)

 

So, Why Do Businesses Need UCaaS?

Imagine, fifty years from now, your business will have offices on the Moon – yeah, 2001: A Space Odyssey didn’t just predict video calls! How will you connect with your colleagues on the Moon? Surely, some of the major players we mentioned above would build telecommunications infrastructure on the Moon. Businesses could then subscribe to the most suitable communication channels - no, sir, videoconferencing to the Moon is unavailable right now due to solar flares. Would you be interested in an audio call instead?
 
Even if all your offices are currently located on Earth, having a top-notch UCaaS solution is a critical aspect of communication and collaboration. This solution allows businesses to leverage a variety of options under unified communication. Generally, they include three main elements:
 

• Communication and Collaboration Applications hosted by the UCaaS providers on their private data centers or third-party data centers allow streamlined communication between business stakeholders. These applications could also be hosted on public cloud platforms, such as AWS, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure.

• Software Clients that are downloaded onto the end-user's devices or accessed via web browsers. Think of web-based communication software such as Cisco WebEx.

• Endpoint Devices such as smartphones and digital whiteboards that allow users access to business networks via private WAN.

You can bet that each business has different variations of these three elements. Hence, we have different types of UCaaS deployments – read on!
 

So, Do We Have (HAL) 9000 Types Of UCaaS?

 
No, that would be one too many!

UCaaS is generally divided into three types. Let's quickly explore the differences!
 

• Single-tenancy Model

Each customer is provided with a single, dedicated software instance that connects to the on-premises applications. Although it is more expensive, businesses can customize the solution to fit their needs. It commonly offers higher security as each customer's data is kept separate and hence, downtime for one customer does not affect other customers. Although, the disadvantage of a single-tenancy UCaaS solution is that a single customer needs to bear the installation, upgrade and maintenance costs.
 

• Multi-tenancy Model

Multiple customers use the same software, which restricts the customization options but leads to higher cost savings. In this scenario, the software is hosted by the provider on a private or public data center. In a multi-tenancy model, the users benefit from a higher level of reliability and lower operational costs. Compared to the single-tenancy model, the drawback of multi-tenancy is that it allows minimal customization, which might be a problem for businesses with niche requirements.
 

• Hybrid-tenancy Model

For those looking for a compromise, the middle ground between single and multi-tenancy is a hybrid-tenancy approach. This is a suitable choice for businesses that need to secure their sensitive data in a single-tenancy environment while still leveraging a multi-tenancy model to save on operational expenses.

With deployment options tailored to every business’s need, you can bet that UCaaS has some pretty neat benefits – let’s look at a few of them!
 

Will UCaaS Help You Call Your Friends On The Moon?

 
Unfortunately, the answer is currently no – mainly because you don’t have any friends on the Moon! However, UCaaS helps enterprises oversee and customize all aspects related to earthly communication (and collaboration), resulting in optimal business performance. The most significant advantage of a UCaaS solution is that it facilitates quick and effortless deployments - no matter how geographically dispersed the network is.

Here are some of the other key benefits of UCaaS:
 

• Improved Security

Implementing a UCaaS solution allows businesses to make and receive calls, send emails and host video conferencing from a unified platform. This offers a higher level of security, as all the data is secured on the provider's cloud, reducing the chances of a leak or data loss.
 

• Easy Deployment And Usage

Apart from having access to all of your enterprise communication resources in one place, UCaaS simplifies the installation process and saves time for businesses as providers offer remote deployment services. What's more, providers can also handle most of the maintenance work remotely. Wouldn't it be convenient to have remote service each time your car needed maintenance?
 

• Increased Reliability

UCaaS ensures minimal service interruptions, as the software is hosted by the service provider on a third-party cloud. A single-tenancy model means that the provider can scale, enhance security or provide upgrades as and when the business needs them. In addition, UCaaS solutions reduce the need for an in-house IT team.
 

• Improved Flexibility

UCaaS is known for providing flexibility and scalability to the core business processes by enhancing real-time communication. Hence, most UCaaS vendors also provide contact center capabilities, which include Interactive Voice Response (IVR), automated call routing and Customer Relationship Management capabilities.

Here’s the million-dollar question - will UCaaS progress on par by the time we set up offices on the Moon? The answer is a resounding yes! Jump into the time capsule and take a look at the future of UCaaS.
 

Future of UCaaS

 
Although UCaaS is still evolving, it is still early since businesses will demand more interoperability to align with their Digital Transformation initiatives. Therefore, most UCaaS experts predict that Artificial Intelligence will have a considerable part to play in the coming years. Moreover, developers will launch more reliable AI-based UCaaS integrations, which will further improve the business workflow.

Another major change will be the transformation of UCaaS to CPaaS (or Communications Platform as a Service). It is a cloud-based platform that will allow developers to connect customized real-time communications features to existing systems without building the back-end infrastructure. No coding knowledge is required, HAL! This will give businesses more freedom to tailor their unified communication services to suit their needs.

Some experts even believe that UCaaS will completely replace traditional, on-premises communication services due to their drawbacks. In fact, Irwin Lazar, the Vice President and Service Director of the American research advisory firm Nemertes Research, stated, "There's no advantage to running your own system anymore. For all intents and purposes, UCaaS has won."
 

Conclusion

UCaaS has been one of the most significant trends in enterprise communications, especially since globalization came to the fore. It has enabled enterprises to synchronize their global workforce while simplifying real-time communication and collaboration through a unified service provider. We think that’s as awesome as building an office on the Moon! Okay, maybe having the view of Earth from your work desk would be more awesome!