Cloud-based communication systems, often referred to as UCaaS or CCaaS, offer different innovative, business-enabling benefits compared to traditional on-premise communication systems. These benefits include:
- Scalability
- Cost-effectiveness
- Greater flexibility
- Increased competitiveness
- Ease of use
While these cloud-based systems can be advantageous once implemented, transitioning from an on-premise phone system can come with complications. The success of this type of deployment all depends on a well-planned implementation and strategy. A few steps you can take to help form your strategy and ensure a smooth deployment to cloud-based communications involve the following:
- Build a Team
- Perform a Site Analysis
- Create a Rollout Strategy
- Stay Up to Date
Build a Team
No matter the size of your organization, cloud migration requires a team approach. If feasible, it’s a good idea to dedicate at least one full-time position to your UCaaS or CCaaS project. If you have the ability to form a project team, more opinions and expertise across different fields such as IT, marketing, and operations can be helpful. Even if you have the right internal players on your team, it’s also beneficial to work with a cloud consultant or advisory partner to ensure you achieve the best end result. A partner can ensure you find the right solution for your business needs, and they work on your behalf to achieve the best pricing as well.
Perform a Site Analysis
In order to ensure your cloud migration goes smoothly on the technical side of things, you must analyze the current conditions of your network. Having a good understanding of where the cloud service will be used and the network conditions of each location is crucial. A network readiness assessment will allow you to better understand:
- Constraints on network capacity
- Quality of service
- Firewall configuration
Cloud providers often recommend that an enterprise network support a minimal set of features to ensure a high quality experience with cloud communications such as UCaaS and CCaaS, so it’s important to know what your system can support.
Create a Rollout Strategy
Making sure you have a strategy of how you will roll out your new cloud communications platform is important. Completely switching systems all at once can be overwhelming, so integrating it little by little may be a good idea for your business.
However, cloud communications are typically user-friendly and simple to learn, which help with the transition. Be sure your employees are fully trained on how to use the platform and its unique features to make the switch as smooth as possible. Training is another area where a cloud partner can come in handy. Oftentimes, it can be tedious to train your workforce without additional support.
Stay Up to Date
Staying up to date with new uses for the cloud is key to keeping your cloud communications solution functioning and staying competitive in your industry. Cloud-based technology is continually developing and changing, and it’s only going to get more innovative as other technologies progress. Keeping yourself, your employees, and your clients up to date on everything cloud-based will ensure you’re using your cloud communications solution to its full potential.
Let Us Find the Right Cloud Strategy for You
At Optus, we want to build a simple, secure, and cost-effective cloud strategy to help you drive business outcomes. Book a discovery session with us today and learn how we can help you level up your communications platform.
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