Cloud-based communications, also known as Communications as a Service (CaaS), is a hosted solution provided & managed as a service vs. the traditional premise-based systems. This concept has been around nearly forty years, since the inception of Centrex. Many industry experts, whom remember Centrex, understand the issues associated with it. Some of those included cost, limited deployment models, no applications, and basically did not meet the markets need. With the inception of new technology such as IP-based solutions, CaaS is becoming a more viable option.
With a full list of features and applications available, businesses are looking at CaaS to run their day to day operations instead of a premised-based solution. CaaS can reduce or eliminate capital expenditures, which in this economy is a welcome piece of news. With no system to support, your IT investment will be lowered since no education or labor costs would be needed for the communications system. In addition, CaaS is a good way to try and buy. If you are thinking about a premise-based system, you can start with a specific department on CaaS and deploy a premised-based system down the road.
The CaaS model features a long list of solutions that include IP-based systems; robust applications which can be turned off or on quickly; flexible deployment; remote administration & supervisory tools; and remote agent/employee capabilities. Another critical feature in a CaaS solution is the ability to scale your needs up or down depending on your business needs. For example, if you own a catalog company, you may need to scale up during certain holiday seasons. When the season is over, you can easily scale back down again.
For businesses requiring remote agent/employee capability and a disaster recovery plan, CaaS is ideal. The contact center is leading the way in the remote workplace. With the ability to have agents all over the world, using a secure internet connection, companies are able to keep productivity high which helps their bottom line. Gartner is forecasting remote agents will grow by 25% between 2008 and 2013. A disaster recovery plan, a.k.a. business continuity, is becoming an essential part of your operating procedures. Natural disasters are more expensive to recover from and human intervention such as worms and viruses are more prevalent with each passing week. With a disaster recovery plan, where the server is hosted off-site (such as with a CaaS solution), your business is protected from unforeseen circumstances. Also the ability to have remote agents insures that in the event of an unplanned emergency, your agents can still function just as if they were at the office.
With a full list of features and applications available, businesses are looking at CaaS to run their day to day operations instead of a premised-based solution. CaaS can reduce or eliminate capital expenditures, which in this economy is a welcome piece of news. With no system to support, your IT investment will be lowered since no education or labor costs would be needed for the communications system. In addition, CaaS is a good way to try and buy. If you are thinking about a premise-based system, you can start with a specific department on CaaS and deploy a premised-based system down the road.
The CaaS model features a long list of solutions that include IP-based systems; robust applications which can be turned off or on quickly; flexible deployment; remote administration & supervisory tools; and remote agent/employee capabilities. Another critical feature in a CaaS solution is the ability to scale your needs up or down depending on your business needs. For example, if you own a catalog company, you may need to scale up during certain holiday seasons. When the season is over, you can easily scale back down again.
For businesses requiring remote agent/employee capability and a disaster recovery plan, CaaS is ideal. The contact center is leading the way in the remote workplace. With the ability to have agents all over the world, using a secure internet connection, companies are able to keep productivity high which helps their bottom line. Gartner is forecasting remote agents will grow by 25% between 2008 and 2013. A disaster recovery plan, a.k.a. business continuity, is becoming an essential part of your operating procedures. Natural disasters are more expensive to recover from and human intervention such as worms and viruses are more prevalent with each passing week. With a disaster recovery plan, where the server is hosted off-site (such as with a CaaS solution), your business is protected from unforeseen circumstances. Also the ability to have remote agents insures that in the event of an unplanned emergency, your agents can still function just as if they were at the office.
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