Until recently, business telephone systems were unwieldy things. Businesses were limited to clumsy switchboards, arcane PABX systems, and, if they were lucky, an email and calendar system that only the IT guys knew how to use.
We’ve come a long way in the last few years, and today’s unified communications suites are powerful, stable, and user friendly. If you haven’t invested in your business telephone systems recently, then 2012 is a great year to improve your infrastructure.
Moving to The Cloud
Unified communications solutions integrate several different forms of communication, including instant messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, and traditional messaging systems (voicemail, SMS, fax, and email). There are many different companies offering unified communications systems, and not all systems offer the same suite of tools and features, but even the most basic systems are a big step up from the business telephone systems of old.
Many modern communication systems are now provided via “the cloud”, so instead of paying for an expensive server that your business would not make full use of, you are able to save money by renting computing time and storage space on a set of servers shared with other people.
Faster, Cheaper, Better
The main idea behind integrating several different communication methods is that by offering a range of choices, businesses will be able to find the best communication methods for each part of their company. Quick questions can be answered via IM. Documents can be worked on collaboratively online. Remote workers can use a VPN to safely, securely, and easily access their work-related files, and colleagues from different offices can talk to each other via VoIP without running up a large telephone bill.
The idea of remote working is one that many companies are exploring at the moment, as a solution to the problem of extreme weather conditions. Now that winters are getting harsher, and high winds, ice, and snow are almost a routine part of the winter, more and more companies are looking to find ways to ensure that they can say it’s business as usual when the bad weather hits. Allowing key staff to do at least some of their work from home is certainly a step in the right direction.
Exploring Your Options
If I.T. isn’t your primary business, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you go looking for a unified communications provider. Some small companies have had success putting together their own “package” by shopping around for different providers for online storage, VoIP, instant messaging, and other tools. This is probably not a good idea for someone who is new to this area of technology, however. Compatibility issues, security problems, and resource management could all trip you up if you try to put together your own package without a lot of research. For your first adventures in the world of telecoms, it’s probably best to stick to well-known brands and a package deal. The prices are usually competitive, and could even save you a lot of money in the long term.