Communication and Collaboration with a Hybrid Workforce

If your organization plans to shift to a hybrid workforce, you need to assess how your current technology will support your hybrid workforce and what areas and tools you will need to adapt or update. A critical area that organizations need to evaluate to support this new workforce model is their communication and collaboration strategy.

When making the shift to remote work, many organizations quickly prioritized the deployment of managed infrastructure services including communication and collaboration tools to enable their remote workforce. But a short-term reactive approach does not mean it’s the right long-term solution. Organizations should consider a comprehensive, cloud-based platform to keep employees and customers connected and productive. 

UCaaS Explained: How Managed UCaaS Supports a Hybrid Workforce

Having the value of UCaaS explained to stakeholders is vital for a business preparing to move forward into a hybrid work environment. Unified-Communications-as-a-Service (UCaaS) is a cloud-based communication solution that offers a secure means of collaboration across multiple channels (voice, video, chat, etc.) and guarantees a seamless communications experience for in-office and remote employees.

Managed UCaaS can enable your hybrid workforce in the following ways:

• Location Mobility
• Centralized Multi-Channel Communications
• Security & Redundancy Features

1. Mobility: Support Your Workforce Where They Are

As a cloud-based platform, managed UCaaS enables your workforce to receive the same seamless unified communication experience whether they are in the office or at home and transfer smoothly between locations. Unlike a premise-based phone system, managed UCaaS supports a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy so that employees can check voicemail, fax, video conference, and make calls from any device.

2. Centralized Multi-Channel Communications: Increase Collaboration  

With the changing workspace and workforces spread across different regions and time zones, having a wider variety of channels to connect with colleagues is critical to employee collaboration. Managed UCaaS provides a centralized system that employees can use to access features such as meetings, audio/video conferencing, instant messaging, calls, and e-fax in the cloud. With a single platform in place, employees can easily collaborate wherever they are and without having to jump from application to application, saving time and increasing productivity and collaboration.

3. Security & Redundancy Features: Secure Data & Connect Organizations

With the shift to hybrid work, security perimeters have changed, requiring new tools and strategies to remain protected. Hosted in offsite secure data centers with built-in redundancies, UCaaS solutions provide security and business continuity to your communication solution to minimize risk. Most solutions also provide secure voice and data encryption to help ensure your data remains protected regardless of where your employees work from. Empower your business with unified communications and data security to help avoid a significant loss of productivity.

Support Your Employees with Managed UCaaS

For many organizations, the shift to a hybrid workforce requires a critical review of their managed communication and collaboration approach to ensure they have the right solutions in place to support their employees. Having access to a managed UCaaS solution, IT procurement services, or cloud-based application services can help eliminate the costly patchwork of communications tools and offers efficient communication, collaboration, and mobility for hybrid workforces. See our UcaaS demo to learn more.

To learn more about cloud communications and how to deploy within your environment, explore our whitepaper, Cloud Communications: a Methodology for Successful Deployment.

The post 3 Ways Managed UCaaS Enables a Hybrid Workforce appeared first on Dataprise.

Are you wondering how to choose a telecom solution that aligns with your business goals?

When you go to purchase a car, do you allow the dealer to pick your make and model, and charge you MSRP, or more? If you do, there are numerous resources for buying a car, but much fewer for purchasing a telecom agreement.
If you haven’t done this before, or have questions as to why your existing telecom bills are so high with seemingly no explanation, it might be time to take a deeper look. Luckily, purchasing a telecom agreement has a few similarities purchasing a car, and you may have more control than you think.

Here are a few factors to consider when analyzing telecom options:

3 Steps to Choosing the Best Telecom Solution

1. Shop Around
2. Negotiate Your Contract
3. Understand Support Options

1. Shop Around

If you’re researching how to choose a tlecom solution for your business, be sure to shop around. Just as there are many brands, dealers, and models of vehicle, there are many carriers carriers out there today from which to choose, including Comcast, Verizon, Allied, Level 3, Windstream, CenturyLink, AT&T, and XO. Each carrier offers a variety of different solutions and, to choose wisely, you need to understand what objectives your business is trying to meet with its telecom solution. Do you need Internet, WAN connectivity, voice-over IP (VoIP)? Are you looking for solutions to assist with audio, video, and web conferencing? You should also consider your company’s preferences and needs with regards to downtime, uptime, and redundancy to ensure the solution and carrier options you select to fit your business’ needs.

2. Negotiate Your Contract

When choosing the ebest telecom solution, it’s important to review the associatd contract terms. Once you decide on a carrier and what services your business requires, it’s important to take a close look at all the elements of the contract, especially the terms and conditions (T&C) and service level agreements (SLA). Just as you should understand the work being performed on your car before paying for it, you should have a clear understanding of the expectations, responsibilities, and metrics of the carrier, such as network availability, latency, and repair time. You should also analyze all the fees outlined in the contract, such as hardware configuration and inside wiring fees. If you come across something in the contract that does not make sense or that you do not think you need, do not hesitate to ask questions. You may find it’s something that your business will not utilize and removing the service could save you in the long run.

3. Understand Support Options

The level of support your carrier offers can make all the difference when selecting a telecom solution for your business. Ongoing support is essential, from the initial solution design to the implementation process and utilization. With the right solutions designed to fit your specific environment and management by an experienced ISP, you can focus your energy on managing your business. A couple things to also consider with your solution is scalability and determine; for example, if the need arises, how much does a bandwidth upgrade or additional support cost? As your business grows, you will want to ensure that your carrier solution can grow with you and continually fit your needs.
Managing and understanding your telecom bill and service may be a tedious task, especially when you are trying to run a successful business. If like many, you do not have time to contact all carriers and compare their proposals, you may want to consider utilizing a telecom consultant. Telecom consultants typically have access to over 40 carriers and know which carriers perform best with each technology and business requirement. They also have contacts and partnerships they know and trust that can help ensure your business receives the right price. From discovering the best carrier and solution that aligns with your business’ objectives to negotiating the best pricing, telecom consultants can do the heavy lifting for you and help save you money in the long run.

Let Dataprise Assess Your Telecom Solution

Interested in learning more about telecom and how the right solution can lead to cost-savings for your business? We specializ in a number of telecommunication services, including Mitel, VoIP, and carrier services. Contact us today for an assessment of your current telecom state and to discover if your telecom is costing you too much.

The post 3 Things to do When Shopping for Telecom appeared first on Dataprise.