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Unified communications (UC) services are really an ideal fit for the cloud. Sure, the same can be said for lots of applications, but cloud UC (or UCaaS) fits the mold exceptionally well. On premises UC deployments can be bulky, expensive, tough to maintain and inflexible in many ways, making them a less than ideal fit for a variety of usage-case scenarios. But taking all the advantage of on premises UC and moving the heavy lifting to the cloud instantly changes the game.

First, let’s take a look at why some organizations may be hesitant to adopt UCaaS. The cloud still frightens some decision makers, who may refuse to take cloud UC services seriously. That may be due to security and privacy concerns, a lack of awareness and education about the myriad benefits of the cloud or a simple unwillingness to change or consider alternative solutions. Some executives may also question the quality of cloud services, particularly when it comes to voice, as well as the ability of UCaaS solutions to dynamically adapt to the quality of service needs of users.

These are all issues that have been addressed by today’s UCaaS providers, and the market is currently filled with solid, respectable offerings. Not to mention the benefits of cloud UC services: an attractive pricing model that lets customers pay only for the resources they need, the flexibility to add new services and technologies quickly and with ease and scalability that lets organizations adjust resources up or down to deal with business fluctuations.

But those are just the general benefits and can be applied to pretty much all types of cloud services. When it comes to UC, today’s organizations have very precise and demanding needs, and UCaaS is uniquely positioned to meet them. For instance, the growing popularity of BYOD and mobility has forced businesses to support a growing remote workforce. Some employees are simply based remotely and rarely, if ever, report to an office. Others need to travel frequently, while still others need to be able to access the same communications resources through a variety of devices. These trends, coupled with the prevalence of branch offices and the decentralization of the corporation, make UCaaS an ideal fit for today’s businesses, regardless of their size.

Technology is also changing at a continuous pace, and cloud-based UC services can keep up with that pace. Upgrades are performed, automatically, through the cloud, and pushed out to users and devices. Compare that to legacy on-premises UC systems that required specially trained personnel and equipment – and scheduled downtime, to achieve the same results.

Unified communications services really are an ideal fit for the cloud delivery model. As service providers make more of an effort to educate customers and prospects about their benefits, adoption rates will continue to steadily rise.